Crownies

Television sure is full of legal dramas.

Most of them tell the story of a lawyer getting their client off. Most of them tell the story of an entire case resolved within a single episode.

Crownies does neither of these things, and that’s a good thing. It helps give the new ABC drama a point of difference.

But there’s a lot to take in with this first instalment of 2 hours.

Strictly speaking, the Department of the Public Prosecution is fictional (NSW actually has a Director of Public Prosecution) but with all the Sydney locations it’s difficult not to simply see this as a Sydney-based drama. The producers have tried hard to make this a generic Australian metropolis -you won’t see the Harbour Bridge here.

Lewis Fitz-Gerald plays the most senior role here, as the Director of the DPP, David Sinclair. Other senior lawyers are played by Marta Dusseldorp, Jerome Ehlers and, returning to screen in a regular role after a long absence, Peter Kowitz. In a supportive admin role is character actress, Jeanette Cronin.

But the focus of Crownies is the young guns, the still-wet-behind-the-ears lawyers who are learning on the run. Despite their relative inexperience they are entrusted with cases that matter and make decisions that affect real people. As a dramatic premise it’s a noble dilemma worth exploring. Crownies will also dramatise how these kinds of pressures impact on their personal lives, indeed how they release that pressure.

For much of the premiere two-part episode they release it through sex. A lot of sex. On the desk, under the desk, at the office party, in the corridor, on the move…. They’re a pretty glamorous lot too, dressed up in evening wear and skimpy outfits that would look more at home on Underbelly: The Golden Mile (it’s a visual red herring, the plot soon justifies the attire).

That said, I would be worried about these randy kids trying to prosecute any case I was a party to.

The effect of this overt display detracts from the kind of legal drama one might expect of ABC -but perhaps that’s the point. At any rate, I didn’t really buy it and felt like it was sensation for the sake of it.

There are several legal cases set up in the premiere: a sexual scandal involving the Attorney General, a teenage murderer, the rape of a disabled teen, the prosecution of a drug pusher, and a high profile murder case.

With 22 episodes this series will see cases ebb and flow across its series arc. But with 9 ensemble characters (and at least 13 featured parts) and so many legal cases to set up, the focus of the premiere is diluted. I’m not convinced it’s the most effective way into the world of this DPP.

A scene involving a Muslim woman asked to remove her traditional headdress is one of the better moments. It personalises contemporary issues and dramatises the dilemma. If anyone comes off looking bad here, it’s the magistrate.

The young cast members are quite good, with Todd Lasance given the lion’s share of the attention. But Hamish Michael impresses as a lawyer nervous about speaking in public. Andrea Demetriades could also be one to watch. Other roles are played by Indiana Evans, Ella Scott Lynch, Chantelle Jamieson, and Christopher Morris.

The premiere is a bit of a mixed bag: there are flashes of story and character, partnered by some pedestrian scenes and others that are over the top.

The feel of the show is This Life meets MDA, the latter produced by the same producers, Screentime.

ABC opens the series with a double-episode debut, presumably to address the vast scale of the project. I felt a disconnect from the premiere but admit it demonstrated enough ideas and performers to warrant another look.

In the current TV landscape, that may be ABC’s challenge for the wider audience.

I suppose in that respect, this jury is still out?

Crownies airs 8:30pm Thursdays on ABC1.