A new TV series coming to Foxtel in 2021 features a plethora of big names stars and a teen character who is transgender.
Foxtel’s 10-episode Australian drama The End is a half-hour dark comedy series starring Dame Harriet Walter (Succession, The Crown, Killing Eve), Perth raised Frances O’Connor (The Missing, Mansfield Park), Robyn Nevin (Doctor Doctor, Upper Middle Bogan, Top of the Lake) and the legendary Noni Hazlehurst (A Place to Call Home, Nancy Wake, City Homicide) and will make its Australian debut on Tuesday, February 2.
The show explores three generations of a family living with separate but intersecting obsessions – trying to figure out how to die with dignity, live with none and make it all count. It’s a story that’s been a long time in the making; its genesis in the very first script that Samantha Strauss wrote as a short film as a 19-year old still living at home with her parents.
Frances O’Connor plays Dr. Kate Brennan, a Gold Coast-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work, and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Walter) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in in a nearby retirement community – Edie’s worst nightmare.
While Kate struggles with her own problems, her ex is in jail and her children, one of whom is a teenage trans boy, are trying to work out who they are and who they want to be. The End is a story about family, ethics and emotion, and mostly how it’s never too late to start again.
Foxtel’s Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh, said the project was bound to spark conversations.
“Foxtel is committed to telling Australian stories for Australian audiences and we are very proud of The End, a series which is bound to spark a national conversation. The End is a multi-generational family series which deals with life and death and everything in between. With a stellar script from a surprising new voice, Samantha Strauss, and an incredibly talented cast led by Dame Harriet Walter, Frances O’Connor, Noni Hazlehurst and Robyn Nevin, The End is a bold and provocative Australian drama that will engage and entertain.
“At times confronting and yes, controversial, it is a series which is incredibly moving and emotional, but above all, entertaining. I think audiences will relate to every character and we can’t wait for it to debut in February,” he said.
Also in the cast is Luke Arnold (Black Sails), Morgan Davies (Storm Boy), Ingrid Torelli (Matilda), Roy Billing (Jack Irish), John Waters (Offspring), Alex Dimitriades (The Principal), Brendan Cowell (Game of Thrones), Brooke Satchwell (Mr Inbetween), Andrea Demetriades (Janet King) , Uli Latukefu (Marco Polo), and Seb Thornton-Walker.
The show was filmed on the Gold Coast and has already been sold to Showtime in the USA where it will make its debut in early 2021.
The End starts Tuesday February 2 at 8.30pm AEDT with a double episode premiere on FOX SHOWCASE or watch all ten episodes On Demand.
OIP Staff
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