''Bite Club'' is an Australian
crime thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
television series which aired on the
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
from 15 August to 3 October 2018. The show centres around a group of shark attack survivors, named the "Bite Club", who are being targeted by a serial killer. It stars
Todd Lasance
Todd James Lasance (born 18 February 1985) is an Australian actor, best recognised for his roles in Australian television including Aden Jefferies on ''Home and Away'', Cam Jackson on '' Rescue: Special Ops'', Ben McMahon on ''Crownies'' and Maj ...
and Ash Ricardo as Detectives Dan Cooper and Zoe Rawlings, along with
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
as Senior Constable Stephen Langley.
Production
On 4 October 2017, the series was announced, with
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
set to star in a lead role. On 11 October, the series was officially confirmed at Nine's upfronts set to air in 2018. The eight-part series began airing on 15 August 2018.
The show centres around a group of shark attack survivors, named the "Bite Club", who are being targeted by a serial killer.
Todd Lasance
Todd James Lasance (born 18 February 1985) is an Australian actor, best recognised for his roles in Australian television including Aden Jefferies on ''Home and Away'', Cam Jackson on '' Rescue: Special Ops'', Ben McMahon on ''Crownies'' and Maj ...
and Ash Ricardo play Detectives Dan Cooper and Zoe Rawlings, who are trying to catch the killer. Monaghan plays Senior Constable Stephen Langley.
The rest of the cast includes,
Damian Walshe-Howling
Damian Walshe-Howling (born 22 January 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian actor, well known for his role as Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in the Australian underworld drama, ''Underbelly'', for which he won the Best Supporting or Guest Ac ...
as psychologist Kristof Olsen,
Deborah Mailman
Deborah Jane Mailman (born 14 July 1972) is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman played the character Kelly Lewis on the Australian television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and Cherie Butterfield in the Australian c ...
as Superintendent Anna Morton,
Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone (born 1969 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as AK in ''The Matrix'' movies, as Sid Walker in the soap opera ''Home and Away'' and as Tim Palmer in '' Sons and Daughters''. He was also ...
as Detective Sergeant Jim Russo,
Marny Kennedy
Marny Elizabeth Kennedy is an Australian actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Taylor Fry in the television series ''Mortified,'' Veronica di Angelo #2 on ''The Saddle Club
''The Saddle Club'' is an Australian-Canadian ch ...
as semi-pro surfer Amber Wells, Darcie Irwin-Simpson as Detective Claire Hobson, Arka Das as Forensic Specialist Depak Chaudhary, and
Pia Miller
Pia Whitesell (née Loyola Blanco, previously Miller; born 2 November 1983) is a Chilean-born Australian fashion model, actress and television presenter. Whitesell came to prominence after winning '' Dolly's'' annual modelling competition. She l ...
as Zoe's best friend Kate Summers.
Actress
Jessica Falkholt will make a posthumous appearance, following her death on 17 January 2018.
''Bite Club'' is written by Sarah Smith and John Ridley, and directed by
Peter Andrikidis
Peter Andrikidis is an Australian film and television director, and producer.
Early life and education
Andrikidis went to the Sydney high school Drummoyne Boys High School in the mid-1970s, where he made a small film called "Nemesis".
He grad ...
, Geoff Bennett,
Wayne Blair and Jennifer Leacey.
''Bite Club'' began filming on-location in the suburb of
Manly in September 2017.
Filming took place at
Dee Why
Dee Why is a coastal suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of Northern Be ...
,
Curl Curl Beach
Curl Curl is a suburb of northern Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia, north-east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Northern Beaches Council. It is part of the Northern Beaches regio ...
and The Steyne pub.
The Manly Pavilion became the outside of a police station, while the interior rooms were built at North Head.
Other locations considered for the show's setting included
Bondi and
Maroubra.
Filming for the series ended on 7 December 2017.
Cast
*
Todd Lasance
Todd James Lasance (born 18 February 1985) is an Australian actor, best recognised for his roles in Australian television including Aden Jefferies on ''Home and Away'', Cam Jackson on '' Rescue: Special Ops'', Ben McMahon on ''Crownies'' and Maj ...
as Detective Constable Dan Cooper
* Ash Ricardo as Detective Senior Constable Zoe Rawlings
*
Dominic Monaghan
Dominic Bernard Patrick Luke Monaghan (born 8 December 1976) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Meriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck in Peter Jackson's film trilogy ''The Lord of the Rings'' (2001–2003), and Charlie Pace on J. J. Abram ...
as Senior Constable Stephen Langley
*
Deborah Mailman
Deborah Jane Mailman (born 14 July 1972) is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman played the character Kelly Lewis on the Australian television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and Cherie Butterfield in the Australian c ...
as Superintendent Anna Morton
*
Damian Walshe-Howling
Damian Walshe-Howling (born 22 January 1971 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian actor, well known for his role as Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in the Australian underworld drama, ''Underbelly'', for which he won the Best Supporting or Guest Ac ...
as Kristof Olsen
*
Robert Mammone
Robert Mammone (born 1969 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as AK in ''The Matrix'' movies, as Sid Walker in the soap opera ''Home and Away'' and as Tim Palmer in '' Sons and Daughters''. He was also ...
as Detective Sergeant Jim Russo
*
Pia Miller
Pia Whitesell (née Loyola Blanco, previously Miller; born 2 November 1983) is a Chilean-born Australian fashion model, actress and television presenter. Whitesell came to prominence after winning '' Dolly's'' annual modelling competition. She l ...
as Kate Summers
*
Marny Kennedy
Marny Elizabeth Kennedy is an Australian actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Taylor Fry in the television series ''Mortified,'' Veronica di Angelo #2 on ''The Saddle Club
''The Saddle Club'' is an Australian-Canadian ch ...
as Amber Wells
* Darcie Irwin-Simpson as Detective Claire Hobson
* Arka Das as Depak Chaudhary
*
Jessica Falkholt as Emma Bailey
Episodes
Reception
Critical Reception
David Knox of
TV Tonight
TV Tonight is an Australian-based website which features reviews, news and programming information related to television in Australia as well as OzTAM ratings information.
The site was started by television critic David Knox in 2007 after list ...
gave the opening episode two and a half stars out of five.
He wrote, "Melodrama is part of the problem of this drama which needs to commit to one of the two genres it straddles. For a crime about a serial killer the travelogue shots and warm hues is pretty confusing."
Knox disliked Leacey's "sluggish" direction, and felt that the episode was lacking in energy.
He added that the first episode needed to be stronger, with "a bit more teeth to take hold."
Ratings
Home media
The complete series of ''Bite Club'' is available on 9now and Stan in Australia.
References
External links
*
{{Nine Network programming
Nine Network original programming
2010s Australian drama television series
2010s Australian crime television series
2018 Australian television series debuts
Television series by Playmaker Media
2018 Australian television series endings