Australian dramas are becoming more and more popular in this golden age of television, as our super-talented actors and directors find homes for their projects on major streaming platforms.
In 2022, Foxtel had the happy task of hosting and releasing courtroom drama The Twelve – a TV blockbuster Down Under.
While a legal procedural is always fascinating (a la Rake), this particular show follows the jury as well as the lawyers, victim, and accused, showing the audience how personal experiences among jurors can form the very outcome of a major murder trial.
What is The Twelve about?
The Twelve is a courtroom drama centred on a murder trial, where a woman stands accused of murdering her teenage niece.
The show focuses mostly on the jury itself, and how they bring their own complex histories and perspectives into the courtroom, where they will ultimately decide if the woman is innocent or guilty.
Over 10 episodes, the audience gets a look into the lives of these characters – their conflicts, families, and secrets, which exposes the fragility and imbalances of the law and how we determine justice.
Among the jury in season one there is a suburban mum who might be suffering coercion at the hands of her husband, an Indigenous student trying to be a role model for his community, a gambling addict, and a brash millennial who suffers from their own traumatic memories.
Their backstories shape their reactions to the trial, affecting its overall outcome.
Who is cast in The Twelve?
The Twelve has some big names attached, including Sam Neill, who plays a lawyer involved in the case, Kate Mulvany as the woman accused in the first season, and Marta Dusseldorp.
Sam praised the show in a chat with WHO, even claiming that he avoided learning the ending of the series while filming it, so he could be naturally shocked, just as the audience would be.
“I read up to about episode six and signed on,” he revealed. “I thought, ‘I don’t want to know what happens in the end’, because you don’t in life, and I thought it much more interesting to just play it as someone who just doesn’t know what the story is.”
As for the rest of the cast, Mr Inbetween’s Brooke Satchwell also stars, as well as Game of Thrones alum Brendan Cowell and Lion actress Pallavi Sharda. Other names among the season one cast include Jenni Baird, Matt Nable, Louisa Mignone, and Nicholas Cassim.
For season two, we saw an entirely new cast consisting of Tasma Walton, Kris McQuade, Amy Mathews, Erroll Shand, Fayssal Bazzi, Josh McKenzie, Anthony Brandon Wong, and more.
Sam Neill will return to reprise his role of Brett Colby SC, as the lives of the jury unravel throughout a cold case murder trial in season three.
Where can I watch The Twelve?
Seasons one and two of The Twelve are now available on Binge and Foxtel Now, with a third instalment also on the way.
Production on season three is currently underway in Western Australia and will be set in the Margaret River region and Perth surrounds, including Parliament House and the ABC Studios.
Stream The Twelve now on Binge with a 7-day free trial. Subscribe here.
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