Crownies

Oh dear. I turned to this when I ran out of Silk episodes to stream. I thought it might be an Aussie version. Was I wrong. Barely into the first episode I asked myself why was I putting myself through this dross. I held on thinking it'll get better anytime now. Currently in E3 (or is it 4?) I don't think I'll see what apparently is mercifully the only season to the end. Neighbours re-written for hornier 21 year olds playing lawyers. Maybe I came to it from Sherlock, Foyle's War and Vera with expectations that were much too high, but seeing as it has been cancelled, probably not. One star because I didn't realize one could give zero.

'Crownies' is an Australian legal drama mainly centering on five young solicitors who juggle difficult cases alongside their love lives and friendships.

Crownies is the first introduction to the characters that later appear in 3 seasons of 'Janet King', a spin off more along the genre of legal thriller. However I did see the shows out of order, watching Janet King first, and found that watching it this way didn't effect the story too much, but it did offer a chance to reflect on how far the characters develop from the start of their careers in Crownies, compared to as they gain experience and confidence in Janet King.

Crownies flips in tone from light hearted banter, emphasis on the character's love lives and then difficult cases that tug at the heartstrings. Despite this unevenness in tone, the characters are all intriguing and viewers will likely connect with one, if not all of them. For me, I found the scenes between a hapless Richard and Judge Walker particularly entertaining, along with the bromance between Ben and Richard and the tight friendships between Lina and Erin and Tatum and Richard.

While definitely in a different realm to its successor, Crownies does start off weak, but builds in drama and sustenance over the course of the season. Don't write this show off, it sets up things nicely for Janet King.

I never noticed but last few years Australia and New Zealand make some very good drama's too many list but never been disappointed yet.

I just ran across this series after watching Janet King. Wish I had started here. What a charming cast of characters who draw us in to living their world! There are no real downsides, but Uncle Tony needs a haircut...

It's early days, but this series (which the ABC seems to have made a lengthy commitment to) has started fairly well. Whether you enjoy it or not will probably depend on how interesting you find competitive, habitually successful young people who approach almost everything in terms of words and arguments.

Standout performances come from Andrea Demetriades, Jeanette Cronin, Ella Scott Lynch and the fantastic Marta Dusseldorp. Aside from a few dodgy extras, all the cast are good. And with any luck as the series goes on, the writers will trust them (and the audience) with dialogue and character developments that are a bit more three-dimensional.