''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of

Melbourne, Victoria Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung–Taungurung language, Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the St ...

, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by

Southern Star Group Endemol Australia, formerly known as Southern Star Group, Southern Star Productions, Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia and Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd, was Australia's largest independent television production and distribution group. On 26 Jul ...

and screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

and on

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in the UK. Initially co-funded by the two networks, Channel 4 pulled out after the third series and the fourth series was not aired in the UK. The series won three silver

Logie Award The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

s. It has been shown in other countries such as

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

( TV3) where it is rated R16 in New Zealand for offensive language and sex scenes;

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

(

RTÉ Two (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(SuperChannel3), the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

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Yorin RTL 7 is a Dutch free-to-cable television channel that was launched as ''Veronica'' on 1 September 1995. RTL 7 is RTL Nederland's "men's channel" with action films, reality television about crime and professions, soccer, motorsport and talk sh ...

), France (

Canal Plus Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

France 4 France 4 () is a French free-to-air television channel owned by France Télévisions, focused on children's programming. The colour of France 4 is purple. Originally launched as Festival in 1996, the channel took its current name in 2005 when it ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

(

ETV ETV may stand for: Television * e.tv, a South African terrestrial television channel * Educational Television (Hong Kong), a television series * Educational television, the use of television in education * Enhanced TV, an interactive television ap ...

, Kanal 11),

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(

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

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B92 RTV B92, or simply B92 (stylized as b92, formerly BΞ92 and B 92), is a Serbian news station and broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade. Founded in 1989 as radio station, it was a rare outlet for Western news and informati ...

TV Avala TV Avala (full legal name: TV Avala d.o.o., Serbian Cyrillic: ТВ Авала) was a Serbian television network with national frequency. Registered as a limited liability company, the station was given a national TV frequency in Serbia in April 2 ...

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(

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, Muz TV),

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

( Channel 2),

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(

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

), and the United States (

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

Plot

The show revolves around a group of friends in their mid 20s to early 30s who live in a St Kilda block of flats. Their interaction with one another, relationships with other friends, and romantic interests, along with their personal and career developments, are featured. The actual block is 14A Acland Street, St. Kilda and the rooftop is at the Belvedere Flats on the Esplanade in the same suburb.

History and popularity

The series had its genesis in a telemovie; a 22-episode first season was commissioned by the Ten Network before the movie screened. As its popularity rose, issues arose between the show's creators and Network Ten, which saw higher ratings when it screened before 9:30. This necessitated cutting scenes with sexual themes. The inclusion of a prominent Aboriginal character (Kelly Lewis, played by

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 ...

) attracted comment at the time of the series' broadcast, and has since been cited as a landmark in the history of media representations of Indigenous Australians. The show's ratings began to dwindle following the departure of several key actors and the introduction of new characters and cast members. This began in the second season with the departure of

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the ''Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprised i ...

and Damian De Montemas. It was the third season that featured a particularly high character turnover, and included the departure of key original cast members

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 ...

and

Abi Tucker Abigail Anne "Abi" Tucker (born 22 January 1973) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress. She has had roles in television series-telemovies in ''Heartbreak High'' (1994-1995), '' Water Rats'' (1999), '' Wildside'' (1999), ''The Secret L ...

. Five main cast members –

Sibylla Budd Sibylla Budd (born c. 1976) is an Australian actress perhaps best known for her roles in the television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and ''Winners & Losers''. Early life Budd grew up in Canberra, attended Canberra Girls' Grammar School and ...

Spencer McLaren Spencer McLaren (born 28 February 1973, Sydney) is an Australian theatre actor and television actor. The 1999 NIDA graduate is most well known for his starring role on the Australian television drama, ''The Secret Life of Us'', as Richie Blake; ...

Dan Spielman Dan Spielman (born 1979) is an Australian actor. His career spans film, television and theatre. Spielman grew up with his younger sister in Beaumaris, Melbourne. Without formal acting training, Spielman has worked in theatre, television and fil ...

Nina Liu Nina Liu (born 15 June 1977) is an Australian actress of Chinese descent. Her most prominent role was as Chloe in the television series ''The Secret Life of Us''. She also starred in TV series, the first season of '' Spellbinder'', fifth seas ...

, and

Gigi Edgley Gigi Edgley (born 16 November 1977) is an Australians, Australian actress, singer and songwriter. She is best known for her roles as Chiana (Farscape), Chiana on the series ''Farscape'' and Lara Knight in ''Rescue: Special Ops''. Early life Ed ...

– left at the end of season three and original lead

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

left early in season four, followed by

Michael Dorman Michael Dorman (born 26 April 1981) is a New Zealand actor, best known for his starring roles as NASA astronaut Gordo Stevens in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series ''For All Mankind'' and as John Tavner in the comedy-dram ...

three episodes later. Original cast members Deborah Mailman and David Tredinnick continued, and seven new regular characters were added for season four. The changes were part of a larger overhaul which had the arrival of a new producer, a new script producer, and a new writing team.

Cast and characters

;Regular stars *

as Kelly Lewis (Seasons 1–4, Episodes 1-86) *

as Evan Wylde (Seasons 1–4, Episodes 1-72) * David Tredinnick as Simon Felix Trader (Seasons 1–4, 86 episodes) *

as Gabrielle Kovitch (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1-66) *

as Richie Andrew Blake (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1-66) *

as Miranda Lang (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1-56) *

as Dr. Alex Christensen (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1-50, 64-66) * Damian De Montemas as Jason Kennedy (Seasons 1–2, Episodes 1-44) *

as Will McGill (Seasons 1–2, Episodes 1-30, 42-43) *

as Christian Edwards (Seasons 2–4, Episodes 31-75) *

as Dr. Patrick A.K.A. "Tidy" (Season 3, Episodes 45-66) *

as Chloe (Season 3, Episodes 45-66) *

as Georgina "George" (Season 3, Episodes 52-65) *

Sullivan Stapleton Sullivan Stapleton (born 14 June 1977) is an Australian actor who is best known for his roles in the television series ''The Secret Life of Us'', '' Strike Back'' and '' Animal Kingdom''. He also starred in the NBC crime drama '' Blindspot''. S ...

as Justin Davies (Seasons 3–4, Episodes 62-86) * Stephen Curry as Stuart Woodcock (Season 4, Episodes 67-86) *

Brooke Harman Brooke Harman-Walker is an American-born Australian actress. Biography Born in Orange County, California and moving to Brisbane, Queensland as a young child, her first television role was at age eleven on the children's television series '' ...

as Bree Sanzaro (Season 4, Episodes 67-86) * Nicholas Coghlan as Adam Beckwith (Season 4, Episodes 67-86) * Alexandra Schepisi as Lucy Beckwith (Season 4, Episodes 67-86) *

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 ...

as Nicola "Nikki" Martel (Season 4, Episodes 67-86) * Ryan Johnson as Zelko Milanovic (Season 4, Episodes 73-86) ;Recurring guest stars *

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 Paolo (Season 1) *

Jessica Gower Jessica Gower (born 1977 in Melbourne, Victoria, also credited as Jess Gower) is an Australian actress. Gower graduated from the Australian National Theatre Drama School in 2000. Gower's first claim to fame was as a starstruck but confused ...

as Samantha Conrad (Season 1) *

Catherine McClements Catherine McClements is an Australian stage, film and television actress and television presenter. She is known for her TV roles in '' Water Rats'' and '' Tangle'', for which she won Logie Awards, and has performed in stage productions for thea ...

as Carmen (Season 1) *

Tasma Walton Tasma Walton (born 19 August 1973) is an Australian television and film actress. Acting career Walton joined local radio station 6GE and trained as a production assistant and copy writer in her home town. She was accepted into the National Ins ...

as Leah (Season 1) *

Tempany Deckert Tempany Deckert (born 2 March 1978) is an Australian actress and author, who now resides in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is perhaps best known for her role as Selina Roberts on popular soap opera ''Home and Away'' from 1994 to 1997, and br ...

as Andrena (Season 1) *

Susie Porter Susie Porter (born 1970 or 1971) is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film '' Idiot Box'', before rising to prominence in films including '' Paradise Road'' (1997), ''Welcome to Woop Woop'' (1997) ...

as Pandora (Season 1) *

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 Mac (Season 1) * Kenneth Ransom as Brad (Season 1) *

Todd MacDonald Todd MacDonald (born 1973 in British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian Australian actor who is best known for his roles on the soap opera '' Neighbours'' and the drama series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and '' Rush''. MacDonald graduated in 1996 fro ...

as Nathan Lieberman (Seasons 1–3) *

Alice Garner Alice Miriam Olivia Garner is an Australian actor, author, musician, teacher and historian. She is the daughter of Australian novelist and screenwriter Helen Garner and playwright, historian and actor Bill Garner. Acting life and career Garn ...

as Caitlin (Seasons 1–2) *

Oscar Redding Oscar Redding (born c. 1974) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and director. Biography Portrayed Alexander Pearce in ''Van Diemen's Land'' (2009). He also co-wrote the film with director Jonathan auf der Heide. Redding directed the Austra ...

as Eric (Season 1) *

Diana Glenn Diana Glenn (born 1974) is an Australian actress with many credits in television, film, and theatre. Early life and education Glenn has an English father, Greek mother and three siblings. She attended Melbourne Girls Grammar School and studi ...

as Jemima Taylor (Seasons 2–4) *

Vince Colosimo Vincenzo Colosimo (born 11 November 1966) is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States. He is of Italian descent and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was previousl ...

as Anthony 'Rex' Mariani (Seasons 2–3) *

Jacek Koman Jacek Koman (born 15 August 1956) is a Polish actor and singer. Early life Koman was born in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, to actors Halina Koman (née Dobrowolska; born 3 January 1923) and Adam Koman (24 December 1922 – 1 December 2005), and ca ...

as Dominic (Season 2) *

Murray Bartlett Murray Bartlett (born 20 March 1971) is an Australian actor. His roles include Dominic "Dom" Basaluzzo in the HBO comedy-drama series ''Looking'', Michael "Mouse" Tolliver in the Netflix revival of ''Tales of the City'', and Armond in the HBO sa ...

as Nick (Season 2) *

Torquil Neilson Torquil Neilson is a former Australian actor. Biography Born in London and raised in Melbourne. He is best known for his role as Jason Cotter in ''Frontline'' which he played from 1994 to 1997. Neilson's other television roles include ''Blue Hee ...

as Jake (Season 3) *

Pia Miranda Pia Miranda (born 15 June 1973) is an Australian actress whose career was launched with her role in the 2000 feature film '' Looking for Alibrandi'', an Australian film based on the novel of the same name by Melina Marchetta. She is also know ...

as Talia (Seasons 3-4) *

Pamela Rabe Pamela may refer to: *''Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded'', a novel written by Samuel Richardson in 1740 *Pamela (name), a given name and, rarely, a surname *Pamela Spence, a Turkish pop-rock singer. Known as her stage name "Pamela" * MSC ''Pamela'', ...

as Luciana (Season 3) *

Rhys Muldoon Rhys Muldoon (born 17 October 1965) is an Australian actor, writer and director who has worked extensively in film, television, music, theatre and radio. Since 2012 he has starred as Mark Oliver in '' House Husbands''. Career Television Muldoo ...

as Frank Goodman (Season 3–4) *

Aaron Pedersen Aaron Pedersen is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actor. He is known for many film and television roles, in particular as Detective Jay Swan in the film '' Mystery Road'', its sequel '' Goldstone'', and spin-off television series. ...

as Corey Mailins (Season 4) *

Jonathon Dutton Jonathon Dutton (born 13 August 1981) is an Australian actor and director. From 1998 to 2002, Dutton played Tad Reeves in ''Neighbours''. He later returned to the show as a director. Dutton has also appeared in ''MDA'', ''Two Pints of Lager and ...

as Jeff (Season 4) * Mark Priestley as Marcus Nelson (Season 4) *

Ben Mendelsohn Paul Benjamin Mendelsohn (born 3 April 1969) is an Australian actor. He first rose to prominence in Australia for his breakout role in ''The Year My Voice Broke'' (1987) and since then he has had roles in films such as '' Animal Kingdom'' (2010) ...

as Rob (Season 4) * Chris Vance as Piers (Season 4)

Episodes

Series ratings

Cancellation

Production ended in 2004 with the completion of the fourth season. The decision had been made to discontinue production after the first three episodes of the fourth season aired in Australia to disastrously low ratings. At that time, the program was removed from its primetime slot. The unscreened episodes from that final season were broadcast with little publicity in late 2005.

DVD releases

References

External links

''The Secret Life of Us''
at the Australian Television Information Archive *
The Secret Life of Us at the National Film and Sound Archive

"''The Secret Life of Us'' - Now or Never"
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Life of Us, The Australian television soap operas Australian comedy-drama television series 2001 Australian television series debuts 2005 Australian television series endings 2000s Australian drama television series Network 10 original programming Television series by Endemol Australia Television shows set in Melbourne