Jack Irish is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on ABC TV on 14 October 2012.[2] The series stars Guy Pearce as the title character, a former criminal lawyer turned private investigator and debt collector.[3] Much of the action is set in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy. Adapted from the crime fiction novels by author Peter Temple, the telemovies and series Jack Irish were developed by Andrew Anastasios, Matt Cameron and Andrew Knight. They began as three feature-length movies, before being adapted into three six-episode series, the final one airing from June 2021.
Jack Irish | |
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![]() DVD cover for the first two telemovies | |
Genre | Crime drama |
Created by |
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Based on | Jack Irish novels by Peter Temple |
Screenplay by |
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Directed by |
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Starring | |
Theme music composer |
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Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of series | 3 |
No. of episodes | 16 (+3 telemovies) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer | Andrew Knight |
Producers |
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Cinematography | Martin McGrath |
Editor | Geoff Lamb |
Running time |
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Production company | Easy Tiger Productions |
Distributor |
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Release | |
Original network | ABC TV |
Picture format | 16:9 (1080i) |
Audio format | Stereo |
Original release | 14 October 2012 (2012-10-14) – 4 July 2021 (2021-07-04) |
All three movies were directed by Jeffrey Walker, while Kieran Darcy-Smith serves as lead director on the series.[4] Bad Debts, the first of the three feature-length movies, was watched by an average of 950,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the sixth most watched programme of the week.[5] Black Tide, the second movie, was watched by an average of 851,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the thirteenth most watched programme of the week.[6] Dead Point, the third and final movie, was watched by an average of 780,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the eleventh most watched programme of the week.[7]
The first series of six episodes broadcast from 11 February to 17 March 2016. The second series broadcast from 8 July to 12 August 2018.[8][9][10] The second series was dedicated to the memory of Peter Temple, who died in March 2018.[11] The third and final series, Jack Irish: Hell Bent, premiered on ABC TV and ABC iview on 13 June 2021.[12][13]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Australian viewers (millions) | |
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1 | 1 | "Bad Debts[14]" | Jeffrey Walker | Andrew Knight | 14 October 2012 (2012-10-14) | 0.95 | |
Jack receives a call from ex-client Danny McKillop. Jack goes to help, only to discover that Danny is dead. | |||||||
2 | 2 | "Black Tide[14]" | Jeffrey Walker | Matt Cameron | 21 October 2012 (2012-10-21) | 0.85 | |
Des Conners an old friend of the Irish family, comes to consult Jack over the disappearance of his son Gary. | |||||||
3 | 3 | "Dead Point[15][16]" | Jeffrey Walker | Matt Cameron | 13 April 2014 (2014-04-13) | 0.78 | |
Jack is consulted by Justice Loder to recover a mysterious red book. |
The first season of Jack Irish takes place in both Australia and the Philippines.
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Australian viewers (millions) | |
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4 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Kieren Darcy-Smith | Andrew Knight | 11 February 2016 (2016-02-11) | 0.71[17] | |
Jack is back to debt collection and Linda takes a job in Manila. Still, Jack soon finds himself involved in some witch hunt that has to do with a massacre that happened in the Philippines years ago. | |||||||
5 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Kieren Darcy-Smith | Andrew Knight | 18 February 2016 (2016-02-18) | 0.68[18] | |
Jack is still working with sculptor Sarah to find who killed her sister, and bodies start to accumulate. In the meantime, Linda is trying to get her bearings in Manila and is able to help Jack. | |||||||
6 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Daniel Nettheim | Matt Cameron | 25 February 2016 (2016-02-25) | 0.61[19] | |
Jack's investigation leads him to get close to a mega-church pastor, but Linda and her team fall in a trap when they explore an island that seems to be the base for criminals. | |||||||
7 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Daniel Nettheim | Andrew Anastasios | 3 March 2016 (2016-03-03) | 0.58[20] | |
A tense night in the Filipino jungle results in a chance discovery for Linda and Orton. Jack's concerned for Sarah's well-being as she becomes consumed by manic determination following news about Tina. | |||||||
8 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Mark Joffe | Matt Cameron | 10 March 2016 (2016-03-10) | 0.61[21] | |
Jack struggles to recuperate and his mind increasingly turns towards Rob Shand. Back in Manila, Linda is abducted. Longmore refuses to act against the church leaving Jack alone to fight for Sarah. | |||||||
9 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Mark Joffe | Andrew Knight | 17 March 2016 (2016-03-17) | 0.67[22] | |
Jack is now on the run from both the police and members of Via Crucis. Terrified yet resolved, Linda finally comes face to face with her captor. |
The second series of Jack Irish was written by Andrew Knight, playwright Matt Cameron, Elise McCredie and Andrew Anastasios, and directed by Mark Joffe, Kriv Stenders and Fiona Banks. A foreign student studying in Australia passes away after she is fatally hit by a bus in Melbourne's CBD.[23][24] Irish, together with his partner in crime Cam Delray, must investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, including the potential for a stalker who may have been following her.[23]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Australian viewers (millions) | |
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10 | 1 | "The Last Post" | Mark Joffe | Andrew Knight | 7 July 2018 (2018-07-07) | 0.72[25] | |
The apparent suicide of a foreign student triggers a chain of events that sees Jack risking his life to uncover the truth. | |||||||
11 | 2 | "Deal with the Dead" | Mark Joffe | Matt Cameron | 15 July 2018 (2018-07-15) | 0.68[26] | |
As Jack Irish investigates two deaths, he delves deeper into the murky world of international colleges. | |||||||
12 | 3 | "From the Ashes" | Kriv Stenders | Elise McCredie | 22 July 2018 (2018-07-22) | 0.68[27] | |
As Jack Irish discovers more about the deaths, he isn’t sure who he can trust. | |||||||
13 | 4 | "The A-List" | Kriv Stenders | Andrew Anastasios | 29 July 2018 (2018-07-29) | 0.61[28] | |
Secrets are revealed as Jack Irish's investigation stretches to the colourful streets of Mumbai. | |||||||
14 | 5 | "Sins of Omission" | Fiona Banks | Matt Cameron | 5 August 2018 (2018-08-05) | 0.73[29] | |
As Jack Irish gets closer to the truth, his investigation threatens to tear his world apart. | |||||||
15 | 6 | "Returning Home" | Fiona Banks | Matt Cameron | 12 August 2018 (2018-08-12) | 0.72[30] | |
Jack Irish fights to unmask the truth, but will this fight for justice be his last? |
The third and final series of Jack Irish went to air on ABC TV from Sunday 13 June 2021 at 8:30pm. Striking painfully close to home, Jack's obsession with unlocking the secrets of the past brings him face-to-face with an adversary more personal and destructive than any other he has known.[31]
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Australian viewers (millions) |
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16 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Greg McLean | Matt Cameron | 13 June 2021 (2021-06-13) | 0.52[32] |
17 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Greg McLean | Andrew Anastasios & Alli Parker | 20 June 2021 (2021-06-20) | 0.43[33] |
18 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Greg McLean | Matt Cameron | 27 June 2021 (2021-06-27) | 0.39[34] |
19 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Greg McLean | Andrew Knight | 4 July 2021 (2021-07-04) | 0.42[35] |
Jack Irish is broadcast every Sunday on ABC TV at 8:30pm, AEST.[23]
Episode | Title | Original airdate | Overnight viewers | Nightly rank | Consolidated viewers | Adjusted rank |
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1 | "Episode 1" | 11 February 2016 | 0.711[17] | 9[17] | 0.836[36] | 6[36] |
2 | "Episode 2" | 18 February 2016 | 0.682[18] | 9[18] | 0.812[37] | 6[37] |
3 | "Episode 3" | 25 February 2016 | 0.617[19] | 11[19] | 0.729[38] | 9[38] |
4 | "Episode 4" | 3 March 2016 | 0.581[20] | 10[20] | 0.676[39] | 10[39] |
5 | "Episode 5" | 10 March 2016 | 0.617[21] | 11[21] | 0.759[40] | 9[40] |
6 | "Episode 6" | 17 March 2016 | 0.673[22] | 7[22] | 0.838[41] | 5[41] |
Jack Irish has been nominated for multiple awards since its initial release to audiences. Pearce was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television at the Sichuan TV Festival in 2015 for his portrayal of Jack Irish.[42] Dusseldorp and Mailman were nominated for Best Actress at the Logie Awards in 2017 and 2019 respectively and were both awarded Silver Logies for their performances.[42] Series writer Andrew Knight won the Awgie Award for Television Series or Miniseries of more than 4 hours duration, and was also nominated twice for the Best Television Drama Series as a part of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Awards in both 2016 and 2018.[42]
Peter Temple wrote four books under the Jack Irish franchise, three of which were awarded the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing and Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction.
Bad Debts is the first of the four novels, and the first of Temple's crime writing career. It won him the highly prestigious Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing (under Best True Crime) in 1997.[43][44] The book has a total of 297 pages and was published by Harper Collins in 1996. Bad Debts follows former lawyer Jack Irish as he returns to the criminal world, as Irish receives an unfamiliar phone call from ex-client Danny McKillop, whom he defended on a hit-and-run charge when he worked as an attorney.[45] When Danny is found dead soon after he is released from prison, Irish must find out why.[45]
Black Tide is the second book in Temple's series, and the only book to have not been nominated for a Ned Kelly Award. It was written in 1999 and has been published into multiple languages, including Dutch. The book has a total of 311 pages, and was published by Bantam Books. In Black Tide, Jack Irish reenters the criminal world when he agrees to search for Des Connors’ missing son, Gary Connors, who also happens to be Irish's last surviving connection to his father.[46] Irish attempts to uncover the truth, as well as any secrets Gary may have been hiding.[46]
Dead Point is the third Jack Irish novel. Like Bad Debts, Dead Point was the recipient of the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing, in 2001.[44] The book has a total of 275 pages, and was published by Bantam Books in 2000. In Dead Point, Jack Irish is tasked with locating the missing Robbie Colbourne, who later shows up dead in the local morgue.[47] Irish must solve the various mysteries which occur along the way, including the circumstances which led the occasional barman to disappear.[47]
White Dog is Temple's final book in the Jack Irish series, and the third book in the series to be awarded a Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction. Published in 2003 by Text Publishing, the book has a total of 337 pages. In White Dog, a property developer in Irish's hometown of Melbourne is murdered.[48] His ex-girlfriend becomes one of the main suspects as Irish attempts to solve the murder mystery, unveiling secrets and even more complications along the way.[49] Irish must investigate whether she is as guilty as she seems.[49]
Production of the Jack Irish series was primarily completed in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, in Australia's state of Victoria.[43] The series was produced by Easy Tiger Productions for ABC in association with Film Victoria and Essential Media & Entertainment. The theme song and music were composed by David McCormack, as well as Antony Partos.
The casting for all three series and telemovies were completed by Natalie Wall, Clare Chapman, Kelly Graham, Fiona McMaster and Pearl Mason-Scott.[42]
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