''Spirited'' is an Australian television Supernatural fiction, supernatural

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011. The series stars

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, producer and scriptwriter. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film, '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in ...

as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from a loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of a 1980s English rock star, Henry Mallet, played by

Matt King Matthew or Matt King may refer to: Matthew * Matthew King (composer) (born 1967), British composer and pianist * Matthew King (cricketer) (born 1977), Australian cricketer * Matthew Yang King (born 1974), American actor, voice actor, director, prod ...

. Suzy had been married to Steve Darling, played by

Rodger Corser Rodger Corser (born 28 February 1973) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Owen in the Nine Network crime mini-series '' Underbelly'', based on the Melbourne gangland killings, Senior Ser ...

, for 15 years, and they have two children, Elvis, 13, played by Louis Fowler, and Verity, 8, played by Charlie Hancock.

Belinda Bromilow Belinda Bromilow (born 21 May 1975) is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles in the Nine Network series, '' Doctor Doctor'' (2016–2021), and the Hulu series, ''The Great'' (2020–present)''.'' Education Bromilow studied acting ...

plays Suzy's sister Jonquil.

Cast

Main cast

as Suzy Darling *

as Henry Mallet *

as Steve Darling *

as Jonquil Payne *Louis Fowler as Elvis Darling *Charlie Hancock as Verity Darling *

Angus Sampson Angus Sampson (born 1979) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his performances in the ''Insidious'' film series, ''The Mule'', '' Mad Max: Fury Road'', and the Peabody-winning second season of '' Fargo''. Early life Samp ...

as Zac Hannigan

Recurring cast

*Jane Harders as Rita *

Russell Dykstra Russell Dykstra (born 31 December 1966) is an Australian actor of screen, stage and TV. Early life Dykstra grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Calamvale. Dykstra first appeared on stage at age 10 in a theatre production of ''Toad of Toad Hall ...

as Adam One (Season 1) *Paul Gleeson as Terry *

Sarah Snook Sarah Snook (born 1 December 1987) is an Australian actress. She is known for her starring role as Shiv Roy in the television series ''Succession'' (2018–present), for which she earned critical acclaim in international media. She has won sev ...

as Antonia (Season 2) *

Yael Stone Jael or Yael ( he, יָעֵל ''Yāʿēl'') is the name of the heroine who delivered Israel from the army of King Jabin of Canaan in the Book of Judges of the Hebrew Bible. After Barak demurred at the behest of the prophetess Deborah, God turned ...

as Linda

Series

stars as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from her husband Steve Darling (

) of 15 years and their loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of Henry Mallet (

), a 1980s English rock star. Suzy also has two children, thirteen-year-old son Elvis (Louis Fowler) and eight-year-old daughter Verity (Charlie Hancock), along with a sister Jonquil (

). It is revealed that although Suzy is the only living human being able to see Henry, animals, such as the resident cat, can sense his presence. However, in one scene Henry frightens the caretaker into a heart attack by blowing into his ear. ''Spirited'' is produced by

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

and

Jacquelin Perske Jacquelin Perske is an Australian screenwriter and producer who is best known as co-creator of the television series, ''Love My Way'' and for her screenplay for '' The Cry.'' Television adaptations She wrote four of the six episodes of the 201 ...

who also created drama series ''

Love My Way ''Love My Way'' is an Australian television drama series. It won the AFI award for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons (2004–2007). Premise Set in Sydney, ''Love My Way'' was about a group of 30-somethings dealing wit ...

''.

Cancellation

On 15 October 2011, W announced that it had canceled ''Spirited'' and that there would be no third series. Immediately following this announcement, fans launched a campaign to have the show renewed, using the slogan "SOS: Save Our Spirited". It was announced on 16 December that a possible development deal had been reached with another Australian premium cable channel,

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 ...

, for a third series. However, with

being cast in a ''

Puberty Blues ''Puberty Blues'' is a 1981 Australian coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, based on the 1979 novel of the same name (essentially a protofeminist teen novel) by Kathy Lette and Gabrielle Carey. Plot The story focuses o ...

'' reboot, the likelihood of a third series was slim. Spirited was not picked up for a third season.

Reception

Jo Curtis at UnrealityTV.com found the pilot "funny; it’s very funny, but probably only if you have a sense of humour that tends towards black", and described the comedy and Karvan's character transformation as "a breath of fresh air." The first season was "

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 ...

's most successful Australian drama." Although the target audience was "women in their 40s", it also gained the interest of male teenagers, for the "punk character" of Henry Mallet, according to Karvan. In a video review, Doug Anderson (''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

''/''The Guide'') and Lenny Ann Low ( SMH) described the series as "very engaging", and "quality drama" with no problems in its style, substance or ideas. ''The Age'' reviewer Brad Newsome described the second-season premiere as "just as imaginative and funny as any that has gone before." In the week following, Newsome described the show as "one of the most imaginative things on TV, blending romance, drama and comedy into a wonderfully satisfying whole."

Awards and nominations

The seventh episode in the first series, "Riders on the Storm", written by Jacquelin Perske (writer of the film '' Little Fish''), was one of three nominees for the 2011

Australian Writers Guild The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG) is the professional association for Australian performance writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962. The AWG is a member of the Australian Council of ...

AWGIE Award The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previo ...

for best scriptwriting in a television series. Season 2 of Spirited was nominated for 'Best Television Drama Series' at the 2012 AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) awards.

Home video releases

References

External links

*
Official Facebook

Spirited-TV.net
Fan site {{DEFAULTSORT:Spirited (Tv Series) Australian drama television series 2010 Australian television series debuts 2011 Australian television series endings Television series by Endemol Australia Romantic fantasy television series Ghosts in television Television shows set in Sydney