The Secret Life of Us


The Secret Life of Us is a three-time silver Logie Award-winning Australian television drama series set in the beachside suburb of St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. The series was produced by Southern Star Group and screened in Australia from 2001 to 2005 on Network Ten and on Channel 4 in the UK. Initially co-funded by the two networks, Channel 4 pulled out after the third series and the fourth series was not aired in the UK. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments.
It has been shown in other countries such as New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, the Netherlands, France, Estonia, Norway, Serbia, Russia, Israel, South Africa, and the United States.

Plot

The show revolves around a group of friends in their mid 20s to early 30s who live in a St Kilda block of flats. Their interaction with one another, relationships with other friends, and romantic interests, along with their personal and career developments, are featured.

History and popularity

Initially, the series was immensely popular in Australia, and had a devoted cult following in the UK.
The inclusion of a prominent Aboriginal character attracted comment at the time of the series' broadcast, and has since been cited as a landmark in the history of media representations of indigenous Australians.
The show's ratings began to dwindle following the departure of several main characters and the introduction of new characters. It began in the second series with the departure of Joel Edgerton and Damian De Montemas. It was, however, the third series that featured a particularly high character turnover, and included the departure of key original cast members Claudia Karvan and Abi Tucker.
Five main cast members-Sibylla Budd, Spencer McLaren, Dan Spielman, Nina Liu, and Gigi Edgley-left at the end of season three and original lead Samuel Johnson left early in season four, followed by Michael Dorman three episodes later. Original cast members Deborah Mailman and David Tredinnick continued, and seven new regular characters were added for season four. The changes were part of a larger overhaul which had the arrival of a new producer, a new script producer, and a new writing team.

Cast and characters

;"Regular stars appearing"
;"Recurring guest stars"

Cancellation

Production ended in 2004 with the completion of the fourth series. The decision had been made to discontinue production after the first three episodes of the fourth series aired in Australia to disastrously low ratings. At that time, the program was removed from its primetime slot. The unscreened episodes from that final series were broadcast with little publicity in late 2005. The show is rated R16 in New Zealand for offensive language and sex scenes.

DVD releases