Cleverman

Cleverman

Hairypeople

Cast

Regulars

• Hunter Page-Lochard as Koen West, Waruu's half-brother, an outcast who lives with his friends Blair and Ash. To fund their pub, 'The Couch', he smuggles Hairies for money then turns them over to the CA for the reward. This results in the death of young Hairy girl Jyra, causing him self-doubt. After the passing of his Uncle Jimmy, Koen inherits the powers of the Cleverman along with the Nulla Nulla. He has a toxic relationship with his half brother Waruu, which grows worse with jealousy and hatred as Waruu always wanted to be Cleverman. Over the course of the series he begins to gradually accept his role as Cleverman, finding redemption in his previous actions and facing up to Waruu. Koen returns to the Zone and kills the Namorrodor; a demon who killed Jimmy and others, usurping Waruu as leader of the community. In Season 2 he’s visited by Jimmy’s spirit who teaches more about the role of Cleverman and how to control his abilities. He learns about his Aunt Linda’s part in his parents death but forgives her and sets off to finally save his Hairy friends and fight Waruu. In the end both are critically wounded with Koen hitting Waruu with the Blue Blast and swallowing his soul as he passes on from the injuries he sustained from their fight.
• Rob Collins as Waruu West, Koen's older half brother, activist for equal rights amongst humans and subhumans, who hoped to be chosen to be the next Cleverman. Married to Nerida and father of Alinta; having an affair with Belinda Frosche. He lives in the Zone with his family and is the leader of the community. He begins to become unhinged do to Koen becoming the new Cleverman and repeatedly tries to kill him. After he loses respect from the Zone and his family do to his adultery and increasingly violent nature he becomes ruthless in his quest to change the fates of Hairies and kill Koen. He along with Slade creates a serum that turns Hairies into humans to continue his cohesion plan but is undermined by Koen’s attempts to stop him. He gradually starts turning into a Hairy due to Slade’s experiments and finds a way to finally kill his brother using tree sap he forged into a knife. He loses to Koen in the end when after stabbing him in the stomach In their final battle he’s hit with the Blue Blast losing his soul and eventually dying into nothingness.
• Deborah Mailman as Aunty Linda, estranged mother of Waruu and adoptive mother of Koen; dying of cancer and is knowledgeable of the Dreaming and history of Cleverman. She helps Koen with the Hairies who escaped from

• Iain Glen as Jarrod Slade, married to Charlotte and an enterprising man whose agenda involves the Hairypeople and Koen. He had a partnership with Uncle Jimmy in order to obtain his secrets. He creates two formulas one who can grant people the abilities of Hairies with side affects of becoming one or passing it on to their offspring like he did his and another that turns Hairies human. He eventually dies When his madness from his experiments make him try to forcefully abort his wife’s unborn child ending in her stabbing him in the neck with a scalpel with the last image of him being locked in darkness as he was hit with Blue Blast.
• Frances O'Connor as Dr Charlotte Cleary, married to Slade, yet is unsuspecting of his agenda. A humanitarian, she runs a free clinic in the Zone. She cares greatly for the Hairies and hates the prejudice and mistreatment done to them. She becomes pregnant unaware Slade had inadvertently made it into a Hairy due to his experiments. She’s captured by Jarli who takes her to his tribe to protect the child as he cares for its safety. She returns to stop Slade but kills him in self defense when he tries to abort the baby.
• Ryan Corr as Blair Finch, Koen's childhood friend and the boyfriend of Ash.
• Tasma Walton as Araluen, a Hairy woman, caring wife of Boondee and mother of Djukara, Latani and Jyra. Was captured and forced to work in Frankie's brothel, servicing Geoff Matthews.
• Tony Briggs as Boondee, a Hairy man, protective husband of Araluen and father to Djukara, Latani and Jyra. Still held in containment.
• Stef Dawson as Ash Kerry, Blair's girlfriend who is in a complex relationship with Koen.
• Jada Alberts as Nerida West, Waruu's wife and Alinta's mother. Has a strong relationship with Linda and knows of her husband's adultery. Lives in the Zone.
• Tamala Shelton as Alinta West, Waruu and Nerida's daughter. An ally to the Hairypeople and resentful of the adulterous relationships of both her father and mother. Lives in the Zone.
• Rarriwuy Hick as Latani, a young Hairy woman, daughter of Araluen and Boondee, sister to Djukara and Jyra. The only member of her family to avoid capture, she makes her way to the Zone and befriends Alinta.
• Tysan Towney as Djukara, a young Hairy man, son of Araluen and Boondee, brother to Latani and Jyra. He is very hot-tempered, vengeful and easily influenced. Waruu and Harry free him from a CA containment centre and take him to the Zone with Mungo and Kulya.
• Andrew McFarlane as Geoff Matthews, the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, who is against the Hairypeople, though his true agenda is to redevelop the Zone. He is a client of Frankie's who is regularly serviced by Araluen.
• Marcus Graham as Steve McIntyre, who directs the Containment Authority, a private security outfit operating under the authority of Matthews but in the employ of Slade.
• Rachael Blake as Marion Frith, a politician who replaces Matthews, and attempts to bring the CA under tighter government control.
• Clarence Ryan as Jarli, a Hairy warrior from the Bindawu tribe. He is extremely antagonistic towards the humans, or "skins", and casually kills them when opportunities arise. He is unapologetic about Hairypeople who die as a result of his actions, impatient with his elders, and seeks to provoke a war.
• Luke Ford as Tim Dolan, a former police officer who was forced into private-sector security work for the CA, but sympathizes with the Hairypeople. He is often partnered with Hendricks.

  Recurring Guests

• Alexis Lane as Kora, a Dreaming spirit who was summoned by Uncle Jimmy prior to his death; needs Koen to send her back to her dimension.
• Leeanna Walsman as Belinda Frosche, a Channel 8 reporter; has a sexual relationship with Waruu.
• Jack Charles as Uncle Jimmy West, the original Cleverman who chose Koen to succeed him over Waruu. Was in league with Jarrod Slade before he had himself killed by a Dreaming creature called "Namorrodor." He returns as a ghost to help train Koen.
• Adam Briggs as Maliyan, a violent-minded Hairy man who clashes with Waruu. A community leader in the Zone.
• Lynette Curran as Virgil, a reclusive yet inventive woman who aids Latani, making her human contact lenses.
• Robyn Nevin as Jane O'Grady, a talk-show host who discusses the Hairypeople with Waruu and Matthews.
• Josh McConville as Dickson
• Mansoor Noor as McIntyre 2IC
• Rhondda Findleton as Frankie, a vicious brothel madam who purchases Araluen.
• Isaac Drandic as Harry, a Hairy man and Waruu's right hand. Lives in the Zone.
• Katie Wall as Rowena, a drug addict working as Frankie's assistant.
• Miranda Tapsell as Lena, a Hairy woman who defeats several would be attackers on a bus.
• Rahel Romahn as Ludo
• Sam Parsonson as Taki
• Val Weldon as Jyra, a Hairy girl, daughter of Araluen and Boondee, sister to Djukara and Latani. She is killed following her family's capture; her spirit possesses another Hairy child until Koen releases her, earning her forgiveness.
• Aileen Huynh as Dr Everick, a scientist in Slade's employ, experimenting on Kora and Hairypeople.
• Nancy Denis as Eve, a nurse working with Charlotte.
• Trevor Jamieson as Uncle Max, an Aboriginal elder who runs a gym in the Zone.
• Kamil Ellis as Mungo, a Hairy boy who escapes capture with Djukara and Kulya and hides in the Zone.
• Waverley Stanley Jr. as Kulya, a Hairy boy who escapes capture with Djukara and Mungo and hides in the Zone.
• Mark Winter as Bill Hendricks, Tim's partner in the CA, a sadist who preys on Hairypeople. He is responsible for Mungo's death and later torments Latani.
• Tessa Rose as Yani / Gwen, an older Hairy woman who had lost all her children and, tired of living in fear, volunteered for the Inclusion Initiative. Happily reborn as Gwen, she does not want to leave her new home.
• Les Chantery as Deepak Malhotra
• Nicholas Hope as Dr. Mitchell
• Alan Dukes as Nurse Robert
• Israel Dedeigbo as Daku
• Anthony John Ah See as Gawu
• Alec Doomadgee as Darana
• Lasarus Ratuere as Bakanah
• Taylor Ferguson as Audie Martin, a young woman who becomes romantically interested in Koen.
• Megan Hind as Taylor Diaz
• Lisa Flanagan as Harah
• Sarah Armanious as Lucia
• Tasneem Roc as Sarah Gottlieb, a journalist
• David Barnett as Riwarri, a Hairy and companion of Jarli
• Megan O'Connell as Farugia, a CA officer

  Broadcast

Episodes

Series 1 (2016)

Series 2 (2017)

Critical reception

Ratings