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High Country (TV series)

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High Country
Genre
  • Drama
  • Mystery drama
  • Crime drama
Created by
  • Marcia Gardner
  • John Ridley
Starring
ComposersCezary Skubiszewski and Jan Skubiszewski
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8[1]
Production
Executive producers
  • Jo Porter
  • Rachel Gardner
  • Lana Greenhalgh
  • Penny Win
  • Marcia Gardner
  • John Ridley
Producers
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release19 March 2024 (2024-03-19) –
present

High Country is an Australian mystery drama series created by Marcia Gardner and John Ridley, which was broadcast from 19 March 2024 on Binge and Showcase. The series stars Leah Purcell, Ian McElhinney, Sara Wiseman, and Aaron Pedersen.

Premise

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When Sergeant Andrea 'Andie' Whitford is transferred to the town of Brokenridge in the Victorian High Country, she realises the mysterious cases of five missing people who have disappeared into the wilderness might be linked. As she delves further into the investigation, she begins to uncover a complex web of murder, deceit and revenge.

Cast

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Main

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Recurring

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Production

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High Country was developed by the creators of Wentworth, Marcia Gardner and John Ridley.[3] The eight-part series, which was shot in 36 days,[3] was commissioned for Foxtel, in association with Screen Australia, VicScreen, and its production company Curio Pictures. Filming commenced in April 2023, and set in the Victorian Alps, in the small town of Jamieson,[3] a region rarely captured on screen.[4] Foxtel Chief CEO, Graeme Mason believes that "High Country is sure to be a landmark television series".[4] Jo Porter, Rachel Gardner, Lana Greenhalgh, Penny Win, Marcia Gardner and John Ridley serve as executive producers for the series.[5]

Broadcast

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High Country premiered on 19 March 2024 on Foxtel-on-demand service, Binge, followed by a television screening on Foxtel's Showcase on the same day. Episodes will be released on Tuesdays through Binge at noon, and Tuesday nights on Showcase at 8.30 pm.[6][2][7]

On 3 May 2024 all eight episodes from the first season were made available in New Zealand on Three's streaming service, ThreeNow.[8][9]

It was announced in June 2024, that the BBC had acquired the rights to broadcast the series in the UK; it premiered on 13 July 2024 on BBC One, airing its first four episodes in double bills over two weeks, while it moved to BBC Two for its final four episodes, which also air in double bills. All episodes broadcast Saturday nights. The entire series became available to stream on BBC iPlayer following the broadcast of the first episode.[10][11][12]

Reception

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Reviews for the series have been positive. David Knox of TV Tonight rated the series at 4 out of 5 stars, stating that "It’s fair to say the themes of High Country, being missing persons and associated crimes, have been explored in a range of other series, including Scandi-noir drama. Here it gets the First Nations treatment thanks to the fine talents of Leah Purcell." He did particularly praise Purcell's performance – "Purcell is outstanding as a grounded, diligent cop, using her smarts and following the law, whilst being challenged spiritually."[13]

In a review for Screenhub, Anthony Morris gave the series a 4 out of 5 star rating and said that "The Victorian-shot series starring Leah Purcell stands out from the pack with its authentically shady sense of place."[14]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave the series a rating of 3 stars out of 5 and commented on Purcell's "rock-solid" performance, mentioning that "Leah Purcell is as engaging as ever in a decent, if familiar crime series".[15]

Following its debut in New Zealand, Tara Ward of the online magazine The Spinoff, said that "High Country is the ideal crime drama for a cold winter night", while she also praised the show for its setting, as well as the cast performances. On a negative note, she did criticise the series as being a clichéd mystery drama, stating, "'People disappearing into the wilderness' is… not exactly a new idea for a murder mystery. And it feels like High Country ticks every box in the genre," but she did ultimately recommend the series.[16]

In a review for British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, Anita Singh rated the series at 3 out of 5 stars and said that "This crime thriller won’t be winning any awards for originality, but its heady tale of deceit, murder and magic realism is absorbing enough."[17]

Episodes

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No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Episode 1"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley19 March 2024 (2024-03-19)
Detective Sergeant Andrea 'Andie' Whitford is the new senior police officer in the small town of Brokenridge in the Victorian high country. She discovers an abandoned car on a remote forest road, registered to a Dr. Haber who's recently murdered his wife and children. While searching for Haber, Whitford finds human remains in a hollow tree. Whitford and team eventually find a naked, confused Haber who kills himself after warning Whitford "you don't know what's going on here". Both discoveries are aided by suggestions from local teacher and self-professed psychic Damien Stark. Whitford also deals with her immediate predecessor in Brokenridge, popular retiring Sergeant Sam Dryson, local larrikins the Mason brothers and her disgruntled daughter Kirra.
22"Episode 2"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley19 March 2024 (2024-03-19)
The remains are of the missing female hiker who disappeared months earlier. An autopsy reveals a broken knife-tip in her chest. Dryson is obsessed with the case and tells Whitford he is convinced Stark is responsible, and that Stark's 'visions' are suppressed guilt. Whitford notes several people have been reported missing in the area in recent years, but Dryson dismisses her concerns. Whitford's wife Helen helps out with the accounts at an artists' retreat and becomes friendly with owner/manager Rose De Vigny. Rose encourages Helen to restart her abandoned artistic pursuits. Local woman Sarah Harris, wife of influential cattle farmer Bryan Harris, is reported missing and a large-scale search is organized. Whitford brings in Stark as a consultant.
33"Episode 3"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley26 March 2024 (2024-03-26)
44"Episode 4"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley2 April 2024 (2024-04-02)
55"Episode 5"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley9 April 2024 (2024-04-09)
66"Episode 6"Beck ColeMarcia Gardner, John Ridley16 April 2024 (2024-04-16)
77"Episode 7"Beck ColeMarcia Gardner, John Ridley23 April 2024 (2024-04-23)
88"Episode 8"Kevin CarlinMarcia Gardner, John Ridley30 April 2024 (2024-04-30)

References

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  1. ^ "HIGH COUNTRY". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Estera, Christine (12 February 2024). "First look at new Aussie drama High Country starring Game of Thrones' Ian McElhinney". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b c de Semlyen, Phil (16 July 2024). "Where was 'High Country' filmed? All the Australian locations behind the BBC mystery series". Time Out. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b "FOXTEL GROUP AND SCREEN AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCE NEW ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES HIGH COUNTRY". Screen Australia. Australian Government. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ^ "OFFICIAL TRAILER AND PREMIERE DATE RELEASED FOR BINGE ORIGINAL HIGH COUNTRY". Binge. Foxtel. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  6. ^ Purcell, Leah (19 March 2024). Today is the day people! High Country will air on Binge at 12pm AEDT and Foxtel at 8.30pm!. Leah Purcell Official. Retrieved 19 March 2024 – via Facebook.
  7. ^ Knox, David (12 February 2024). "Airdate: High Country". TV Tonight. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  8. ^ "High Country". threenow.co.nz. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Mystery Thriller High Country Available Only On ThreeNow". Scoop. 8 April 2024. Archived from the original on 8 April 2024.
  10. ^ "BBC acquires new Australian mystery thriller High Country". BBC Online. 10 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  11. ^ Seddon, Dan (10 June 2024). "BBC acquires "tense" Australian mystery thriller". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  12. ^ "High Country Episode 1 Series 1 Episode 1 of 8". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  13. ^ Knox, David (19 March 2024). "High Country". TV Tonight. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. ^ Morris, Anthony (19 March 2024). "High Country, Binge review: dark and potent crime drama". Screenhub. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  15. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (18 March 2024). "High Country review – Leah Purcell is as engaging as ever in a decent, if familiar crime series". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ^ Ward, Tara (4 May 2024). "High Country is the ideal crime drama for a cold winter night". The Spinoff. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  17. ^ Singh, Anita (13 July 2024). "High Country, review: a satisfying tale of skulduggery high up in the Australian Alps". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2024.(subscription required)
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