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What to say about Cleverman? Its not exactly an entirely new concept but what it does, it does well.

Certainly its a brave and very relevant series, given the sometimes awful treatment of Aboriginal communities, at the hands of Federal and State authorities, in Australia. It can also, in one sense, be viewed as a unapologetic commentary on the plight of asylum seekers, in Australia's contentious detention centers.

Looking beyond these factors how does Cleverman stack up as entertainment? Its a thoughtful series and its pacing, may not hook hardcore sword and sandals fantasy fans. Indeed, its fair to say this series is probably going to appeal most to viewers who enjoy slow burn fantasy dramas, where things take time to develop and secrets are revealed by degree.

The acting is of a mostly good, if not exceptional, standard too. There are some well known Aussie actors who have taken up roles in this series, who sit alongside fresh faces I have not come across before.

In summary, whilst Cleverman is not for me (I'm more of a sci fi/futurist buff) I can see it appealing, in particular, to fans of the fantasy genre. Especially those looking for a refreshingly different departure from your standard US/UK fare. Seven out of ten from me.

I'm amazed at how divisive this program is with some people saying it's absolute rubbish and some singing its praise.

The truth is in the middle. It's not war and peace or any sort of deep moral analysis of a racist society. it's simply a story to entertain, you know, a TV series.

so if you watch it with an open mind you could well enjoy it. the characters aren't 3d with solid personalities but neither are they in Home and Away or Neighbours.

remember tho it is science fiction which isn't everyone's cup of tea but if you accept a little mythology it's really not bad.

I've never written a review on IMDb before, but I felt compelled to write one for Cleverman since so many people have rated this show so low, unfairly low in my opinion.

I'm sure many people watching this show who are not familiar with Australia's past treatment of our Indigenous peoples, will want to call Bullsh**t on the way the treatment of the Hairies is portrayed in this drama. One other reviewer stated that they didn't understand the, "overt discrimination and prejudice shown" seeing as, "The Hairies are not particularly dangerous nor do they seem very detrimental to society as a whole yet are treated as slaves". And there in lies the point of the entire show. Cleverman is drawing parallels (and successfully so)between the government's treatment of the Hairy's and the past treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia.

So for those who still think that the prejudice and discrimination in the show is baseless, here's a quick fact check for the times the show parallels the treatment of Indigenous Australians. When the Hairy family is separated and the children are forcibly removed from their parents - that happened to our Indigenous Australians. When the Hairies are restricted to a compound and can't move in and out - that happened to them too. When the Hairies are seen as animals and the government's laws reflects that and treats them as sub-human - yep, that happened. When the media keeps citizens ignorant and misinformed by pushing their own agenda - that sure happened and sadly still does. I could go on and on, and that's only a handful of examples found in the first 2 episodes alone.

For some, the fantasy elements may be a turn-off, but I think putting the fantasy twist on Cleverman was an ingenious idea by the creators. It softens the amount of prejudice and discrimination the audience can swallow by allowing them to oh-so-slightly distance themselves from the realistic atrocities committed against Indigenous Australians by placing the story in a non-realistic setting. Which I know, sounds hypocritical of my above points, but I think it allows people to access this show at a level which isn't so confronting that they are put off from watching it and can thereby experience the messages at the show's core. That being said, obviously it's still not subtle enough for many of the first episode's viewers!

Look, I get it, in terms of production value, yes it is lacking in some areas like CGI and set design. But that can mostly be put down to the small budget. This show definitely does not deserve the 1 star rating that some reviewers have given. I can only assume that they're unable to look past Australia's uncomfortable history (or perhaps their ignorance of this history?) and enjoy this show for its clever premise and it's subtle execution.

In summary: At the end of episode 2, the story line of this show has definitely caught my interest. The main character's acting is spot on as 'the dude you kinda hate', and I look forward to seeing how the show develops his character. There are so many individual stories that have been set up, ready to be woven together. That I'm waiting in excited anticipation to see how all of the characters interact and affect one another. Do yourself a favour and go into Cleverman with a willingness to see beyond the small budget and to enjoy the story line as it slowly builds. Who knows, it might even prompt you to learn a bit about Australian history.

It's a solid 8.5/ 10 from me so far.

To the reviewer who said that the premise is dated because this type of racism is no longer a big issue: you need to watch the news, read the news, talk to anyone of racial minority - it absolutely does exist.

Violent oppression is a problem in many places all over the world - systematic violent oppression like is shown in the very first episode. The attitudes of the boys on the bus or the cops' fear: this happens in "First World" countries every day. And where we've evolved beyond violence, there still exists systematic oppression in many forms from micro-aggressions all the way up to human trafficking and modern-day slavery and murder.

There is a sci-fi/fantasy twist to this story, but the story it tells is not in any way dated. If you think race and color no longer exist, you're part of the problem. The point is to see it and not have it make a difference in your behaviors and attitudes toward those of a different race.

And I love the Aboriginal angle to this story as well since they need their stories told as much as everyone else. Also, Indigenous populations' stories are often told from perspectives other than their own and we need to ask for more told by the population themselves. Let networks know that just because one show doesn't work out, it's the storytelling not the subject matter that is less than.

While it has a certain dramatic overtone, it's a very confusing and antiquated plot IMHO. It seems there are two "species" with one looking very much like Aussie Aborigines, "hairies" and the other European. What gets me is the overt discrimination and prejudice shown between these groups. The hairies are not particularly dangerous nor do they seem very detrimental to society as a whole yet are treated as slaves etc. It's not very sci-fi either IMHO and so not too interesting there. Might have been different if it had been made in the 40's or 50's but it doesn't make much sense in today's political and societal climate. I really like to think we have advanced pretty far in acceptance of others yet this series takes several giant steps back. A much superior and similar story line was shown in the eighties as the film "Alien Nation" which also spawned a TV series.

As an Ex-pat, I desperately want this series to succeed. However, after two episodes it has revealed yet more politically correct apologetics in presentation and delivery, with the tired old stream of NIDA extras and "found object" pool of actors, indifferent in content in most respects from the well known Australian soaps. If it lives beyond a first season I would be mightily surprised. Fortunately, there is just enough performance skill to prevent the viewer seeing the actors eyes scanning the autocue. There is very little to commend this awful rendition of the "Yowie gone mainstream" theme and carries with it the imprint of the British sci-fi series "Aliens" which itself is experiencing declining ratings. I am mortally embarrassed that this is an Australian production.

I don't usually write reviews on IMDb but felt compelled to, considering that Cleverman really succinctly questions modern Australia's political, social and racial climate. In fact, the nature of other reviews, positive and negative, are actually a testament to how well this series has done in exploring key concepts. Namely, Cleverman is actually serving its purpose very well, considering the number of racist reviews!

Cleverman is telling a story about how Australian's (and perhaps more broadly, general society) are fearful of those that they don't know and minority cultures. In the series, a society is afraid of the insinuation that another culture might be different to theirs and feel the need to put them "back in their box". It is truly poetic how the actions of many of the antagonists in Cleverman, are so well mimicked by the negative reviewers here on IMDb.

Xenophobia is still relevant and Cleverman clearly explores this theme effectively and strikes a chord with a number of viewers.

I would recommend this series for those looking for something different and who are knowledgeable of the science fiction genre (and that speculative fiction sits within it!) It is a really unique show that explores some aspects of Aboriginal folklore from well respected artistic groups. It's also excellent for its consideration of political rhetoric around tolerance; exceptionally relevant viewing.

With well paced plot, full of suspense and mystery, as well as a fantastic young and relatively unknown cast, Cleverman promises to be one of the best shows of its genre to come out of Australia for a long time. Drawing on indigenous culture and lore, the social issues prevalent in Cleverman are obviously representative of current issues facing Indigenous communities, with the premiere along touching on high levels of incarceration and the loss of culture. The political allusions also reflect the Australian governments attitude to asylum seekers in recent years. The action scenes are fast paced and dynamic, and the show does not shy away from sex and nudity. The drama is realistic and raw, and is portrayed very well. Overall a very impressive premiere, and i will definitely be back for more

Wow. No matter what this show is trying to do, any intentions it has to deliver some sort of "message" is lost. I agree that Aboriginal Australian's have been and continue to be treated like something akin to a slave race, but this show's efforts to address this is lost. The production values are woeful; the acing is barely passable. Embarrassingly so. It makes one wonder if they kept the bad takes and rejected the good. The writing, although based on an interesting concept, has been murdered along the way. I am a lover of almost all genres of film, but this attempt at Sci-fi is poor. The levels of gratuitous violence are unnecessary, and are really only inserted for "shock value" or to appeal to the baser side of an audience that this offering's message would be wasted on anyway. In addition to this, the way women are portrayed in many scenes is despicable, and is not warranted in any genre. Australia has been attempting as a culture to rid itself of the entrenched attitude that violence is acceptable towards women, and sadly this show undermines this. Any movie/game/show that contains graphic displays of this under the "it's OK, it's only make believe" loophole is wrong. You don't have to look far to find a consensus view that most people, subconsciously or consciously, are influenced by what they see on a screen. Congratulations to those that are not - you are in the minority. For the rest of the easily influenced world, this show is reinforcing rather than changing the current view. The next, and final point I raise, is for the NSW government. Why would you put your money into a second series of a show that is so poorly produced, and contained such questionable content. Surely spending the money directly towards the issues the series "claims" to address, would be better and more fruitful.

The tense atmosphere, the talented diverse cast, and the fascinating plot all worked for me, so I'll definitely keep watching this. One of the best things of this show is it explores the rich Aboriginal culture, mythology and history in Australia, something I feel is largely untold so far in mainstream media, and thus has much to contribute to the world.

And yes, there are many parallels in the experiences of Australian Aboriginal communities, the asylum seekers in offshore detention camps, and the "subhumans" in the show, which makes it feel somewhat all too real at times. The social issues and the politics explored in this show makes Cleverman one of our more important shows.

Even if you don't care for all the stuff I mentioned so far, the show performs very strongly as a superhero series with a dark and gritty atmosphere. The acting is solid, the shots are gorgeous, and the mystery is gripping. I highly recommend this to everyone who enjoys a serious drama.

Oh, also, Cleverman is already renewed for a second season.

First things first, I really wanted to like it. After watching the first episode, I was really excited to watch this show. The main idea seemed new, fresh; it was a combo of dark fairy tales and brutal reality. But I think the execution is just too poor to make it a decent series. Episodes are slow paced, repetitive, they mull around the same thing over and over again. Acting of most characters is OK, the main guy is always kind of angry, bet he wakes up like that. The main characters were my greatest issue with this show: they are absolutely disgusting, they represent all what your grandma told you not to be. Also, character development is lacking, I felt like only in episode 6 something has actually changed. Thus,without bringing in any spoiler, the show is slow-paced, lacks story development, and has some poor acting. I recommend watching only first and sixth episodes, as it will be enough to enjoy the show

Was hoping this was a good sci-fi show to get into - it wasn't..

Some comments say that the 'negative reviews are due to people not watching it all the way through'. I did watch the whole 48 minutes.

1. It is not "Sci-Fi" as currently tagged. Having one scene with people using see through touch screens, some bad wigs, and a couple of splashes of red hair dye doesn't make a show 'sci-fi'.

2. The show is basically pushing an agenda about aboriginal culture, and some kind of segregation and living conditions.

3. There are overly long and slow dialogues with the camera panning everywhere.

4. The best part of the show is the cinematography. However - the bar fight scene about 42 minutes sways so much it seems to have been shot on a rocking sail boat.

5. The biggest disappointment in the acting for me was Iain Glen (Jorah from Game of Thrones). His character is a media mogul who owns a TV station. A Game of Thrones extra made of painted cardboard would have done a better job.

6. There's a guy who does a ritual by the water, reminiscent of the fountain scene at the start of "Hand of God". He looks like a crazy Santa, and its the best part of the show.

7. There's a pointless sex scene about 30 minutes in, where the guy collapses during the act. Maybe he wasn't wearing protection - who knows ..

It tries to be 'urban' and mysterious.

As a tax payer, I am disheartened to read that this has already been renewed for a second season. Obviously someone thought they were 'doing the right thing' even if the show is totally rubbish.

Seriously, I don't know how I got through the episode, I gave the plot a chance after watching the trailer.. But.. I wish I didn't. There are "hairy" people which humans call Hairies.. (Very creative) and they are stronger and faster than us human beings. Then there's this guy called cleverman, who's like a constantinish being, only hairier.. My review does not contain enough lines to submit, and I'm writing this to be able to stop the people who haven't seen the show yet, please refrain from seeing this piece of junk. This show.. is no friend of mine. And I thought that whipped guy from Game of Thrones would be in a TV show which is watchable, but God I was wrong. I told my friend Steve, Steve you made a mistake. Now I gotta move house. Because there's no lock on the door.

What do you get when you cross BabaKiueria with BeDevil (google is your friend)? An illegitimate child called Cleverman and a tired old trope in search of a meme to promulgate.

Season one has come and gone and I stuck it out to the end of "Schindler's Yowies" aka Cleverrman, but I am left with feelings reminiscent of that time when I was gagging for a refreshing cup of coffee only to discover the milk is past its use by date.

When Andrew Macfarlane made an appearance I perked up in the vain hope that this meant Paul Cronin, Tony Bonner and James Laurenson might be about to make a comeback. Surely, in a show of cross-border cooperation, Paul could have called in VKC Matlock to have Tony fly his ranger chopper to the rescue with James (as boney) using his detective skills to fix the mess with the help of Cleverman conjuring the spirit of Ed Deveraux for advice. Now that would have been entertaining! I mean, if you are going to regurgitate ancient stereotypes why not go the whole hog?

I didn't mention Skippy, as I have far too much respect for her non-partisan acting credentials and character depth. But I digress.

I have to worry when concept creator and producer Ryan Griffen states in interview: "The premise of the show, I guess, is…is…umm..." I can empathise with his desperately juggling hand gestures and know how he feels because I'm trying to guess that there's meant to be more to it than the thin platitudes on offer. The cast makes no apologies; it is a metaphor for perceived attitudes toward aboriginal people and minorities, although Ryan apparently just remembers watching "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and wanted to make a similar film his son could relate to culturally. This offering, however, unlike the Marvel/DC crossover, finds itself sequestered in a laboratory somewhere having its DNA probed for meaning and direction along with the rest of the clones.

The only Cleverman here is the one who suggested there were tax credits available for arts funding in Australia.

It's time to pack some fresh laundry in our "ten canoes" and portage them over the "rabbit- proof fence" to a more productive and enlightened destination.