Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Emberweave I was looking forward to watching "Janet King" because, like several other reviewers, I enjoyed "A Place to Call Home" and became a fan of Marta Dusseldorp. However, after three episodes I gave up. This show is ridiculous. It reminds me of the UK show "Happy Valley"; talented actors, quality production values, and hackneyed, horrible, absurd scriptwriting. This is soap opera writing at its worst. Everyone, and I mean everyone, answers simple questions with over-the-top defensiveness and anger in a pathetic attempt to create conflict for the sake of it. There is so much pseudo-moralizing that I was laughing out loud. In episode three people kept banging on about "motherless children" to the point of ludicrousness. This is the most poorly run law office I've ever seen. And are the Australian police really that stupid? They want to prosecute a woman because they "know" she did it, yet have no evidence, no body, no murder weapon, etc. The most casual viewer of Poirot or any decent legal drama could tell you they had no case. But apparently the juries in Australia are as stupid as the police. (I'm also watching "The Dr. Blake Mysteries" and they are so much better. In a recent episode the Chief of Police tells Blake there isn't enough evidence to prosecute, so apparently 1950s Australia had much higher standards for going forward with a prosecution than 2010s Australia.) Most of the characters are so one-dimensional that I couldn't keep track of who was who and didn't really care; they were "Doris from APtCH", "Guy who was in a Phryne Fisher Mystery", "Amanda Donahoe's red-headed doppelganger") Everything is so contrived and so obviously happens because the writing says so, rather than from any logical, professional reason. Don't waste your time on this frustratingly bad program.

KeroScee On the face of it; Janet King (played by Marta Dusseldorp) sounds like an interesting take on the 'legal drama' serial. Hard hitting cases, delivered in gritty undertones that reflect the depravity we might see the darkest corners of society. Unfortunately, Janet King falls well short of this goal.To start, the writing shows a definitive lack of subtlety, and authenticity. Legal scenarios play out in an overdramatic and stilted fashion. Backroom politicking comes across as artificial and forced. Much of the drama in Janet King feels artificial, as if the script was written without revision, research, or imagination. This leads us to the characters.It is difficult to make statements on the quality of the acting here. Undoubtedly, much of the cast is capable of better things, but without any quality material to work with, any exceptional talent will go unnoticed. Characterisation, script, sets and the costume design are like cardboard cut-outs; they have no depth. Everything is played out linearly, any defining moments or character growth is played out in an almost 'by the numbers' fashion. In a sense, nothing comes across as surprising, or real. Janet King's relationship with her female partner could have been a golden moment in Australian TV. Instead if feels forced, stale and all too well adjusted; with Janet spending more time staring intensely into the camera than experiencing the pitfalls of the human condition.Janet's moral compass and personal philosophy appears to come at no true cost to herself, or her family. Events that should have a significant impact on her personality should impart mental scars or growth. We see none of that in Janet King, rather our protagonist comes across as a hollow amalgamation of various tropes and traits grabbed off a Tumblr guide to LGBT people written by a 14-year-old.The photography work is exceptional. Crisp angles are used to dynamically frame environments, while use of depth and focus shift are used to great effect. This technical brilliance (kudos to grip and camera crew), is squandered continuously due to poor direction and script. If anything, the great camera work shows off just how poor the story telling, dialogue and set pieces are. For example, people's houses look like magazine pieces. Show models that are utterly unlived in, that give no inclination as to the personalities of their residents. We see our titular character's home life often, but it reveals nothing of her personality or that of her family. It simply comes across as continuously frozen in time.Attention to detail for such things are instead shifted to diverse or overdressed extras, who say and do nothing other than contrast with the predominately Anglo cast. At best this comes across as poorly executed and one-dimensional attempt at showing a 'modern Australia'. At worst its pandering to a demographic that doesn't watch public television anymore.In summary, Janet King is a perfect example of terrible original Australian programming. It is utterly devoid of imagination, appropriate attention to detail and quality control. Perhaps in a new series, with a completely new set of producers, directors, and scriptwriters it might be worth watching.Until then it will likely languish in forgotten mediocrity because it lacks one key element; it isn't believable.

georgina10 Great Australian Drama are words I don't often agree with these days. Upon switching the channel over to the ABC and stumbling across the final episode of this for just a few minutes I was hooked! I then went back and watched the first episode, then the second and could not stop - this is Great Australian Drama- it really is! If you like watching a drama where you think you have the guilty parties worked out then realize it cannot be them, and then you become suspicious of a few of them then this is for you - it will keep you guessing until the end and what an explosive ending it is! I don't like giving away too much but do yourself a favor and watch this, watch it for the great Aussie cast of fantastic talent and watch it for the really good script.

rachel-marett My husband & I were fans of Crownies, which sadly ran for only 1 season despite being an excellent drama.Janet King is a 'spin off' series, incorporating a number of other characters from Crownies. We both enjoy this series which is well acted & scripted as well as being a superior Australian drama.It showcases the complexities of prosecuting offenders, the relationship with police & the state government, as well as the weight of public expectation.We hope this series runs into the future with its talented cast of actors.