# Mystery Road (TV series)

Mystery Road is an Australian television crime mystery series whose first series screened on ABC TV from 3 June 2018. The series is a spin-off from Ivan Sen's feature films Mystery Road and Goldstone, taking place in between the two. Aboriginal Australian detective Jay Swan, played by Aaron Pedersen, is the main character and actor in both the films and in the first two TV series, each of six episodes.
Series 1 was directed by Rachel Perkins. Swan is brought in to solve a murder, with the local police officer played by Judy Davis. In Series 2, directed by Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair, which began airing on the ABC on 19 April 2020, Swan is brought in to solve a murder in a different location, with the "local copper" this time played by Jada Alberts. Both series were shot in northern Western Australia.
Series 3, directed by Dylan River, is a prequel set in 1999, titled Mystery Road: Origin. Mark Coles Smith plays a younger version of Swan.
In June 2023, it was announced that the Mystery Road has been renewed for a fourth series, set to broadcast in 2025. It will serve as another prequel series under the "Origin" title.

## Plot
### Series 1

Taking place between the events of the films Mystery Road and Goldstone, Mystery Road Series 1 tells the story of Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pedersen), assigned to investigate the mysterious disappearance of two young farmhands on an outback cattle station, one a local Indigenous football hero and the other a white backpacker. Working together with local police sergeant Emma James (Judy Davis), the investigation uncovers drug trafficking in the town, and a past injustice that threatens the fabric of the whole community.

### Series 2

Jay Swan has to unravel the mystery of a decapitated body which turns up in the mangroves, outside the town of Broome. The plot involves drug trafficking and an archaeological dig which discovered the dead body. Swan's ex Mary is involved with an undercover drug runner, placing her in extreme danger.

### Series 3

The year is 1999, and a young Jay Swan moves back to his home town of Jardine to join the local police force. He must cope with his estranged father Jack and his feelings for local girl Mary Allen, as well as contending with a mysterious gang of robbers.

## Cast
### Main

* Aaron Pedersen (Series 1-2) and Mark Coles Smith (Series 3) as Jay Swan
* Tasma Walton (Series 1-2) and Tuuli Narkle (Series 3) as Mary Swan, née Allen
* Tasia Zalar as Shevorne Shields (Series 1-2)

### Season 1

* Judy Davis as Emma James
* Wayne Blair as Larry Dime
* Aaron McGrath as Marley Thompson
* Deborah Mailman as Kerry Thompson
* Madeleine Madden as Crystal Swan
* Meyne Wyatt as Cedric Thompson
* Colin Friels as Tony Ballantyne
* Rohan Mirchandaney as David Sharma
* Anthony Hayes as Ryan Muller
* Ernie Dingo as Keith Groves
* John Waters as Travis James
* Kris McQuade as Liz Rutherford
* Ningali Lawford Wolf as Dot
* Connor Van Vuuren as Reese Dale
* Ben Oxenbould as Vince Pearce
* Benjamin Hoetjes as Eric Hoffman
* Jessica Falkholt as Genevieve Leclaire
* Eddie Baroo as Tyson Zein

### Season 2

* Jada Alberts as Fran Davis
* Callan Mulvey as Simon
* Rob Collins as Amos
* Gary Sweet as Alkemi
* Ursula Yovich as Pansy
* Sofia Helin as Sandra Elmquist
* Ngaire Pigram as Leonie
* Mark Mitchinson as Owen
* Stan Yarramunua as Jimmy 2
* Rhimi Johnson as Phillip
* Keith Robinson as Reverend Tom
* Fletcher Humphrys as Dylan Lindwall
* Kirk Page as Suzi-John
* Eve Morey as Kayla
* John Brumpton as Hegarty
* Joel Jackson as McBride
* Simon Lyndon as Emilio Gordon
* Brandon Walters as Shaney

### Season 3: Mystery Road: Origin

* Mark Coles Smith as Jay Swan
* Tuuli Narkle as Mary Allen
* Toby Leonard Moore as Abe
* Daniel Henshall as Patrick
* Steve Bisley as Peter Lovric
* Salme Geransar as Anousha
* Lisa Flanagan as Catherine
* Clarence Ryan as Sputty
* Caroline Brazier as Geraldine
* Hayley McElhinney as Max
* Serene Yunupingu as Lartesha
* Kelton Pell as Jack Swan
* Leonie Whyman as Cissy
* Nina Young as Fiona
* Jayden Popik as Xavier
* Grace Chow as Cindy
* Megan Wilding as Ziggy
* Ling-Hsueh Tang as Poppy (2 episodes)
* Geoff Morrell (6 episodes)

## Episodes

| Series | Episodes | Episodes | Originally released | Originally released |
| Series | Episodes | Episodes | First released | Last released |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | 3 June 2018 (2018-6-3) | 1 July 2018 (2018-7-1) |
| 2 | 6 | 6 | 19 April 2020 (2020-4-19) | 24 May 2020 (2020-5-24) |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 July 2022 (2022-7-3) | 7 August 2022 (2022-8-7) |

### Season 1 (2018)

| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers |
| 1 | 1 | "Gone" | Rachel Perkins | Michaeley O'Brien | 3 June 2018 (2018-6-3) | 786,000 |
| 2 | 2 | "Blood Ties" | Rachel Perkins | Kodie Bedford | 3 June 2018 (2018-6-3) | 786,000 |
| 3 | 3 | "Chasing Ghosts" | Rachel Perkins | Michaeley O'Brien | 10 June 2018 (2018-6-10) | 600,000 |
| 4 | 4 | "Silence" | Rachel Perkins | Steven McGregor | 17 June 2018 (2018-6-17) | 604,000 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Waterhole" | Rachel Perkins | Timothy Lee | 24 June 2018 (2018-6-24) | 525,000 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Truth" | Rachel Perkins | Steven McGregor | 1 July 2018 (2018-7-1) | 572,000 |

### Season 2 (2020)

Series 2 began screening on ABC in April 2020. It had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in late February, in the new Series section devoted to longform television series, along with another ABC series, Stateless.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers |
| 7 | 1 | "The Road" | Warwick Thornton | Steven McGregor | 19 April 2020 (2020-4-19) | 655,000 |
| 8 | 2 | "The Flare" | Wayne Blair | Blake Ayshford | 26 April 2020 (2020-4-26) | 576,000 |
| 9 | 3 | "Artefacts" | Wayne Blair | Timothy Lee | 3 May 2020 (2020-5-3) | 576,000 |
| 10 | 4 | "Broken" | Wayne Blair | Kodie Bedford | 10 May 2020 (2020-5-10) | 576,000 |
| 11 | 5 | "To Live with the Living" | Warwick Thornton | Danielle MacLean | 17 May 2020 (2020-5-17) | 572,000 |
| 12 | 6 | "What You Do Now" | Warwick Thornton | Steven McGregor, Blake Ayshford | 24 May 2020 (2020-5-24) | 583,000 |

### Season 3 (2022)

Mystery Road: Origin went to air on Sunday 3 July 2022 and ran until 7 August. All six episodes were made available on iview. The writers include Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Kodie Bedford, Timothy Lee and Dylan River.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers |
| 13 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford | 3 July 2022 (2022-7-3) | 410,000 |
| Newly qualified detective Jay arrives back in his hometown hoping to reconcile with his estranged father. He witnesses a robbery. A lawyer from out of town reads the police file for an unsolved murder. Jay meets his father in a bar which is held up. |||||||
| 14 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Dylan River | Steven McGregor | 10 July 2022 (2022-7-10) | 309,000 |
| A cattle truck is stolen then dumped. Jay suspects the robberies are connected. The police raid a car scrapyard. There's a confrontation and a gang of neo-Nazis are arrested. Jay takes Mary and her family to the ball. His father should be there but doesn't turn up. Jay finds him dead. |||||||
| 15 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Dylan River | Timothy Lee and Dylan River | 17 July 2022 (2022-7-17) | 328,000 |
| Jay thinks Jack was murdered. He finds a cannabis farm that Jack ran. Mary tells Anousha she feels guilty for her brother's death. Jay delivers the eulogy at Jack's funeral. Ziggy confesses to killing Joshua. |||||||
| 16 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Dylan River | Kodie Bedford and Steven McGregor | 24 July 2022 (2022-7-24) | 302,000 |
| Ziggy is held in custody. Lucas escapes. Jay thinks Jack and Sputty were involved in fraud as part of government works contracts. Xavier holds up Max. Police go to an incident at a brothel and find Lucas there. |||||||
| 17 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford and Dylan River | 31 July 2022 (2022-7-31) | 305,000 |
| Gerry's house is ransacked. Jay realises the gang have been protesting about a massacre of aborigines. Anousha notices a photo of Abe in police uniform. Peter tells Jay off and he resigns. |||||||
| 18 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Dylan River | Blake Ayshford and Dylan River | 7 August 2022 (2022-8-7) | 263,000 |
| Jay intervenes in another robbery. Anousha has disappeared. Mary gets a lift from Rex and he kidnaps her. Jay stops him and senses something is wrong. Rex has been killing troublemakers and dumping their bodies in an old mine. Mary finds Anousha. Peter was involved in the fraud. Jay arrests him and Paddy. Jay asks Mary if she wants to come with him on his new posting. |||||||

## Productions
### Filming
#### Series 1

The first series was made on location in and around Wyndham, a town in northern Western Australia. Other scenes were shot at Kununurra and on Aboriginal lands belonging to the Miriuwung, Gajerrong and Balanggarra in the Kimberley. Location shooting took approximately 10 weeks.

#### Series 2

The second series was filmed in Broome, and in the Kimberley in northern Western Australia, taking 10 weeks. It was Thornton's first time directing for television, and he said that Blair's experience in this medium was vital. He also said that Sen and Perkins had done the hard work creating "this unique world", which gave the directors of Series 2 a strong foundation, so they could focus on the performances.

#### Series 3

Mystery Road: Origin was also filmed in WA, around Kalgoorlie, Boulder and Coolgardie.

## Reception
### Critical reception
#### Series 2

The Guardian reviewer Luke Buckmaster praised the "extraordinary breadth" of the show, in the way it portrays the country "only just beginning to come to terms with its past". He praised Pedersen's performance, which "simultaneously [projects] great strength and great sorrow", as a man "caught between traditions, between worldviews, between laws and lores".

#### Series 3

In The Sydney Morning Herald, Kylie Northover gave Mystery Road: Origin a rating of five stars, while The Guardian gave it four (out of five).

## Awards and nominations

All three series won an Equity Award for Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

### Series 1-2

| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Television Drama Series | David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin | Won |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Screenplay in Television | Episode 5: The Waterhole – Timothy Lee, Kodie Bedford, Steven McGregor, Michaeley O'Brien | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Aaron Pedersen | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Judy Davis | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Wayne Blair | Won |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Deborah Mailman | Won |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Tasma Walton | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Direction in Television | Rachel Perkins – Episode 4: Silence | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Cinematography in Television | Mark Wareham – Episode 4: Silence | Nominated |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Editing in Television | Deborah Peart – Episode 5: The Waterhole | Won |
| 8th AACTA Awards | Best Original Music Score in Television | Antony Partos, Matteo Zingales – Episode 4: Silence | Won |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Popular Drama Program | Mystery Road | Won |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Popular Actress | Deborah Mailman | Won |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Popular Actor | Aaron Pedersen | Nominated |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Popular New Talent | Tasia Zalar | Nominated |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Outstanding Actor | Aaron Pedersen | Nominated |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Outstanding Actress | Judy Davis | Nominated |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Wayne Blair | Nominated |
| The Logies 2019 | Most Outstanding Drama Series | Mystery Road | Nominated |
| Australian Directors' Guild Awards | Best director in a television drama series | Rachel Perkins | Won |
| ARIA Awards | Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album | Mystery Road (Matteo Zingales & Antony Partos) | Nominated |

### Mystery Road: Origin

| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Television Drama Series | David Jowsey, Greer Simpkin | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Screenplay in Television | Episode 3 – Timothy Lee, Dylan River | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Screenplay in Television | Episode 6 – Blake Ayshford, Steven McGregor, Dylan River | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Mark Coles Smith | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Tuuli Narkle | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Steve Bisley | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Daniel Henshall | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Hayley McElhinney | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Direction in Drama or Comedy | Dylan River | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Cinematography in Television | Tyson Perkins – Episode 3 | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Costume Design in Television | Terri Lamera – Episode 3 | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Editing in Television | Nicholas Holmes – Episode 3 | Won |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Production Design in Television | Herbert Pinter – Episode 3 | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Original Music Score in Television | Vincent Goodyer – Episode 3 | Nominated |
| 12th AACTA Awards | Best Sound in Television | Luke Mynott, Wes Chew, Trevor Hope, Dylan Barfield – Episode 3 | Won |

## Home media

| Series | Release date | Release date | Release date | Release date |
| Series | Region 1/A (U.S.) | Region 2 (UK) | Region 4 (Australia) | Region 4 (New Zealand) |
| Series 1 | 26 February 2019 | 8 October 2018 | 15 August 2018 | 3 October 2018 |
| Series 2 | 5 January 2021 | 5 October 2020 | 5 August 2020 | TBA |
| Series 3 (Origin) | 13 December 2022 | 31 December 2022 | 31 August 2022 | TBA |

### Key

    = Indicates availability only on DVD
    = Indicates availability on both DVD & Blu-ray