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Spirited

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This article is about the TV show. For other uses, see Spirit (disambiguation).

Spirited
GenreDrama
Created byJacquelin Perske
Claudia Karvan
StarringClaudia Karvan
Matt King
Rodger Corser
Belinda Bromilow
Angus Sampson
Louis Fowler
Charlie Hancock
Theme music composerJed Kurzel
Opening themeStranded by The Saints
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes18 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersClaudia Karvan
Jacquelin Perske
ProducerJohn Edwards
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesNorthside Productions
Southern Star Entertainment
Original release
NetworkW
Release25 August 2010 –
21 September 2011

Spirited is an Australian television drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011.

The series stars Claudia Karvan, as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from a loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of a 1980s English rock star, Henry Mallet, played by Matt King.[1] Suzy had been married to Steve Darling, played by Rodger Corser, for 15 years, and they have two children, Elvis, 13, played by Louis Fowler, and Verity, 8, played by Charlie Hancock. Belinda Bromilow plays Suzy’s sister Jonquil.[2]

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Series

Main article: List of Spirited episodes

Claudia Karvan stars as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from her husband Steve Darling (Rodger Corser) of 15 years and their loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of Henry Mallet (Matt King), a 1980s English rock star. Suzy also has two children, thirteen-year-old son Elvis (Louis Fowler) and eight-year-old daughter Verity (Charlie Hancock), along with a sister Jonquil (Belinda Bromilow).

It is revealed that although Suzy is the only living human being able to see Henry, animals, such as the resident cat, can sense his presence. However, in one scene Henry frightens the caretaker into a heart attack by blowing into his ear.

Spirited is produced by John Edwards, Claudia Karvan and Jacquelin Perske who also created drama series Love My Way.

Cancellation

On 15 October 2011, W announced that it had decided to cancel Spirited and that there would be no third series.[3] Immediately following this announcement, fans launched a campaign to have the show renewed, using the slogan "SOS: Save Our Spirited".[4][5] It was announced on 16 December that a possible development deal had been reached with another Australian premium cable channel, Showcase, for a third series. However, with Claudia Karvan being cast in a Puberty Blues reboot, the likelihood of a third series was slim. Spirited was not picked up for a third season.[6]

Reception

UK reviewer Dan Owen gave the pilot episode 1.5 of 4 stars, writing, "There’s a beautifully simple and engaging premise to Australian supernatural drama Spirited, but it’s one that unfortunately proves to be the only saving grace of a soporific and plodding pilot." Owen continued, "There are enough questions here to lure you back for a while".[7] Jo Curtis at UnrealityTV.com found the pilot "funny; it’s very funny, but probably only if you have a sense of humour that tends towards black", and described the comedy and Karvan's character transformation as "a breath of fresh air."[8]

The first season was "Foxtel's most successful Australian drama."[9] Although the target audience was "women in their 40s", it also gained the interest of male teenagers, for the "punk character" of Henry Mallet, according to Karvan.[9]

In a video review, Doug Anderson (The Age/The Guide) and Lenny Ann Low (SMH) described the series as "very engaging", and "quality drama" with no problems in its style, substance or ideas.[10]

The Age reviewer Brad Newsome described the second season premiere as "just as imaginative and funny as any that has gone before."[11] In the week following, Newsome described the show as "one of the most imaginative things on TV, blending romance, drama and comedy into a wonderfully satisfying whole."[12]

Awards and Nominations

The seventh episode in the first series, "Riders on the Storm", written by Jacquelin Perske (writer of the film Little Fish), was one of three nominees for the 2011 Australian Writers Guild AWGIE Award for best scriptwriting in a television series.[13]

Season 2 of Spirited was nominated for 'Best Television Drama Series' at the 2012 AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) awards.

Home video releases

DVD Season #
Episodes 		#
Disc(s) 		Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Special Features
Season 1 8 2 — — 19 April 2011 (2011-04-19)[14] None
Season 2 10 3 — — 8 February 2012 (2012-02-08)[15] None
Season 1 & 2 18 5 — — 2 May 2012 (2012-05-02)[16] None

References

  1. ^ "Claudia Karvan to star in new Australian drama called Spirited". News.com.au. AAP. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  2. ^ "Cameras roll on Spirited". TV Tonight. 26 October 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2010.
  3. ^ Knox, David (15 October 2011). "Axed: Spirited". TVTonight.com.
  4. ^ "SOS: Save Our Spirited!". Spirited-TV.net. 15 October 2011.
  5. ^ Thomson, Cask J. (November 8, 2011). "Why cancel an award winning series?" WordsWithMeaning blog.
  6. ^ "If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too? Farewell Spirited". Spirited-TV.net
  7. ^ Owen, Dan (4 September 2010). "TV Review: 'Spirited' 1.1 – "The Man Who Fell To Earth"". UK: WhatCulture.com.
  8. ^ Curtis, Jo (3 September 2010). "Catch Up TV Review – Spirited: The Man Who Fell To Earth (S01E01)". UK: UnrealityTV.com. Archived from the original on 3 October 2010.
  9. ^ a b Wilder, Gabriel (17 July 2011). "A life of its own". The Age. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Anderson, Doug; Low, Lenny Ann (15 July 2011). "Spirited away by Claudia Karvan" (video). The Guide. The Age. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ Newsome, Brad (27 July 2011). "Spirited, Wednesday, July 27". The Age. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Newsome, Brad (2 August 2011). "Spirited, Wednesday, August 3, 2011". The Age. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Knox, David (18 August 2011). "2011 AWGIE Awards: nominees". TV Tonight.
  14. ^ "Spirited - Season 1 (2 Disc Set)" preorder. EzyDVD.com.au. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  15. ^ "Spirited - Season 2 (Disc Set)" Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  16. ^ "Spirited - Season 1 & 2 (Box Set)" Retrieved 3 April 2012.
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