All six episodes of the Australian-set neo-Western will be available October 24 on Netflix.
Early notices for the new Netflix neo-Western Territory have already started rolling in from American and Australian critics. And so far, even the mixed-to-favorable reviews are largely appreciative and mostly admiring.
All six episodes of this limited-run series will be available starting Thursday, October 24. And while you certainly can stream the show on screens of any size — yes, even your iPhone — we strongly recommend you watch it on the biggest TV in your house (or your neighbor’s, provided they’re sufficiently hospitable) to appreciate the lavish production values as well as the excellent performances by exceptional ensemble cast.
What’s it all about? With a nod toward Dallas and a tip of the Stetson to Yellowstone, the plot revolves around the battle for control of Marianne Station, a mammoth cattle ranch in the Top End of Australia’s Northern Territory.
When his eldest offspring and presumptive heir dies unexpectedly (and quite violently), aging patriarch Colin Lawson (Robert Taylor of Longmire) is hard-pressed to find someone else deserving of the spread that has been in his family for generations. Trouble is, Graham (Joe Pickett star Michael Dorman), his surviving son, is a hopeless alcoholic; Emily (Anna Torv), his daughter-in-law, may be more sympathetic to her Indigenous relatives who have their own claim to Marianne Station; Susie (Philippa Northeast), his college drop-out granddaughter, has little experience as a cattle rancher; and Marshall (Sam Corlett), his grandson, has little or no interest — at first — in his family heritage.
But wait, there’s more: Sensing this once-great dynasty is in decline, the Outback’s most powerful factions — rival cattle barons, desert gangsters, Indigenous elders and billionaire miners — move in for the kill. With billions of dollars at stake, everyone wants a piece of the pie.
Here is a sampling of the early reviews:
Luke Buckmaster, The Guardian: The high-concept premise of this rollicking Aussie drama from creators Ben Davies and Timothy Lee is “Succession in the Outback.” Or for those partial to cowboy hats and Kevin Costner: “Yellowstone, in Australia.”
Director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) brings power jostling and fraught family dynamics to the Top End in Territory, the majesty of the landscape perhaps suggesting that all the human conflict bubbling away on the surface makes a teeny imprint in the ancient scheme of things…
In the first episode [series co-creator] Timothy Lee (also the screenwriter, with subsequent episodes written by himself, Kodie Bedford, Steven McGregor and Michaeley O’Brien) links the family trade to emperors and dynasties. “Cattle stations aren’t democracies — they’re kingdoms,” says Colin, who provides a handy overview of the characters when he grumbles about how he has “a hopeless alcoholic for a son, a daughter-in-law whose family have been stealing my cattle for generations, a dropout granddaughter, and a runaway grandson who hates us all.” Lines like this can be highly effective if used in moderation and deployed naturalistically.
All the Lawsons are headstrong and a bit dangerous; part of the dramatic intrigue comes from not knowing what they’re capable of. The cast very effectively capture this. Torv has a steely and sorrowful glint in her eyes; the look of someone who is prepared to fight but would prefer not to. Dorman is powerful and yet vulnerable as Graham, who makes bold moves while battling the demon drink. Corlett brings spunk and attitude as a young man still finding himself, and Northeast very persuasively inhabits Susie, who is tougher to read – calmer than the rest of her family and playing the long game…
In Territory, injections of explosive action enliven all that bickering and jostling; before you know it, Torv is jumping into a helicopter in order to break up a gunfight. And it works surprisingly well: these moments are perhaps not entirely realistic but they don’t cross into outright implausibility either. Do we call this elevated action? Prestige drama, with its head blown off? Either way it’s a sensationally heady mix.
Paul Dalgarno, Screen Hub: Director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) makes the whole thing look suitably widescreen, whether it’s the landscape or the old money wealth of the Lawsons. Together with creators Ben Davies and Timothy Lee, he’s created a highly watchable version of the Outback that’s larger than life in a “print the legend” fashion.
It’s a freewheeling place where anything can happen, especially with these conniving characters. The sense that there’s a surprise around every corner helps Territory come across as more than just another scheming family saga. We’ve all seen parents and kids turn on each other, but having one of them eaten alive by a pack of dingoes? Reckon that just might keep people watching.
Daniel Feinberg, Hollywood Reporter: The six-part drama is almost explicitly an Aussie version of Yellowstone, or else a modern-day version of Australia, with none of those pesky Baz Luhrmann aesthetic trappings. Heck, you might as well call it Amazon’s Open Range without the huge hole at the center of the story…
I guess you could enjoy Territory for all of the reasons it feels like countless other pieces of entertainment you’ve enjoyed. But me, I stuck with Territory for the handful of ways it’s distinctive — like the combination of Australian slang and cattle ranching jargon that’s practically a foreign language, the gorgeous photography of the country’s Northern Territory and, yes, the number of recognizable actors who get to wear chaps and talk about obscure facets of international real estate law. Those aren’t necessarily big promises of originality and flair, but they’re the limited promises on which this constantly watchable drama delivers.
Alexa Scarlata, The Conversation: [T]he show looks like the most ambitious and sophisticated Tourism Australia ad you’ve ever seen. The wildlife! The panoramic drone shots! The hat budget! The rest of the world could go from thinking we ride kangaroos to work, to assuming we’ve all got our own helicopters…
What’s more, while the male characters are brilliant sources of humor and violence, it’s the ladies in Territory that bring the heart.
Anna Torv leads the series as Emily Lawson. Emily is the wife to the next-in-line but perpetually drunk Graham (Michael Dorman). She’s also the girl from the property next door, belonging to the rival Hodge family – a slightly shifty bunch who’ve been known to steal the Lawson’s cattle.
Torv was the perfect choice to embody Emily as the long-suffering wife, disdained daughter-in-law, loving sister and exasperated mother. Her poker face kept me guessing. She may not be a Lawson by blood, but her cunning makes her a great fit in this powerful family.