Molly

Great subject matter, brilliantly acted by Samuel Johnson. You think you're watching the real Molly Meldrum at times. The writing is terrific, the dialogue is convincing, and the supporting cast is solid.

This two part mini series follows the trajectory of Countdown, and re-creates some of the iconic appearances on the show cutting real footage of some performers, with actors playing others. It flashes back to his childhood and forward to his nearly tragic fall from a ladder in later years. The series also doesn't hold back from showing Molly's relationships with lovers, friends and business acquaintances. It's not clear if the uptight Mr. Wade was a real ABC stuffed shirt, or an amalgam of the type of resistance Molly faced within the ABC, but the audience certainly gets a sense of how uneasily Countdown sat within the conservative ABC establishment.

If you grew up during the Countdown years, it's definitely worth a look.