''MDA'' is an Australian television series that aired between 2002 and 2005 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It concerned the day-to-day operation of legal firm MDA, which specialised in medical defence.

Synopsis

The title refers to the firm Medical Defence Australia, a team of lawyers and doctors who defend doctors charged with malpractice, ranging from Botox injections gone wrong to spinal cord injuries. The firm operates by collecting annual subscriptions from doctors, rather than on a case-by-case fee basis. The main characters in the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

included Dr. Louella "Ella" Davis, the moral centre of the firm whose passion lies equally distributed between her work at St Albans Hospital Emergency Ward, and defending doctors; "Happy" Henderson, a lawyer whose nickname can be greatly misleading; Dr. Jamie Lawless, an optimistic young doctor whose passion for helping others often leads him to inner conflict; Caitlin King, the new law recruit at MDA whose ambitions far exceed what she can do at the firm; Layla Young of the Bahá'í faith, the friendly receptionist; Dr. Tony McKinnon, a doctor who works with Ella at the hospital; and Richard Savage – the cutthroat plaintiff's advocate who often does battles with MDA. ''MDA'' premiered in 2002 during a downturn in the making of Australian television. Despite critical acclaim and a number of awards, initially no renewal was made after the second season (2003). A year later, the ABC ordered another 12 episodes for 2005, but by this time several key actors had moved on. More multi-episode story arcs were used and critical response was lukewarm. Although sentiment eventually warmed, the series was not renewed after the third season.

Season 1

In the opening episodes, Ella faced personal problems when her lover Nick wished to move out of the country, and she often discussed these with her sister Edwina, but those characters quickly faded into the background. Edwina did return, for one episode, in the second season. The first episodes did not draw impressive ratings, and the critics were ambivalent, but by the eighth episode – "Bowels, Bosch and the Whole Damn Thing", in which Happy faced health problems – Jamie fell for Wendy Rossi, a doctor facing manslaughter, and Caitlin began to consider working with Richard instead of MDA – the show began to gain attention. Other notable characters of the first season were Helena, a prosecutor whose lack of ability often led to comic relief moments; Claudia, Richard's sardonic barrister; Giles, the amiable old barrister contracted to MDA; Dr Vince Phillips, a doctor on the MDA board whose desire to take over led to a legal battle; and Dr Mark Matthews, the head of the MDA board. In the final episodes of the season, Ella and Tony became victims of a civil suit which led to them facing considerable press exposure. They were found not guilty, but in the final moments of the season finale, ''Divine intervention'', angry plaintiff Debbie Shanahan drove her car directly at Jamie, Tony and Ella, and the audience was left to wonder who had survived.

Season 2

Although the ratings had been average, ''MDA'' was granted a second season. The second season improved markedly from the first season, tightening storylines and scripts. The season opened with the episode "Eternity" in which Tony died on the operating table, and Caitlin moved to Richard Savage's firm. Caitlin gets off to a bumpy start with the MDA when she becomes involved with Justin Harris (a man secretly under investigation for murder, played by

Jeremy Callaghan Jeremy Callaghan (born 22 July 1967 in Papua New Guinea) is an Australians, Australian actor whose portrayal of the cute and shy Constable Brian Morley on the popular TV drama ''Police Rescue'' ensured international attention. Callaghan is also ...

). After Justin is cleared he feels that there is no trust in their relationship and leaves Caitlin. Two new characters joined: Amanda McKay, a legal case manager; and Simon Lloyd, a doctor joining MDA. Amanda and Simon's relationship evolves as a will-they-or-won't-they? couple of the show, with the risk increased due to his wife who worked abroad. By season's end they were a couple, but were still easing into it. Significant season two storylines included the destruction of Jamie and Wendy's relationship, Dr Phillips' increasing efforts to become head of MDA, and the potential destruction of MDA itself as he attempts to incite a revolution against the firm, Caitlin and Richard's personal and professional fighting, Layla's grandmother getting closer to death, and Happy dealing with his son Jason. In the second half of the season, Caitlin was written out of the show, as the producers decided her character had run its course. Kerry Armstrong also decided to leave – because the low Government funding for the arts in Australia under the Howard conservative government (often criticised within the industry) meant that appearing on one television show was not a sustainable income. Ella, subsequently, took a full-time posting at St. Albans' as Head of Emergency and only appeared occasionally during the latter half of season 2, making her final appearance in the penultimate episode "Pas de deux". Despite increased audience size, critical response, and award nominations, the ABC made no official announcement of the show's renewal. The final episode, "Memento Mori", aired on 17 December 2003. While it was no surprise that the ABC did not make an immediate announcement about the show's fate – many Australian television series will often miss a year due to actor's schedules and production demands – it was eight months before an announcement was made. During this time, Jason Donovan and Felix Nobis both moved on to other projects.

Season 3

In August 2004, the ABC finally announced its new commitment: a 12-episode order, which would air as three four-hour miniseries in 2005. While the order was small, the renewal meant that ''MDA'' was the only series to have started in 2002 which was still on the air as of 2005. The third season began on 30 June 2005, and was greeted with lacklustre ratings, despite an impressive guest cast. Critical response, initially negative, warmed as the season progressed, to the point where it was largely positive. * Episodes 1–4: ''Second chance.'' Facing a separation from his wife, Happy becomes enamored of a brilliant geneticist, Dr Robyn Masterson ( Sigrid Thornton) whose controversial experiments are in danger of being shut down. While Happy's personal feelings lead him to champion her cause, he begins to discover that all is not as it seems. Meanwhile, Amanda investigates a separate case regarding Dr Masterson's lab assistant Julia (

Anita Hegh Anita Hegh is an Australian actress, known for starring as Ellen 'Mac' Mackenzie in the television series '' Stingers'' and most recently Bianca Grieve in '' Janet King''. Personal life Her father was Norwegian, and her mother is Estonian. He ...

); and Layla, Mark and Jamie fear for Happy's wellbeing.

Aaron Blabey Aaron Blabey (born January 1, 1974) is an Australian author of children's books. He is the creator of three best-selling children's series; ''Pig the Pug'' – a picture book series about a rude, selfish, mean-spirited little dog, ''The Bad Gu ...

also stars as Dr. Masterson's assistant. As incident after incident befalls Robyn's team, she blames outside forces but some suspect that she herself isn't being honest with MDA, and ultimately Happy is forced to make the choice between his relationship with Robyn and the good of the company.

Nicholas Hammond Nicholas Hammond (born May 15, 1950) is an American-born Australian actor and writer who is best known for his roles as Friedrich von Trapp in the film ''The Sound of Music'' and as Peter Parker/Spider-Man in the 1970s television series ''The Am ...

also guest stars in this episode. * Episodes 5–8: ''Departure lounge.'' With Jamie on holiday, MDA take on a temporary case manager, Dr Andrew Morello ( Vince Colosimo), an anaesthetist with strong suspicions about the high rate of infant deaths at his hospital. So when he and Amanda assist Ted Walsh (Terry Brady), a prominent doctor with similar suspicions, Morello begins to investigate – which leads him to suspect prominent cardiologist Rupert Carr (

Frank Gallacher Frank Gallacher (7 April 1943 – 23 February 2009) was a Scottish-Australian actor. Gallacher was born in Glasgow in 1943. In 1962, aged 19, he was working in London when his parents and younger sister decided to emigrate to Australia. Gallach ...

). As Morello confides in Happy, he begins attempting to stop Carr's practices without coming out and speaking his mind, which will ultimately result in the end of both their careers. When Andrew goes up on his own charges, Happy recalls Jamie back to MDA so that Andrew can be dismissed. As everyone including MDA turns against him, news about his wife Lucy (

Jane Allsop Jane Claire Allsop is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish on ''Blue Heelers''. Personal life Allsop was born in the United Kingdom, and only a few months after her birth moved to the United States with her father, Joh ...

) ultimately compels Andrew to make a final decision. Meanwhile, Amanda goes up against Gabrielle Bromley (

Wendy Hughes Wendy Hughes (29 July 19528 March 2014) was an Australian actress known for her work in theatre, film and television. Her career spanned more than forty years and established her reputation as one of Australia's finest and most prolific actors. ...

), a fierce prosecuting attorney. * Episodes 9–12: ''A human cost.'' Happy has a sudden

angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by ischemia, insufficient blood flow to the Cardiac muscle, heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typical ...

attack, and while in an outer suburban hospital befriends intern Dr Liz Gibson ( Lisa McCune). The next day, Gibson becomes the subject of a medical negligence writ. Concerned that her boss, Meg Morrison (

Louise Siversen Louise Siversen is an Australian actress. She is known for her television roles, including Lou Kelly in ''Prisoner'' (1984–1986), Debbie in ''The Flying Doctors'' (1986–1990), and 2012-2017 Heather Looby in '' House Husbands''. She has al ...

), and her nemesis, nurse Chloe Davis (

Jacinta Stapleton Jacinta Patrice Stapleton (born 6 June 1979) is an Australian actress. Known for her role as Amy Greenwood in the Australian television soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 1997 to 2000 and again from 2020 to 2022. Her most notable role was playing ...

) are teaming up against her, Liz seeks Happy's assistance. Even though both Amanda and Liz herself have doubts about her competence, Happy stands by her. However, when Jamie and Layla discover just how understaffed and incompetently run Prospect Valley Hospital is, they realise that someone might be making Liz a scapegoat to cover up greater crimes. Elsewhere, Amanda goes up against a Health Review Board manager, David Simpson ( Erik Thomson) in court, only to find herself in a passionate relationship with him outside of work. But when she learns that he may be behind the plot to convict Liz, Amanda is put into a devastating

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates to situations i ...

. Things come to a head when Liz and her boyfriend – fellow intern Dr Tim Whitney ( Paul Bishop) – must both be protected against the schemes at the hospital, and as Happy fights with Amanda over the case, his health takes a serious turn for the worse.

Cast

Main cast

* Shane Bourne as Bill 'Happy' Henderson * Angus Grant as Dr Jamie Lawless * Petra Jared as Layla Young * Angie Milliken as Amanda McKay (2003–05) * Kerry Armstrong as Dr Louella "Ella" Davis (2002–03) *

Jason Donovan Jason Sean Donovan (born 1 June 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap ''Neighbours'', playing Scott Robinson, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 mi ...

as Richard Savage (2002–03) * Alice McConnell as Caitlin King (2002–03) * Aaron Pedersen as Dr Tony McKinnon (2002 + first episode of season 2) *

Felix Nobis Felix may refer to: * Felix (name), people and fictional characters with the name Places * Arabia Felix is the ancient Latin name of Yemen * Felix, Spain, a municipality of the province Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, S ...

as Dr Simon Lloyd (2003)

Guest cast

as Luke Rodman, Dr. Masterson's assistant (2005) *

Ailsa Piper Ailsa Mary-Ellen Piper (born 1959) is an Australian writer, director and performer. Career Acting Ailsa Piper worked as an actress in theatre in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne from the early 1980s until 2000. She made her first appearance on TV i ...

as Dr Carol Westerman (2003) * Alan Hopgood as Dr. Hugo Willard (2002-03) * Alex Papps as Dr Hamish McGregor (2002, 1 episode) *

Alexandra Schepisi Alexandra Schepisi ( ) is an Australian actress. Early life Schepisi was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is the daughter of filmmaker Fred Schepisi and Australian Casting director Rhonda (nee Finlayson) Schepisi]. She obt ...

as Edwina "Ed" Davis (2002–03) * Amanda Douge as Lucy Carlton (1 episode) *

André De Vanny André Guy Foreman De Vanny (born 14 September 1984) is an Australian actor, who starred in ''Wicked Science'' and ''Swansong''. Filmography *''Of Mice and Men'' (2015) as Curley *''War Horse'' (2013) *'' The Pacific'' (2010) as ''Crazy Marin ...

as Joshua Tranter (2003) *

as Julia Delvecchio, Dr Masterson's lab assistant (2005, 4 episodes) * Belinda Giblin as Renae Samon (1 episode) *

Daniella Farinacci Daniela Farinacci (also credited as Daniella Farinaci) is an Australian actress of Italian descent, who has many television, film and theatre credits. Farinacci is perhaps best known for her role in the Australian movie ''Lantana'' as Paula, alo ...

as Dr Wendy Rossi (2002–03) *

David Clencie David Clencie (born 1964 or 1965) is an Australian actor. He made his debut aged 15 in the children's television series ''Sam's Luck''. He was cast in the lead role of Sam Parkes, after impressing the producer while auditioning for the ABC network. ...

as Jack Panogeas (2002, 1 episode) * Erik Thomson as David Simpson *

as Rupert Carr (4 episodes) *

Gareth Yuen Gareth Yuen is an Australian actor who portrays the character Dax Lo, the Blue Ranger on the 2007 television series '' Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive''. He appeared at the Power Morphicon in June 2007. He is a graduate of Sydney's National ...

as Dr Angus Yu (2 episodes) *

Greg Stone Gregory "Greg" Jonathon Stone (born 23 June 1961 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage. Early life Stone was born in Perth, Western Australia to parents Roy and Jennifer Stone ...

as Dr Garth Carmody (1 episode) *

Helen Thomson Helen MacLeod Thomson is a former member of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and a former Democratic assemblywoman from California's 8th Assembly district. Thomson was first elected to the assembly in 1996 and served three two-year terms. ...

as Nerida Bailey (2 episodes) *

as Nurse Chloe Davis (2005) *

Jack Phillpotts Jack may refer to: Places * Jack, Alabama, US, an unincorporated community * Jack, Missouri, US, an unincorporated community * Jack County, Texas, a county in Texas, USA People and fictional characters * Jack (given name), a male given name, ...

as Eddie Delaney (2003) *

as Lucy *

as Justin Harris (2003) *

John McTernan John McTernan (born 1959) is a British political strategist and commentator. He has been a political adviser to the Labour Party. McTernan was Prime Minister Tony Blair's Director of Political Operations from 2005 to 2007. He then worked on ...

as Dr Michael Forsythe (2002) * Lisa McCune as Dr Liz Gibson (intern) *

as Meg Morrison (2005, 4 episodes) *

Mandy McElhinney Mandy McElhinney (born ) is an Australian actress best known for playing Rhonda in AAMI insurance advertisements. She appeared on the sketch comedy television series, '' Comedy Inc.'', from 2003 to 2006. She appeared as Gina Rinehart in the te ...

as Helena (2002–03) *

Michael Carman Michael Carman (born 11 October 1951) is an Australian film, television, and theatre actor. He trained at St Martins Theatre from 1969 to 1971 and attended Swinburne Film and Television School from 1971 to 1974. Filmography Film Television ...

as Dr Mark Matthews * Nicholas Bell as Oliver Maudson (2002, 2 episodes) *

as Dr Nick Standish (2004, 4 episodes) *

Nicki Paull Nicola Paull (born 1962 Queensland, Australia), is an Australian actress and a registered counsellor. Though predominantly known for her work on television, she has also appeared in films and on stage, as well as performing as a voice-over arti ...

as Dr Karen Hill (1 episode) *

Nina Landis Nina Landis is an Australian stage and screen actress, who trained in Australia and New York. Her feature film credits include the title role (Rikky) in ''Rikky and Pete'', '' Komodo'', '' Four of a Kind'', '' Handle with Care'', and '' Blackj ...

as Claudia Monserrat (2002–03) * Paul Bishop as Dr Tim Whitney (intern) *

Rebecca Frith Rebecca Frith is an Australian actress. Biography Since graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1987, Frith has appeared in a diversity of TV shows (Water Rats (TV series), G.P., A Country Practice, MDA). Firth gained inte ...

as Fran Griffin (2003, 3 episodes) *

Rhys McConnochie Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. It is pronounced ...

as Giles Jones, QC (2002–03) * Robert Taylor as Paul Bennett (2002) * Sarah Chadwick as Dr Sarah Christie (2003, 1 episode) * Sigrid Thornton as Dr Robyn Masterson (2005, 4 episodes) *

Simon Stone Simon Stone (born 19 August 1984) is an Australian film and theatre director, writer and actor. Early life Stone is Australian, but was born in Basel and grew up in Cambridge and Melbourne. His father, Stuart Stone, was a biochemist and his mot ...

as Jason Henderson (2002–03) *

Stephen Kearney Stephen Peter Kearney (born 11 June 1972) is a New Zealand professional rugby league football coach who until 2020 was the head coach of the New Zealand Warriors in the NRL and a former player. A New Zealand national captain and second-row for ...

as Dr Vince Phillips (2002–03) *

Steve Mouzakis Steve Mouzakis is an Australian film, television and theatre actor. He is known for his role in the Spike Jonze film ''Where the Wild Things Are'', Van Gogh in ''Prison Break'', Steven Ray in the film '' The Suicide Theory'', and performing along ...

as Bart Saunders (2003, 1 episode) *

Suzi Dougherty Suzi is an English nickname for people with names such as Susan, Suzanne, Susanna or Susannah. Notable people with the name include: * Suzi Digby * Suzi Ferrer (1940–2006), US/Puerto Rican visual artist and feminist * Suzi Gardner * Suzi Lan ...

as Debbie Shanahan (2002–03) * Terence Donovan as Eric Savage (2003) * Terry Brady as Dr Ted Walsh *

Tim Burns Tim Burns may refer to: Politicians *Timothy Burns (Wisconsin politician) (1820–1853), lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, 1851–1853 *Timothy Burns (Louisiana politician) (born 1957), member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from St. Tamm ...

as Tom Cusack (2002) * Tim Rogers as Joel (2005, 1 episode) * Vince Colosimo as Dr Andrew Morello (2005, 4 episodes) *

as Gabrielle Bromley

Awards

* 2002 – Nominee –

Australian Film Institute Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...

– Best Drama Series * 2002 – Nominee –

– Best Actor – Shane Bourne * 2002 – Nominee –

– Best Supporting Actor – Angus Grant * 2002 – Nominee –

– Best Actress – Kerry Armstrong * 2003 – Nominee –

– Best Screenplay – Bill Garner, ''episode: "Crossing the Line"'' * 2003 – Nominee –

International Emmy Awards The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...

– Best Drama Series * 2003 – Winner –

– Best Actor – Shane Bourne * 2003 – Winner –

– Best Actress – Angie Milliken * 2004 – Winner – Australian Cinematographers Society – Award of Distinction – Graham Brumley – ''episode: "A Bird in the Hand"'' * 2005 – Winner –

– Best Actor in Television – Shane Bourne * 2005 – Winner –

– Best Supporting Actress in Television –

Releases

The ABC released online seven-day rental copies of series one and two under its ABC Digital label.ABC Shop Search for MDA
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References

External links

*
Official Website''MDA'' – "Second Chance"
at Australian Screen Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Mda (Tv Series) APRA Award winners Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian medical television series 2002 Australian television series debuts 2005 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Melbourne Television series by Screentime