★★★★★ 0/5

Gallery: Farewell Rush

Action, overlapping dialogue, handheld cameras, spontaneity, uneasy endings and a solid cast -there was much to like about TEN's cop drama.

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TEN’s cop series has now departed our screens but I thought I would take a moment to acknowledge the series’ attributes.

Since 2008 it has starred Rodger Corser, Callan Mulvey, Catherine McClements, Nicole da Silva, Sam Johnson, Ashley Zukerman, Jolene Anderson, Kevin Hofbauer, Antony Starr, Josef Ber and Claire van der Boom.

It was originally conceived in 2004 as Rapid Response, borne of Police Rescue, with Mathew Le Nevez, Libby Tanner and Corrine Grant. After the US writer’s strike everyone went back to the drawing board under producers John Edwards and Mimi Butler and Rush emerged.

Unlike the suited cowboys of City Homicide, the Rush squad resembled a SWAT team, armed with high tech communications, including mobile cameras, which added to the show’s contemporary feel. It was chockful of hand-held camera work, overlapping dialogue and tense music. A sweeping chopper over Melbourne in the first series got our attention.

These cops weren’t post-mortem “whodunnit” suits. They were in the moment, forced to make decisions with consequences.

One of the things that struck me about the show was its spontaneity. I think it was the first episode where a teenager was threatening to suicide from a skyscraper. When they fell and died it was clear this show wasn’t about to give us happy endings. Killing off Claire van der Boom’s character was also a surprise.

These cops were also flawed. Catherine McClements abusing the police when she was pulled over for a breath test, was far removed from the complicit Blue Heelers.

Stella’s sexuality was always fluid. Boys. Girls. Whatever.

Sam Johnson’s character had shades of 24, seemingly able to tap into any camera anywhere. It wasn’t especially believable but it advanced the plot visually.

There were also plenty of character actors in guest and supporting roles, most of whom were left to be crims in Melbourne’s inner west and Docklands regions. Elspeth Ballantyne on an island was one out of the box. Another episode on a speeding train took us away from the norm. I love how the show always used actual street names.

The show won an AFI Award as Best Drama twice, last year beating out Spirited and Tangle (both Edwards’ productions) and The Circuit.

But I believe its legacy will be in bringing TEN back to the Drama table. After years of failures including The Cooks and CrashBurn, it was able to carve out a primetime drama audience beyond Neighbours. That’s now resonating through Offspring and there are more on the way in 2012.

37 Responses

  4. I loved the show, good cast, good acting and it was true to Melbourne, the ratings were dissapointing but lets not forget we are living in an era where garbage reality tv dominates….so bring on the next trash show from America.

  5. In my opinion Rush was a mature and grown up Aussie Cop drama. It thrilled it moved and most of all it entertained me. What some of the critics and opinions on this site are forgetting is that that’s “all” it needs to do…Entertain.

    It’s a shame it went off air so quickly, but I guess that means that not enough people had the same opinion as me. Oh well, at very least it was a great place for some particularly talent Aussie actors to show case their talents. I hope to see them all again very soon.

  7. Come on, if Rush was so good it would have rated better and people would have watched end of story. More like one of the worst dramas to ever grace Australian television and the ratings and amount of normal people who watched it prove it.

  9. I loved Rush, it is the most enjoyable Aussie drama that I have watched. I was hanging out for it all year and it did not dissapoint. It was a great season – one or two weak episodes (like the one where Lawson slept with Tash… that was just stupid scripting. It was an action show trying to become too much of a relationship drama imo), but still a great season. I will really miss it next year.

    I would have like them to have treated the final episode as such. They could tied up things better I think. What was with Josh stripping down and walking off into the never, never…

  11. I thought Rush was an outstanding Australian television series, one if not, the best shows on Australian telivision at the moment. I am devistated that the show will no longer be produced, it is, a believable and action packed series that engages the audience into the drama unfolding onto the screen and carries us through the events being carried out for what appears to be believable senarios.
    The actors are some of Australias finest, I have been following the work of Catherine MacLements since Water Rats and she has been able to convince me in every role since then of her ability to take on the character she is playing with flawless accuracy.
    As for the others Callum I remember seeing him in heart break High, playing Drazzic, he has the ability portray his character onto the screen and grab us by the throat and wallop us into submission when playing the character of Josh. As for the others, each and every actor is outstanding and deserve praise. To sum up Rush was an excellent series, all involved should be proud ,keep the theme of outstanding Australian telivision alive. We are falling into the Abyss of cheaply produced and/or “popular” telivision and ignoring the amazing talent of some great Australian actors, who can only seem to get paid work on Play School!!!!!!!

  12. @Joni,
    Your opinion is yours only love! It was a brilliant show, and clearly Im not the only one who thinks so.

    Also, I could bring up the fact that the ratings system is a little unreliable. But anyway, point is, an opinion is not fact. So don’t tell us Rush Fans that the show wasn’t great.

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