stars as dentist Suzy Darling, who walks away from her husband Steve Darling of 15 years and their loveless marriage and into an old apartment block that is inhabited by the ghost of Henry Mallet, a 1980s English rock star. Suzy also has two children, thirteen-year-old son Elvis and eight-year-old daughter Verity, along with a sister Jonquil. 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 seriesLove My Way.
Cancellation
On 15 October 2011, W announced that it had canceled Spirited and that there would be no third series. Immediately following this announcement, fans launched a campaign to have the show renewed, using the slogan "SOS: Save Our Spirited". 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.
Reception
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." The first season was "Foxtel's most successful Australian drama." 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. In a video review, Doug Anderson and Lenny Ann Low described the series as "very engaging", and "quality drama" with no problems in its style, substance or ideas. The Age reviewer Brad Newsome described the second season premiere as "just as imaginative and funny as any that has gone before." 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."
Awards and nominations
The seventh episode in the first series, "Riders on the Storm", written by Jacquelin Perske, was one of three nominees for the 2011 Australian Writers GuildAWGIE Award for best scriptwriting in a television series. Season 2 of Spirited was nominated for 'Best Television Drama Series' at the 2012 AACTA awards.
