''Secret City'' is an Australian political thriller television series based on the best-selling novels ''The Marmalade Files'', ''The Mandarin Code'', and ''The Shadow Game'' by

Chris Uhlmann Christopher Gerald Uhlmann (born 24 June 1960) is an Australian former journalist and television presenter. Career Uhlmann was formerly a seminarian, a security guard, and a journalist with ''The Canberra Times'' before joining the Australian B ...

and Steve Lewis. It premiered on

Foxtel Foxtel is an Australian pay television company—operating in cable television, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April 2018, superseding an earlier company from 1995. The service was establi ...

Showcase Showcase or vitrine may refer to: *Cabinet (furniture) *Display case Music * ''Showcase'' (Bill Anderson album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Patsy Cline album), 1961 * ''Showcase'' (Buddy Holly album), 1964 * ''Showcase'' (Philly Joe Jones album), 1959 ...

on 5 June 2016 and on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

internationally on 26 June 2018. The series is produced by

Matchbox Pictures Matchbox Pictures is a film and television production company headquartered in Sydney with production houses in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore. It was formed in 2008 by Tony Ayres, Penny Chapman, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhur ...

and

. A sequel to the series called ''Secret City: Under the Eagle'' was green-lit in February 2018. It aired on 4 March 2019 in Australia and launched worldwide on

on 6 March 2019. It is unknown if there will be a season 3. The sequel storyline is a departure from the books written by Uhlmann and Lewis, who joined the series as story consultants.

Synopsis

Secret City Beneath the placid facade of Canberra, amidst rising tension between China and the United States, Canberra press gallery journalist Harriet Dunkley (

Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox science-fiction series ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for ...

) forces her way closer to the truth, uncovering a set of interlocked conspiracies which threaten her career and her life and endanger the freedom of every Australian. Secret City: Under the Eagle The story picks up with Harriet unwittingly ensnared in a military and political cover-up with Catriona Bailey's (

Jacki Weaver Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. Weaver emerged in the 1970s as a symbol of the Australian New Wave through her work in Ozploitation films such as '' Stork'' (1971), ''Alvin Purp ...

) fingerprints all over it. Harriet's search for the truth leads her back into Canberra's corridors of power, this time working for a maverick Independent MP. What she unearths is a military program so secret even the Prime Minister knows nothing of its existence.

Cast

Recurring cast

as Harriet Dunkley, a former investigative journalist for ''The Daily Nation'', now Senior Media Advisor to Karen Koutoufides *

as Catriona Bailey,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and

Minister for Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

, later

Minister for Home Affairs An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Marcus Graham Marcus Graham (born 11 October 1963) is an Australian film, television (including both serials and mini-series) and stage actor and director, with roles including ''Mulholland Drive'' and '' Josh Jarman''. He was known as a teenage heartthrob i ...

as Andrew "Griff" Griffiths, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Home Affairs, former Senior Political Correspondent for ''The Daily Nation'' *

Sacha Horler Sacha Horler (born 1971) is an Australian actress. Her parents were lawyers, but co-founded Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the early 1970s. Career Sacha Horler graduated from Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1993 and made ...

as Ludie Sypek, host of a SKY political panel show, former Chief of Staff to previous Prime Minister Martin Toohey * Justin Smith as William Vaughn, Director-General of the

Australian Signals Directorate Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), formerly the Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) is the federal statutory agency in the Australian Government responsible for foreign signals intelligence, support to military operations, cyber warfare, and ...

* Aleks Mikic as Thomas Maher, a junior analyst in the Australian Signals Directorate

Secret City

Daniel Wyllie Daniel Wyllie (born 1970) is an Australian stage, film and television actor. Wyllie began acting in theatre. Early life Wyllie grew up on Sydney's North Shore. He attended North Sydney Boys High School and the University of New South Wales, whe ...

as Malcolm Paxton,

Minister for Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

Alex Dimitriades Alex Dimitriades (born 28 December 1973) is an Australian actor and DJ. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Nick Polides in the 1993 romantic comedy film '' The Heartbreak Kid'', and Nick Poulos in the 1994 television teen drama spin-off ' ...

as Charles Dancer,

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO ) is Australia's national security agency responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically motivated vio ...

(ASIO) officer *

Damon Herriman Damon Herriman is an Australian actor. He is known for his film and television work in Australia and the United States. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dewey Crowe in '' Justified''. In 2019, he portrayed the cult leader and crimina ...

as Kim Gordon, a senior analyst in the

Alan Dale Alan Hugh Dale (born 6 May 1947) is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale enjoyed theatre and rugby. After retiring from the sport, he took on a number of occupations, before deciding to become a professional actor at age 27. Dale subsequentl ...

as Martin Toohey,

Australian Prime Minister The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principl ...

Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Phifer (; born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. He portrayed Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama '' ER'' until 2008 and had a co-starring role opposite actor/rapper Eminem in the 2002 feature film '' 8 Mile''. He was ...

as Brent Moreton, US Ambassador to Australia *

Eugenia Yuan Eugenia Yuan is an American actress and former rhythmic gymnast who has won a Hong Kong Film Award. Early life On January 22, 1976, Yuan was born in Inglewood, Los Angeles county, California. Yuan's mother is Cheng Pei-pei, an actress who ...

as Weng Meigui, wife of the Chinese Ambassador *

Matt Zeremes Matt Zeremes (aka ''Matthew Zeremes'') is an Australian creator, actor, writer, director known for his television, theatre and film work. He was the co-creator and co-writer of the International Emmy Award-winning kids comedy TV Series Hardball fo ...

as Sean Brimmer, Senior Constable,

Australian Federal Police The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is the national and principal federal law enforcement agency of the Australian Government with the unique role of investigating crime and protecting the national security of the Commonwealth of Australia. Th ...

Huw Higginson Huw Higginson (born 21 February 1964) is an English actor, best known for playing PC George Garfield in ''The Bill'' from 1989 to 1999. Higginson has also appeared in '' Heartbeat'', '' EastEnders'', ''Casualty'', '' By Any Means'' and '' Jess ...

as Gus Reardon, Editor of ''The Daily Nation'' *

Miranda Tapsell Miranda Tapsell (born 11 December 1987) is an Aboriginal Australian actress of both stage and screen, best known for her role as Cynthia in the Wayne Blair film '' The Sapphires'' and her 2015 performance as Martha Tennant in the Nine Network d ...

as Sasha Rose, a cadet journalist at ''The Daily Nation'' *

Brenna Harding Brenna Harding (born May 19, 1996) is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Sue Knight in the television series '' Puberty Blues,'' and her role in " Arkangel", an episode in the anthology series ''Black Mirror''. Career Harding' ...

as Cassie,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

student *

Benedict Samuel Benedict Samuel (born 15 April 1988) is an Australian actor, writer, and director best known for playing Jervis Tetch / Mad Hatter in the Fox crime series '' Gotham'' and as Owen in '' The Walking Dead''. Early life Samuel was born in Adelai ...

as Felix Crawford, lecturer and tutor at

*Sean Taylor as Paul Wheeler, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation *

Kate Mulvany Kate Mulvany (born 24 February 1977) is an Australian actress, playwright and screenwriter. She works in theatre, television and film, with roles in '' Hunters '' (2020–2023), ''The Great Gatsby'' (2013), '' Griff the Invisible'' (2010) and ...

as Veronica "Ronnie" Bordoni, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Defence *

David Roberts David or Dave Roberts may refer to: Arts and literature * David Roberts (painter) (1796–1864), Scottish painter * David Roberts (art collector), Scottish contemporary art collector * David Roberts (novelist), English editor and mystery writer ...

as General Ross McAuliffe, Chief of the Defence Force *

Anni Finsterer Anni Finsterer is an Australian actress. For her performance in ''3 Acts of Murder'' she won the 2009 Australian Film Institute Award for Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television Drama. Career Finsterer has had significant roles in ...

as Vice Admiral Joanna Hartzig,

Vice Chief of the Defence Force The Vice Chief of the Defence Force (VCDF) is the military deputy to the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) of Australia, and acts as the CDF in his absence under standing acting arrangements. Vice Admiral David Johnston, the incumbent VCDF, has ...

* Max Brown as Kevin Dang, boyfriend of Cassie and Australian National University student * Charles Wu as Qiu, Australian National University student * Kimie Tsukakoshi as Ivy Chen

Secret City: Under the Eagle

Danielle Cormack Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera ''Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in the ...

as Karen Koutoufides, Independent MP for Wakefield, South Australia *

Laura Gordon Laura Gordon is an Australian actress. She was nominated for the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in ''Undertow (2018 film), Undertow''. Other major roles include films ''Em 4 Jay'' and ''Face to Face (2011 film), ...

as Caroline "Cal" Treloar, Drone Pilot,

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

* Rob Collins as Lieutenant Joseph Sullivan *

Don Hany Don Hany (born 18 September 1975) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role in the series ''White Collar Blue'', Dr. Chris Havel in ''Offspring'', and the leading role of Zane Malik in the SBS series '' East West 101''. He is also ...

as Ewan Garrity,

* Andrew McFarlane as Air Chief Marshal Wes Lockwood, Chief of the Defence Force *

Joel Tobeck Joel Tobeck (born 2 June 1971 in Auckland, New Zealand) is an actor known for his roles in the television series ''Tangle'', ''The Doctor Blake Mysteries'', ''Xena Warrior Princess'', ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'', and '' Young Hercules'' ...

as Jim Hellier,

, later Acting

* Louisa Mignone as Mina Al Masi, friend and former cellmate of Harriet Dunkley *

Robert Rabiah Robert Rabiah is an Australian film actor best known for his roles as Hakim in ''Face to Face (2011 film), Face to Face'' for which he was nominated for a AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Film and Best Actor at the Inside Film Awards ...

as Sami Al Masi, Canberra businessman and husband of Mina * Tom Wren as Alex Berezin, a lobbyist for Vanguard Energy *

Renee Lim Renee Li-Yen Lim (born ) is an Australian actress, television presenter and medical doctor. She is best known for her roles as Constable Jung Lim in ''East West 101'', Mae in ''Please Like Me'' and her recurring role as Vivienne Hart in '' Th ...

as Major Helen Wu,

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

and wife of William Vaughn * Benedict Hardie as Declan Boyd, assistant to Karen Koutoufides *

Michael Denkha Michael Denkha is an Assyrian-Australian actor known for his roles in ''Get Rich Quick'', ''Stealth'', ''The Combination'', ''Down Under'' and, most recently, ''Here Come the Habibs'' TV series. Biography Born in Tehran Iran, Denkha moved to ...

as Michael Lavelle, CEO of South East Asia Operations for Trebuchet * Di Adams as Gaelene Curtis,

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

and MP from

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

* Christopher Kirby as Kip Buchanan, US Ambassador to Australia * Frederick Du Rietz as Robbie Lambert, lone survivor of the Davoren Park explosion * Dalip Sondhi as Yasir Younis, Pakistan Ambassador to Australia * Rhondda Findleton as Madeline Stenders, Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation * Rob MacPherson as Richard Gascoigne,

United States Secretary of Defence The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the United States federal executive departments, executive department of the United States Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high r ...

* Greg Eccleston as Floor Manager 1, crew member on

Sky News Australia Sky News Australia is an Australian news channel owned by News Corp Australia. Originally launched on 19 February 1996, it broadcasts rolling news coverage throughout the day, while its prime time lineup is dedicated to opinion-based programs f ...

show "Inside World" *

Fiona Press Fiona Press is an Australian actress whose career has spanned over 30 years. Career Press was part of the original Australian cast of ''1984''. In 1991, she won both an AFI Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and a Silver Shell for ...

as Sylvie Dunkley, mother of Harriet Dunkley

Series overview

Episodes

Secret City (2016)

Secret City: Under the Eagle (2019)

All episodes were released on stream platform Foxtel on 4 March 2019.

Reception

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Secret City Showcase (Australian TV channel) original programming 2010s Australian drama television series Television shows set in Australian Capital Territory Australian LGBT-related television shows 2016 Australian television series debuts Australian political drama television series Transgender-related television shows Television series by Matchbox Pictures Television shows based on Australian novels