"Blue Heelers" (1994) TV series 1994-2006

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Creators:

Hal McElroy
Tony Morphett

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | unknown

Release Date:

7 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

For cops in Mt Thomas, life's about more than the badge.

Plot:

Australian series featuring the Mt. Thomas police station and the lives of its officers.

Plot Keywords:

Police | Sergeant | Color In Title | Woman In Uniform | Uniform

Awards:

23 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Julie Nihill	...	Christine 'Chris' Reilly / ... (272 episodes, 1994-2006)
John Wood	...	Sr. Sgt. Tom Croydon / ... (272 episodes, 1994-2006)
Martin Sacks	...	Sr. Det. Patrick Joseph 'P.J.' Hasham / ... (247 episodes, 1994-2005)
Axl Taylor	...	Len The Barman / ... (211 episodes, 1994-1998)
Lisa McCune	...	Sr. Const. Margaret 'Maggie' Doyle / ... (140 episodes, 1994-2004)
William McInnes	...	Sgt. Nicholas 'Nick' Schultz / ... (140 episodes, 1994-2005)
Ditch Davey	...	Const. Evan 'Jonesy' Jones / ... (133 episodes, 2001-2006)

Also Known As:

"Boys in Blue" (Australia) (working title)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (some episodes)

Filming Locations:

Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Southern Star

Trivia:

John Wood is the only cast member to have appeared in every single episode of the series, even though fellow original cast member Julie Nihill is also still with the show.

Quotes:

Constable Evan 'Jonesy' Jones: Don't call me pal, mate.
Calvin: Don't call me mate, pal.

Well-crafted and intriguing

Genuinely intriguing long-running series about a police station in a small country town. Consistently good writing and acting helped to make "Blue Heelers" one of the best and most-watched homegrown dramas on Australian television, arguably spawning other admirable programs such as "water Rats" and "Murder Call" (all three were and are made by Hal McElroy (spelling?) productions). "Blue Heelers" utilised the careers of well-established actors (John Woods and Martin Sachs) at the same time as providing a head start for less well-known but still talented actors (Grant Bowler, Lisa McCune, Tasma Walton etc.). Genuinely three dimensional character writing helped avoid the cliche saccharine nature too common to the genre, all of the characters can be seen to be realistic, they all have their faults and personal obstacles. Although it can be quite often seen to be a little unrealistic, why should a town as small as Mt. Thomas have so much crime and intrigue??, this is easily forgivable as the viewer gets immersed in the storyline. "Blue Heelers" utilises the continually evolving sub-plot to further distance itself from the routine one-case-an-episode formula. Will PJ and Maggie ever get together? What about Dash and her fight against breast cancer etc. The characters have also established themselves with the Australian public as a source of concern. The higher rating episodes have been those involving major life changes for the main characters, recently Maggie's struggle with her heroin addicted brother and Nick Schultz's departure from the show. I would argue, that, had the series not been so well-constructed, this phenomenon would not be in evidence.