Territory (TV series)

The world's largest cattle station, Marianne Station, has been owned for generations by the Lawson family dynasty.^[1] It becomes a prize to be sought after by rival cattle farmers, various gangsters, Australian Aboriginal elders, and mining magnates after the Lawsons lose a son, Daniel, due to inherit the property in a suspicious riding accident. The first episode unfolds a major battle for succession beginning at his funeral. ^[2] The second centres on the search for a wayward and thieving grandson of the current owner Colin, who bears several grudges against the family but is plunged into the limelight when Colin impetuously announces him as an heir to the property instead of his alcoholic son, Graham. There is also a vote for the 'Territory Cattlemen's Association' that is powerful in controlling subcontracting and export, lost by Graham Lawson in favour of an ambitious rival.

• Anna Torv as Emily Lawson
• Michael Dorman as Graham Lawson
• Robert Taylor as Colin Lawson
• Sam Corlett as Marshall Lawson
• Sara Wiseman as Sandra Kirby
• Dan Wyllie as Hank Hodge
• Clarence Ryan as Nolan Brannock
• Jay Ryan as Campbell Miller
• Philippa Northeast as Susie Lawson
• Joe Klocek as Lachie Kirby
• Kylah Day as Sharnie Kennedy
• Sam Delich as Rich Petrakis
• Hamilton Morris as Uncle Bryce
• Tuuli Narkle as Keeley Redford
• Tyler Spencer as Dezi
• Jake Ryan as Daniel Lawson

Tim Lee and Ben Davies (of Ronde) were the creators of the series. Davies also co-executive produced, and Lee co-wrote the episodes with Kodie Bedford, Steven McGregor, and Michaeley O'Brien. Greg McLean directed and Paul Ranford produced the series.^[1][2] It is jointly produced by Easy Tiger Productions and Ronde,^[2][3][4] with support from Screen Territory and the South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC).^[5][2]

The series was first titled Desert King, with its new title, Territory, announced in July 2024, three months before its release.^[6][7]

Filming locations included Kakadu National Park and Tipperary Station,^[1] both in the Northern Territory of Australia,^[2] as well as Mallala, a small town on the Adelaide Plains.^[8] Production and post-production took place in Adelaide, South Australia.^[2] It is the biggest Netflix production to be filmed in South Australia.^[9]

During production, around 140 of the 180 NT staff lived at the station, which is situated in a very remote location. The series is one of the largest local productions filmed in both the Northern Territory and South Australia.^[10]

There was a preview screening at the Palace Nova in Adelaide on 22 October 2024, attended by 150 guests, including many of the cast and crew, along with politicians, SAFC board members, and others.^[11]

The six-part series airs on Netflix from 24 October 2024.^[1][12]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Territory has an approval rating of 78% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10.^[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[14]

Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian gave it 4 stars out of five, calling it a "rollicking Aussie drama... a sensationally heady mix", and praising the lead and supporting cast, in particular Clarence Ryan.^[15] Buckmaster and others have compared the plot to the popular American series, Yellowstone,^[8][16][17] as well as the comedy drama series Succession.^[15][18]

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter thought it somewhat derivative, but distinctive in several ways. He also wrote that "Territory does better than Yellowstone in its attempts at weaving the Native perspective into the storytelling", with Indigenous Australians represented as the traditional owners of the land.^[17] Alexa Scarlata, a research fellow at RMIT University, wrote that the series "does a great job of establishing a simmering tension between the traditional owners of the land and the families and businesses that have taken possession of it", although thought that it moved a bit slowly, perhaps catering for the international audience who were not familiar with the Australian context.^[18]

Anthony Morris of ScreenHub Australia gave the series 4 stars out of 5, headlining his review "a soapy Shakespearean outback saga".^[19]

Most of the reviews commented on the stunning locations, drone shots, and the amount of effort put into the props, showing a side of Australia not usually seen in popular TV series.^{[18][17][15][19]}

• Territory at IMDb