Secrets & Lies (Australian TV series)

Secrets & Lies
Genre	Drama Police detective Mystery Crime Psychological thriller
Created by	Stephen M. Irwin
Developed by	Hoodlum
Written by	Stephen M. Irwin
Directed by	Kate Dennis & Peter Salmon
Starring	Martin Henderson Anthony Hayes Diana Glenn Adrienne Pickering Philippa Coulthard Piper Morrissey Damon Gameau Hunter Stratton Boland
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	Tracey Robertson & Leigh McGrath
Production location(s)	Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Running time	48 minutes
Production company(s)	Hoodlum Entertainment
Release
Original network	Network Ten
Picture format	PAL (576i)
Audio format	Stereophonic
Original release	3 March – 7 April 2014

Secrets & Lies is an Australian drama television series that first screened on Network Ten on 3 March 2014.

The series has aired in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ TWO HD from 30 March 2014 at 9.30pm. The series also debuted in Canada on the CBC in July 2014. It premiered in the Netherlands on RTL on 24 August 2014. Started in the UK on 23 September 2014 on Channel 5 and in France from 26 January to 2 February 2015 on France2. It has additionally aired on SVT (Sweden), TV2 (Norway), Medialaan (Belgium), as well as Netflix in both Canada and the U.S.

Plot

The series follows the story of a family man who finds the body of a young boy and quickly becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Not content to let the police do their work, and becoming increasingly frustrated at being questioned repeatedly, he decides to try to find the real killer as his marriage, his kids, his reputation, and his sanity are all at stake; a decision exacerbates his life.

Cast

Main

• Martin Henderson as Ben Gundelach
• Anthony Hayes as Detective Ian Cornielle
• Diana Glenn as Christy Gundelach
• Adrienne Pickering as Jess Murnane
• Philippa Coulthard as Tasha Gundelach
• Piper Morrissey as Eva Gundelach
• Damon Gameau as Dave Carroll
• Hunter Stratton Boland as Thom Murnane

Recurring and guest

• Mouche Phillips as Vanessa Turner
• Damien Garvey as Stuart Haire
• Steven Tandy as Kevin Gresham
• Barbara Lowing as Elaine Gresham
• Hugh Parker as Dr Tim Turner
• Ben Lawson as Paul Murnane
• Mirrah Foulkes as Nicole

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Australian viewers
1	1	"Episode 1"	Kate Dennis	Stephen M. Irwin	3 March 2014	0.404
Ben Gundelach's life is turned upside down when he discovers the body of four-year-old Thom Murnane in the woods near his home. Ben finds himself struggling with his home and professional lives when the case receives national attention and the media portray him as guilty before the police even rule the death as suspicious.
2	2	"Episode 2"	Kate Dennis	Stephen M. Irwin	10 March 2014	0.365
Ben struggles to prove his innocence when the police identify the murder weapon as a flashlight the same as one he owns but cannot find. As he tries to help Jess Murnane deal with her son's death, he comes to the horrifying realisation that his own daughter might have been involved.
3	3	"Episode 3"	Kate Dennis	Kylie Needham & Stephen M. Irwin	17 March 2014	0.317
When the media circus lose interest in Thom Murnane's case, and the police investigation moves away from him, Ben hopes his life can return to normal – but the revelation that he was Thom's biological father brings tensions in the Gundelach home to a head. When the only other suspect has an alibi, Ben finds a key piece of evidence that could prove him innocent – and makes a mistake that could seal his guilt.
4	4	"Episode 4"	Peter Salmon	Kylie Needham & Stephen M. Irwin	24 March 2014	0.278
Now in possession of the murder weapon, Ben tries to return to a normal life until he can safely get rid of it. By chance, he stumbles onto evidence of a sexual predator living on his street, and, finally convinced that he knows who killed Thom, he takes the opportunity to dispose of the weapon. But, in his haste, his wife catches him getting rid of the evidence.
5	5	"Episode 5"	Peter Salmon	Stephen M. Irwin	31 March 2014	0.316
When Christy uses Tasha and Eva to hold their relationship hostage, Ben turns to Jess for comfort. But the relationship turns sour when Ben finds evidence implicating her in Thom's death.
6	6	"Episode 6"	Peter Salmon	Stephen M. Irwin	7 April 2014	0.413
Eva disappears without warning, and in desperation, Ben accuses Jess of taking her. Jess responds by accusing him of sexual assault. He is detained, but set free again after the police find the blue jacket in Jess' house. The next morning, he walks into Eva's cabin, where he finds the final piece of evidence to identify the killer: Eva. In the interview room with Cornielle, Eva displays a cold emotionless front indicative of a sociopath as it is revealed, through a series of flashbacks, that she overheard her parents arguing about Ben's affair with Jess. Fearing it would tear them apart (and her father would leave- a common obsession she displayed throughout the series) Eva planned to drown Thom in a river in the hopes that Jess would leave their street for good; when it rained and Thom wanted to go home she couldn't get him to the river and instead used the torch to kill him. She revealed that her attempts to hide the evidence wasn't to frame her father but to frame Jess. Back in the interview room she says "sorry" explaining none of this would've happened if she had got him to the river. Christy (who is now seen to have been in the room) blurts out crying; Ben watches from behind the mirror as his little girl is charged with her own half-brother's murder, then he's driven home by Cornielle who tells him to take care. Ben stands in the kitchen staring at a photo of himself and Eva when Tasha takes his hand and the two hug.

Reception

Secrets and Lies has been acclaimed by critics and audiences. Denette Wilford of The Huffington Post has stated: "As for Secrets & Lies, so much great stuff is happening on this show – the writing, the directing and the acting; it manages to be completely authentic without trying too hard. It's riveting stuff, from the whodunit aspect to the family crap the Gundelachs are facing, which everyone can relate to." Lucy Mangan from The Guardian wrote in a review of the series; "Yes, we have seen its like before, in Broadchurch, but the opener more than holds its own against ITV's surprise hit." Many other critics have praised the performances, writing and direction of the series.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2015	AACTA Awards	Best Telefeature or Mini Series	Secrets & Lies	Nominated
		Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama	Piper Morrissey	Nominated
	Logie Awards	Most Outstanding Actor	Martin Henderson	Nominated
	Golden Nymph Awards	Best Miniseries	Secrets & Lies	Pending
		Best Actor in a Miniseries	Anthony Hayes	Pending

U.S. version

On 4 February 2014, the production company behind this version announced that a US version with the same title was in the works for ABC and would be co-produced with ABC Studios with a series penalty if the project is held back or not greenlighted by the network. The series premiered in the U.S. on 1 March 2015. Ryan Phillippe stars in this adaptation.

External links

• Secrets & Lies at IMDb