The Secret Life of Us

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Template:Short description Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox television

The Secret Life of Us is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. It screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK.

It has been shown in other countries such as New Zealand (TV3) where it is rated R16 for offensive language and sex scenes; Ireland (RTÉ Two), Canada (SuperChannel3), the Netherlands (Yorin), France (Canal Plus, France 4), Estonia (ETV, Kanal 11), Norway (NRK), Serbia (B92, TV Avala), Russia (TNT, Muz TV), Israel (Channel 2), South Africa (M-Net), and the United States (Hulu). The series won three silver Logie Awards.

Plot

The show revolves around a group of friends in their mid 20s to early 30s who live in a St Kilda block of flats. Their interaction with one another, relationships with other friends, and romantic interests, along with their personal and career developments, are featured.

The actual block is 14A Acland Street, St. Kilda and the rooftop is at the Belvedere Flats on the Esplanade in the same suburb.

History

The Secret Life of Us had its genesis in a telemovie; a 22-episode first season was commissioned by Network 10 before the movie screened.<ref>Michael Idato, "Ten's Secret Is Out", Sydney Morning Herald 21 August 2000, p. 48</ref>

The show had a budget of $5.3 million dollars during its first season.<ref>https://www.screendaily.com/channel-4-boards-southern-stars-secret-life/403351.article</ref> Ownership was jointly split between three of its producers/financiers; Southern Star Group, Optus Television and Network 10 (which has been owned by Paramount and related subsidiaries since 2017).<ref>Copyright notice in the credits for The Secret Life of Us, 2001-2005.</ref> Additionally, the UK's Channel 4 provided funding for the show's first three seasons, although they are not mentioned among the copyright holders in the credits. Channel 4 pulled out after the third series and the fourth series was not aired in the UK. As its popularity rose in Australia during the first season, issues arose between the show's creators and Network 10, which saw higher ratings when it screened before 9:30. This necessitated cutting scenes with sexual themes.<ref>Michael Idato, "Secret Life Re-signed", Sydney Morning Herald 10 September 2001, p. 45</ref>

The inclusion of a prominent Aboriginal character (Kelly Lewis, played by Deborah Mailman) attracted comment at the time of the series' broadcast,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and has since been cited as a landmark in the history of media representations of Indigenous Australians.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The series has been noted as significant for its inclusion of a central, gay coming out narrative in its first season (Richie Blake, played by Spencer McLaren).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The show's ratings began to dwindle following the departure of several key actors and the introduction of new characters and cast members. This began in the second season with the departure of Joel Edgerton and Damian De Montemas. It was the third season that featured a particularly high character turnover, and included the departure of key original cast members Claudia Karvan and Abi Tucker. Production ended in 2004 with the completion of the fourth season. The decision had been made to discontinue production after the first three episodes of the fourth season aired in Australia to disastrously low ratings. At that time, the program was removed from its primetime slot. The unscreened episodes from that final season were broadcast with little publicity in late 2005.Template:Citation needed

Five main cast members – Sibylla Budd, Spencer McLaren, Dan Spielman, Nina Liu, and Gigi Edgley – left at the end of season three and original lead Samuel Johnson left early in season four, followed by Michael Dorman three episodes later. Original cast members Deborah Mailman and David Tredinnick continued, and seven new regular characters were added for season four. The changes were part of a larger overhaul which had the arrival of a new producer, a new script producer, and a new writing team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cast

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Main / regular

  • Claudia Karvan as Dr. Alex Christensen (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1–50, 64–66)
  • Deborah Mailman as Kelly Lewis (Seasons 1–4, Episodes 1–86)
  • Samuel Johnson as Evan Wylde (Seasons 1–4, Episodes 1–72)
  • Abi Tucker as Miranda Lang (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1–56)
  • Joel Edgerton as Will McGill (Seasons 1–2, Episodes 1–30, 42–43)
  • Spencer McLaren as Richie Andrew Blake (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1–66)
  • Sibylla Budd as Gabrielle Kovitch (Seasons 1–3, Episodes 1–66)
  • Damian De Montemas as Jason Kennedy (Seasons 1–2, Episodes 1–44)
  • David Tredinnick as Simon Felix Trader (Seasons 1–4, 86 episodes)
  • Michael Dorman as Christian Edwards (Seasons 2–4, Episodes 31–75)
  • Dan Spielman as Dr. Patrick A.K.A. "Tidy" (Season 3, Episodes 45–66)
  • Nina Liu as Chloe (Season 3, Episodes 45–66)
  • Gigi Edgley as Georgina "George" (Season 3, Episodes 52–65)
  • Sullivan Stapleton as Justin Davies (Seasons 3–4, Episodes 62–86)
  • Stephen Curry as Stuart Woodcock (Season 4, Episodes 67–86)
  • Brooke Harman as Bree Sanzaro (Season 4, Episodes 67–86)
  • Nicholas Coghlan as Adam Beckwith (Season 4, Episodes 67–86)
  • Alexandra Schepisi as Lucy Beckwith (Season 4, Episodes 67–86)
  • Anna Torv as Nicola "Nikki" Martel (Season 4, Episodes 67–86)
  • Ryan Johnson as Zelko Milanovic (Season 4, Episodes 73–86)

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Recurring guests

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Episodes

Template:Main List of The Secret Life of Us episodes

Series ratings

Season Episodes Originally aired Viewership
Season premiere Season finale Viewers (millions) Rating Drama Rank
1 22 23 July 2001 26 November 2001 0.977<ref name="Ratings">Template:Cite web</ref> 7.4<ref name="Ratings" /> #10<ref name="Ratings" />
2 22 18 February 2002 5 August 2002 1.177<ref name="Ratings" /> 8.9<ref name="Ratings" /> #7<ref name="Ratings" />
3 22 10 February 2003 11 August 2003 0.994<ref name="Ratings" /> 7.4<ref name="Ratings" /> #9<ref name="Ratings" />
4 20 18 February 2004 28 December 2005 0.581<ref name="Ratings2">Template:Cite web</ref> 4.3<ref name="Ratings2" /> #7<ref name="Ratings2" />

Home media

The first three seasons of The Secret Life of Us were made available on Region 2 in the UK; season one was released in two parts via VCI in 2003, where as the second and third seasons were distributed by Revelation Films in 2007.

On Region 4 in Australia, all four seasons have been released between 2004 and 2005. The first season was originally released by Shock Records, while the remainder seasons were made available under Liberation Music DVD. A complete series set was distributed by Umbrella Entertainment in 2010, before releasing all four seasons individually in 2012. Via Vision acquired distribution rights and released a complete series set in 2020.

Season Release date Special
features
Region 2 Region 4 Region 4
(re-issue)
Season 1 – Part 1 27 October 2003<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:Hidden
Season 1 – Part 2 27 October 2003<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:N/a Template:N/a Template:Hidden
Complete Season 1 Template:N/a 8 March 2004<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2 September 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Hidden

Complete Season 2 22 January 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 8 October 2004<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2 September 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Complete Season 3 20 August 2007<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 11 October 2004<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2 September 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Complete Season 4 Template:N/a 10 October 2005<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 2 September 2012<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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Complete Series Template:N/a 10 November 2010<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 7 October 2020<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

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See also

References

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Template:Logie Award for Most Outstanding Drama Series on Australian Television Template:Southern Star Entertainment

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