"Mercury" (1996) TV series

Creator:

Cliff Green

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

2 May 1996 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The Sunday Mercury is a weekly paper published in Melbourne that tends to upset the government in power (and the opposition) as it reports the news...

Plot Keywords:

Melbourne | Australia | Newspaper

Cast

Geoffrey Rush	...	Bill Wyatt (13 episodes, 1996)
Victoria Longley	...	Georgi Singer (13 episodes, 1996)
David Roberts	...	Dave 'Gibbo' Gibson (13 episodes, 1996)
Susan Lyons	...	Nell Roberts (13 episodes, 1996)
Terry Kenwrick	...	John Proudfoot (13 episodes, 1996)
Julie Forsyth	...	Tess McDonald (13 episodes, 1996)
Ernie Gray	...	Ross Wheeler (13 episodes, 1996)
Pamela Rabe	...	Clare Bannister (13 episodes, 1996)
Bruce Alexander	...	Dave Reynolds (4 episodes, 1996)
Matt Norman	...	Officer Marks (3 episodes, 1996)

Runtime:

50 min (13 episodes)

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

An American DVD release!?

I can't believe Mercury has been SEEN in America,let alone released on DVD. Though apparently it is only 3 episodes. I suppose that's the pulling power of Geoffrey Rush at work. Mainly I'm so surprised as it is such a specific show both in place (Victoria) and time (the dark ages of the Kennett government.) Most people outside Victoria wouldn't be picking up on the (for Victorians, at least) not so subtle depiction of Jeff Kennett and the political goings on of the time. At the time of original screening it was considered almost an open declaration of the ABC's left wing bias. It also delt in one storyline with the issue of trigger happy Victorian poilce officers. In the show they shot dead a mentally ill person I think who was brandishing an axe. There was an investigation and the officer eventual shot himself in his car. I still remember the scene where the blood splattered on the back windscreen. One of those shows with a very catchy theme tune as well.