Deadloch

Sometimes a tv show comes along that is so odd in its characters and plot that it's tricky to quantify just what genre it sits in. Take Deadloch on Amazon Prime Video as an example.

This is a crime show written by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan. They also executively produced it alongside Kevin Whyte and Tanya Phegan. Set in Australia, it is a dark comedy with utterly bizarre characters with a very unsubtle ‘women vs men' narrative running through it.

I'll be honest, I nearly gave up on it after three episodes for reasons I'll get into later. But given that reviewing the show is my job, I stuck it out. So the question is, was it worth it?

What Is Deadloch About?

As we've established, Deadloch is set in a small rural Australian town where Dulcie Collins (Kate Box) is the police sergeant. When a dead body shows up on the beach, the search for the killer begins.

However, determining that she doesn't have enough experience to run the investigation, Commissioner Hastings sends Detective Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) to help solve the case.

But Redcliffe doesn't want to be there. She wants to get in, get it solved and get out. So with very different personalities and approaches, the two police officers constantly clash over the best way to solve the murder.

And before they get very far, a second body turns up. Then a third, and a fourth.

All of the victims are local men who have been strangled but little else connects them. So can Collins and Redcliffe figure out who the serial killer is before any else gets murdered?

Deadloch Official Trailer

Is Deadloch Worth Watching?

Let's get down to it. The first three episodes of Deadloch are painful to watch. And that is largely down to the fact that Detective Eddie Redcliffe is sooooo over the top, vulgar, foul-mouthed and idiotic that I cringed with embarrassment every time Madeleine Sami was in a scene.

It is simply inconceivable that any detective could or would behave the way she does. The good news is that at around episode four, she calms down considerably and becomes far wittier and likeable.

But as we're discussing the issues with Deadloch, it also becomes abundantly clear that the writers wanted to emphasise just how misogynistic some men can be. From the Police Commissioner to most of the men in the town, the level of abuse aimed at the female detectives, police officers and women, in general, isn't just bubbling under the surface; it screams at you with every passing episode.

And yet, despite some despicable characters, Dulcie's very needy wife Cath (Alicia Gardiner), a dimwitted police officer in Sven (Tom Ballard), a total plonker of a coroner (Nick Simpson-Deeks) and enough bad language to make even the most relaxed of us take pause, Deadloch is actually a really good show.

Admittedly, it took a few episodes, but I am genuinely happy that I kept watching. When Dulcia and Eddie finally get on the same page, the investigation really kicks into gear and the narrative of who was killed and why takes hold.

Characters evolve, and the whole series starts to take on a different vibe. It is billed as a feminist noir comedy, and I'm guessing because the cast is largely female, but otherwise, it's a crime drama peppered with plenty of comedic moments to bring some levity and a few chuckles.

Cast Of Deadloch

Kate Box as Dulcie Collins, a senior sergeant of a sleepy seaside hamlet town in Tasmania

Madeleine Sami as Eddie Redcliffe, a detective brought in to help solve a series of murders

Alicia Gardiner as Cath York, Dulcie's wife and local vet who used to be a lawyer

Nina Oyama as Abby Matsuda, an over-eager junior police officer who is also engaged to the coroner

Hollie Austin as Skye O'Dwyer, a local chef who is friends with Dulcie and whose father disappeared five years earlier

Tom Ballard as Sven Alderman, a dimwitted young police officer

Duncan Fellows as Ray McLintock, a local man who helps with the investigation

Kris McQuade as Victoria O'Dwyer, Skye's mother whose husband has been missing for years

Shaun Martindale as Phil McGangus, local guy who runs the town football club

Kartanya Maynard as Miranda Hoskins

Mick Davies as Mike Nugent, an ex-police officer

Pamela Rabe as Margaret Carruthers

Katie Robertson as Vanessa Latham

Susie Youssef as Aleyna Rahme, the mayor of the town who is in charge of the ‘Winter Feastival'

Nick Simpson-Deeks as James King, the obnoxious coroner

Hayden Spencer as Commissioner Shane Hastings