Phoenix

I have only seen 'Phoenix' as a repeat (currently been shown @ 11pm Monday nights on ABC). I thought that the first series was brilliant, but on Monday, the second series premiered. I noticed that Paul Sonkila and Andy Anderson were among the notable absentees - obviously as officers-in-charge of the Major Crime Squad, they were held accountable for the many complaints regarding the bomb investigation. It now seems that Phoenix has lost its first series quality. Am I reading to much into the first episode, or were Sonkila, Anderson and others smart enough to get off a sinking ship?

To me this series was absolutely spell binding. It is based on actual events but cleverly disguised as a Police Drama. The story covers a bombing in a city and the subsequent investigation over several episodes. Dramatic licence is there but the program is believable and never over the top. The program used a former police officer arson expert as there technical adviser and as a former member of this police force, the jargon and officer behaviour was terribly accurate. If you are lucky enough to come across a re-run of this series, watch it. It is interesting from the start and the actual forensic science techniques used are true. One last comment, I'm not the bozo forensic chemist, just his assistant.

This is one of the finest series I've seen. Concentrating on the main thread, each episode has different themes, which all come together at the end. Brilliant! Sadly, the second series went off the rails and, yet again, they killed off great potential. Worth anyone watching - you need to watch carefully, but it's so gripping that's no problem.

Of all the TV series I have watched - which include most western productions (including American and British) - this is by far the best. Brilliant direction, acting, cinematography and editing. The storyline, while based on an actual event where two police officers are killed by a bombing, is just outstanding. It is uncontrived, honest and so real that you can just feel it. In my humble opinion there can be little doubt that this series is, to date, the zenith of television production in Australia - and the equal of anything in the world (and that says a lot coming from a New Zealander!).

The only disappointment is that this series has never got the awards and critical acclaim outside of Australia that it deserved. While this series was produced in 1992, it is only being matched in quality by series produced a decade later. Current series that come close to the quality of Phoenix include "Criminal Intent" and "Special Victims Unit".

I'm over the moon. The ABC has finally released the first season of "Phoenix" as a box set and it has just arrived. I have waited for this moment for years and after watching the first episode I now recall what made this series the cop drama benchmark that it truly is.

The story, which was based on a real-life bombing, actually moved along quite slowly but each hour went by so quickly that it seemed like a few minutes. Every character was fleshed out and whole, even those with small parts. Looking back, it is astonishing that the whole series is concerned with the investigation of one major crime. It was totally absorbing and so very life like. It was the first that compelled me to watch it every week. All other TV dramas I could miss a week or two, but Phoenix was mandatory viewing as far as I was concerned.