C21 reports Mystery Road has been added to the 2020 line-up of US streaming service Acorn.
Season two
Sunday, 19 April at 8.30pm
Winner of TV Week Logie Award for Most Popular Drama Program returns to ABC
The highly anticipated second season of Australia’s favourite drama series Mystery Road returns to ABC and iview on Sunday, 19 April at 8.30pm following its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival last month.
Joining Aaron Pedersen for the second instalment of Bunya Production’s award-winning six-part series is The Bridge’s Sofia Helin. The pair star alongside Jada Alberts, Callan Mulvey, Tasma Walton, Rob Collins, Ngaire Pigram, Mark Mitchinson, Ursula Yovich, Rhimi Johnson, Gary Sweet, Fletcher Humphrys, Joel Jackson, John Brumpton, Eve Morey, Stan Yarramunua and Tasia Zalar (who was nominated for the TV Week Logie Graham Kennedy Award for her performance in season one).
Internationally celebrated, multi award-winning directors Warwick Thornton ( Sweet Country ) and Wayne Blair ( Top End Wedding ) teamed up to film Mystery Road in Western Australia’s picturesque Dampier Peninsular and Broome.
Season two sees Detective Jay Swan (Pedersen) take on a grisly case in a new town in order to be closer to his family, but has he left it too late? Set in a small coastal community where the desert meets the ocean, secrets past and present run deep and dark. Jay must reconcile the law and deep lore and confront a dangerous enemy in a world where deception is king.
Mystery Road season two was produced by Bunya Productions for the ABC, with funding support from Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department, Screenwest, the Western Australian Regional Film Fund supported by Royalties for Regions and Screen NSW. all3media International will handle the international sales.
Mystery Road season one will also be available on ABC iview from 19 April.
Glad that there is a season two of this show. And a date is set.
Even greater is that Sofia Helin is in it. I She was great in The Bridge.
Following season one being voted Most Popular Drama at the 2019 TV Week Logie Awards, Mystery Road season two was filmed in Western Australia’s picturesque Dampier Peninsular and Broome.
Internationally celebrated and multi award winning directors Warwick Thornton (Sweet Country, Samson & Delilah) and Wayne Blair (Top End Wedding, The Sapphires) helmed the six episode series, with Thornton as director of photography.
The outstanding ensemble cast also includes Callan Mulvey, Tasma Walton, Rob Collins, Ngaire Pigram, Mark Mitchinson, Ursula Yovich, Rhimi Johnson, Gary Sweet, Fletcher Humphrys, Joel Jackson, John Brumpton, Eve Morey, Stan Yarramunua and Tasia Zalar (who was nominated for the TV Week Logie Graham Kennedy Award for her performance in the first season).
Season two sees Detective Jay Swan (Pedersen) take on a grisly case in a new town in order to be closer to his family, but has he Left it too Late? Set in a small coastal community where the desert meets the ocean, secrets past and present run deep and dark.Jay must reconcile the Law and deep Lore and confront a dangerous enemy in a world where deception is king.
Bunya Productions’ Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey said, “It was very special to be back in the beautiful Kimberley to shoot the second season, with our brilliant collaborators and good friends, Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton, who have vowed to serve up a brew of tropic gothic outback noir. A brilliant cast, Led by Aaron Pedersen and Sofia Helin, will again entertain and inspire audiences driving down that Mystery Road to seek our nation’s true identity.”
ABC’s Head of Scripted Content, Sally Riley said "The overwhelmingly positive response to season one of Mystery Road, from both critics and viewers, has been extraordinary. Australians
have gravitated to this unique homegrown story and we know that season two, with its exceptional cast and crew, will be no different. Taking home the award for Most Popular Drama Program at the recent TV Week Logie Awards has underscored that Australia is behind this series and the ABC Looks forward to sharing the next instalment with them."
Screen Australia’s Head of Indigenous Penny Smallacombe said "Mystery Road was the critical and ratings hit of 2018, garnering fans at home, in the UK and the US. After Rachel Perkins’ extraordinary work in season one, and with Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton joining for season two, Mystery Road is the definition of powerhouse Indigenous-Led TV drama."
Screenwest’s Head of Strategic Projects & Screen Investment Matthew Horrocks said: “The first season of Mystery Road set a benchmark for quality Australian television drama and showcased the Kimberley region to the world. The producers also set the standard in terms of community engagement, not Least with the superb Indigenous storylines, cast and crew. Screenwest and the Western Australian Regional Film Fund are delighted that season two was shot in another equally spectacular part of our state in the Dampier Peninsular and Broome.”
Screen NSW Acting Executive Director Investment and Engagement Grainne Brunsdon said, “We were as pleased as anyone about the terrific success of season one and delighted that in season two we were once again able to bring post-production for the show back to NSW where it was completed.”
ALL3media lnternational’s CEO Louise Pedersen said, “The first season of Mystery Road is proving to be hugely popular with our global broadcast clients and audiences. With Sofia Helin joining a wonderful cast, Aaron Pedersen reprising his role as Detective jay Swan and Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair directing an intriguing new mystery story, we’re confident the second season will be equally as successful and we are thrilled to be partnering with ABC and Bunya Productions again.”
Amangrove swamp. An endless sky. A headless body.
Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pederson) takes on a grisly new case in the small coastal community of Gideon in Northern WA, where the red sand meets the turquoise blue sea and people go for a fresh start or to bury their past. When the case unexpectedly becomes linked to an outback drug syndicate boss Jay has been chasing for years, he enters a world where deception is king. He also crosses paths with hisformer wife Mary (Tasma Walton), who moved to Gideon to rebuild her life andis seeing a retired cop, Simon (Callan Mulvey).
When Jay begins investigating the murder, the body count rises as he uncovers more dark secrets the town is hiding. His localindigenous police partner, Fran (Jada Alberts), still wants to know what happened to her best friend Zoe when she and another teenage boy Buddy disappeared years ago and a Swedish archaeologist, Sandra (Sofia Helin), faces a moral dilemma when her unexpected discovery on a dig jeopardizes her quest to rewrite history but could also solve a murder.
CAST
JAY SWAN Aaron Pedersen
FRAN Jada Alberts
SANDRA Sofia Helin
SIMON Callan Mulvey
MARY Tasma Walton
SHEVORNE Tasia Zalar
LEONIE Ngaire Pigram
OWEN Mark Mitchinson
JIMMY TWO Stan Yarramunua
PHILLIP Rhimi Johnson
AMOS Rob Collins
PANSY Ursula Yovich
ALKEMI Gary Sweet
REVEREND TOM Keith Robinson
DYLAN Fletcher Humphrys
SUZI-JOHN Kirk Page
KAYLA Eve Morey
HEGARTY John Brumpton
McBRIDE JoelJackson
EMILIO Simon Lyndon
Has the ABC repeated the original movie at all lately? I wish they would.
This is such a hard show to follow. I have absolutely no idea what’s going on? It’s very slow and confusing too.
Watching the latest episode. Still have no idea what’s going on. It’s so confusing.
Mystery Road’s Aaron Pedersen wins international acting award
ABC TV Mystery Road star Aaron Pedersen has won the inaugural AACTA International Award for Best Actor in a Series, trumping a strong field of nominees from Europe and the United States.
Pedersen’s role as Detective Jay Swan in the Indigenous-led drama series was recognised by members of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts in the peer-judged award, which honours the best achievements in screen excellence from around the world.
The other nominees for the Best Actor in a Series Award were Jason Bateman for Ozark, Hugh Grant for The Undoing, Daniel Levy for Schitt’s Creek and Paul Mescal for Normal People.
Sally Riley, ABC Head Drama, Entertainment & Indigenous content, said Pedersen’s award was well-deserved for his leading role in Mystery Road. “Aaron is an iconic Australian actor. Audiences absolutely love him because he’s charismatic and totally engaging on screen.
“He totally inhabits his role in Mystery Road, which was conceived for him . Like all great actors, he has a stillness that resonates and one look will convey a thousand words. No one else could play Jay Swan – the character fits him like a glove.”
Pedersen said he was grateful and humbled by the award. “What can I say about my contemporaries nominated for this award except they are some of the greatest actors on the planet, in some of the best shows ever made. For me to be in such exalted company is truly a great honour. Thank you.
“I also want to acknowledge the Mystery Road series and what it says about Australia, our true identity and our history. I am so proud it is a First Nations series that is the top-rating drama on Australian television.
“Finally, I want to thank my brother Ivan Sen for conceiving of my Mystery Road character, Detective Jay Swan. It is the role of a lifetime.”
Mystery Road , produced by Bunya Productions, was nominated for the AACTA International Award for Best Drama Series. The outback drama won the 2020 AACTA Award for Best Drama Series.
In February, Pedersen was honoured at the G’Day USA gala for excellence in television, making him the first Indigenous recipient of the award. Pedersen can also be seen on ABC TV as the host of the Australia Remastered documentary series.
The full list of AACTA International Award winners is available here.
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Mystery Road: Origin (aka “The Early Years”)
This is something different from the ABC - to focus on the early life of an established series (both television and film).
They seem to repeat both series on television and Goldstone, the sequel to the original Mystery Road movie but I never see the original movie repeated anywhere.
Acclaimed Aussie drama Mystery Road to explore Jay Swan’s origin story
ABC and Screen Australia in association with Screenwest are excited to announce that a third series of the hugely popular, multi-award-winning outback crime drama Mystery Road has been commissioned.
Mystery Road: Origin delves into the early years of fan favourite Detective Jay Swan with proud Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith cast as Young Jay.
It’s 1999, and Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer arrives at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan.
Sally Riley, Head of Drama, Entertainment and Indigenous, ABC said: “The ABC is excited to bring this new phase of Mystery Road to our audiences. The world and tone remain the same but we will unpick Jay and his enigmatic journey to becoming a detective. Who knows, we even may see him smile!”
Greer Simpkin, Producer, Bunya Productions said: “Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective Jay Swan. Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover what made him the man and the outback detective we know and love. Ivan Sen’s Mystery Road franchise has come full circle.”
With the wild expanse of outback Western Australia once again providing the stunning backdrop, the series will showcase an exciting new generation of Indigenous filmmakers including Director Dylan River ( Robbie Hood ), DOP Tyson Perkins and Producer Penny Smallacombe joining the team. The series is written by Mystery Road veterans Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford and Timothy Lee.
Screen Australia’s CEO Graeme Mason said, “ Mystery Road is an incredibly powerful drama that continues to resonate with Australian and international audiences alike, and we are thrilled it’s returning to break new ground, exploring the early defining chapters of Jay Swan’s story. With award-winning Bunya Productions once again at the helm and Dylan River in the director’s chair, following in the footsteps of Warwick Thornton, Wayne Blair and Rachel Perkins from the previous two seasons, Mystery Road continues to be a masterclass of filmmaking, showcasing remarkable parts of Australia not often seen on screen.”
Rikki Lea Bestall, CEO of Screenwest said, “We are thrilled to have this incredible series return to Western Australia, with the support of our State Government and the Western Australian Screen Fund. The spectacular landscapes of Western Australia have helped the popular show establish its ‘outback noir’ genre. The locations within the Goldfields, particularly Kalgoorlie will give the prequel series perfect juxtapositions of breathtakingly beautiful and gritty regional locations.”
Head of Screen NSW, Grainne Brunsdon said “Screen NSW is proud to invest in the ABC’s third series of the award-winning Outback Noir thriller Mystery Road , produced by Sydney’s Bunya Productions. We are particularly delighted to support this rich First Nations’ story created and told by First Nations storytellers We are extremely excited to see the new road the team is taking with a younger Jay Swan and I am confident the third series will attract wide audiences at home and overseas.”
Louise Pederson, CEO of all3 media international said: “We are proud that All3Media International has played a part in the international success if this iconic “Outback Noir” series – and that audiences around the globe love the character, Jay Swan. We are really excited to be able to introduce the charismatic actor Mark Coles Smith as young Jay to those viewers, and we know they will love the chance to gain a deeper insight into Jay’s back story and what makes him tick, all of course, wrapped up in a thrilling crime story.”
Mystery Road: Origin will go to air on the ABC TV and ABC iview in 2022.
Cameras roll on new series of Mystery Road
ABC and Screen Australia in association with Screen West and Screen NSW are thrilled to announce that filming is underway in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia on the third series of Mystery Road .
Over six episodes, Mystery Road: Origin delves into the early years of fan favourite Detective Jay Swan, with proud Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith playing the role of Young Jay.
Joining Mark are a stellar cast including Toby Leonard Moore ( Billions, Mank ), Daniel Henshall ( Clickbait, Snowtown ), Lisa Flanagan ( Total Control ), Clarence Ryan ( Stateless, Wrong Kind of Black ) Steve Bisley ( Mad Max, Water Rats ), Caroline Brazier ( Rake ), Hayley McElhinney ( Doctor Doctor ), Dubs Yunupingu ( Ready For This ), Kelton Pell ( The Circuit, The Heights ), Leonie Whyman (New Gold Mountain ), Salme Geransar ( Clickbait ), Nina Young ( Harry Potter, Clash of the Titans ) and rising stars Jayden Popik and Tuuli Narkle ( All My Friends Are Racist ) as Jay’s first love Mary.
Charged with bringing the world of young Jay Swan to life is an exciting new generation of Indigenous filmmakers including; Director Dylan River ( Robbie Hood ), DOP Tyson Perkins and Producer Penny Smallacombe who will work alongside Mystery Road producers David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin. The series is written by Mystery Road veterans Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford and Timothy Lee.
It’s 1999, and Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer arrives at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan.
Mystery Road: Origin will premiere on ABC TV and ABC iview in 2022.
Production credit: Mystery Road: Origin is produced by Bunya Productions for the ABC, with major production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department in association with Screen West and the Western Australian Screen Fund supported through the State Government of WA’s Royalties for Regions program. Financed in association with Screen NSW, with All3Media International handling international sales.
From 2022 Upfronts
MYSTERY ROAD: ORIGIN
6x60
It’s 1999, and Constable Jay Swan, a charismatic young officer arrives at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan.
Proud Nyikina man Mark Coles Smith plays Young Jay leading a stellar cast including Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Henshall, Lisa Flanagan, Clarence Ryan, Steve Bisley, Caroline Brazier, Hayley McElhinney, Dubs Yunupingu, Kelton Pell, Leonie Whyman, Salme Geransar, Nina Young and rising stars Jayden Popik, Grace Chow and Tuuli Narkle as Jay’s first love Mary.
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Bunya Productions for the ABC, with major production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department in association with Screenwest and the
Western Australian Screen Fund supported through the State Government of WA’s Royalties for Regions program. Financed in association with Screen NSW, with All3Media International handling international sales.
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New short promo aired just before 7pm on ABC TV in Melbourne, saying Mystery Road: Origin is “coming soon”.
Mystery Road: Origin premieres in July
From Sunday 3 July 8.30pm
Every mystery starts somewhere
ABC is proud to announce the much-anticipated Mystery Road: Origin will launch on Sunday, 3 July, 8.30pm on ABC TV, with all six episodes available to binge on ABC iview.
The six-part series will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan.
It’s 1999 and the world is on the cusp of a new century. It’s a time of hope for many and a chance to tell a new story. But some old stories can’t be easily wished away.
Jay Swan, a freshly minted police detective, will discover this harsh truth when he takes up his first posting in a mining town, Jardine, pop. 1000. Jay doesn’t know he is on the verge of a story that will change his life forever.
While in town Jay will be confronted by a series of robberies, perpetrated by a masked gang, that are as random as they are violent. Fingers are pointed at a local hire company with petty crime connections, but the culprits are closer to home. In fact, they are right under Jay’s nose…
Mark Coles Smith, as Young Jay, leads an impressive ensemble of established stars and emerging talent including Toby Leonard Moore ( Billions ), Daniel Henshall ( Clickbait ), Lisa Flanagan ( Total Control ), Clarence Ryan ( Stateless), Steve Bisley ( Mad Max ), Caroline Brazier ( Rake ), Hayley McElhinney ( Doctor Doctor ), Serene Yunupingu ( Ready For This ), Kelton Pell ( The Heights ), Leonie Whyman ( New Gold Mountain ), Salme Geransar ( Clickbait ), Nina Young ( Harry Potter ), Jayden Popik, Grace Chow, with Tuuli Narkle ( All My Friends Are Racist ) as Jay’s great love, Mary.
The series is directed by Dylan River ( Robbie Hood ), produced by Mystery Road veterans Greer Simpkin and David Jowsey and written by Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford, Timothy Lee and Dylan River.
Production credit: Mystery Road: Origin is produced by Bunya Productions for the ABC, with major production investment from Screen Australia’s First Nations Department in association with Screenwest and Lotterywest and the Western Australian Screen Fund. Financed in association with Screen NSW, with All3Media International handling international sales.
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The show does very well in Total TV viewers.