Rake 

Criminal lawyer Cleaver Greene defends the indefensible - from bigamists to cannibals and everything in between. He is champion of the lost cause, both in the court room and in the bedroom.

Creators:

Peter Duncan, Richard Roxburgh, Charles Waterstreet

Stars:

Richard Roxburgh, Matt Day, Kate Box

8 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Richard Roxburgh	...	Cleaver Greene 40 episodes, 2010-2018
Matt Day	...	David Potter 40 episodes, 2010-2018
Kate Box	...	Nicole 40 episodes, 2010-2018
Caroline Brazier	...	Wendy Greene / ... 39 episodes, 2010-2018
Adrienne Pickering	...	Melissa Partridge / ... 36 episodes, 2010-2018
Keegan Joyce	...	Fuzz Greene 33 episodes, 2010-2018
Russell Dykstra	...	Barney Meagher 32 episodes, 2010-2016
Damien Garvey	...	Cal McGregor 32 episodes, 2012-2018
Danielle Cormack	...	Scarlet Meagher / ... 28 episodes, 2010-2016
Tom Poulton	...	Max Meagher 19 episodes, 2010-2016
Madeline Towns	...	Zoe Meagher 18 episodes, 2010-2016

Storyline

Criminal lawyer Cleaver Greene defends the indefensible - from bigamists to cannibals and everything in between. He is champion of the lost cause, both in the court room and in the bedroom.

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Plot Keywords:

barrister | 

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Taglines:

The Bar Has Been Lowered (season 1)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

ABC [Australia]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Рейк

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Essential Media & Entertainment,Blow by Blow Productions,Screen Australia

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The show airs in the United States on DirecTV's Audience Network and is available on Netflix in the UK, Ireland, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, India, Australia and New Zealand.

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Connections

Remade as Rake (2014)

User Reviews

Long-running Aussie series might've jumped a few grite whoites along the way, but still keeps chugging along...

Just two eps into season three, "Rake" was looking like one of the best TV series from anywhere, ever. I was dimly aware of Richard Roxburgh as a veteran Aussie actor who's done a lot of action flicks; he's a revelation here as Cleaver Greene, a Sydney trial lawyer with a gambling habit, multiple substance-abuse issues and a private life that can only be described as a f---in trinewrick.

The scripts are inventive and very funny, Cleaver's drunken harangues in inappropriate venues especially so; the cases are sometimes based on real-world causes célèbres (like the cannibal who advertised online for a dinner partner), the ongoing dramedy of Cleaver's personal life is involving (and very funny), and the ep where Cleaver gets out of a slump by defending an Assange-like activist who's charged with treason is positively uplifting.

The supporting cast is amazing; Australian TV seems to have a very deep bench of beautiful actresses who can really act, starting with Adrienne Pickering as Cleaver's love interest and onetime Xena sidekick Danielle Cormack as a cougar prosecutor. Guest spots by Aussie notables like Rachel Griffiths as a race-baiting shock jock, Toni Collette as a randy politician and Hugo Weaving as the cannibal--and those crispy accents with the foot-long vowel sounds--make this fabulous show even more delightful.

2018 update: All five seasons are now available for streaming on Netflix. Some of the later eps are a bit loosely plotted, to put it mildly, but the kangaroo court scene from season three (Rake makes the jailhouse lawyer ever) is truly one of the funniest things I've ever seen!