"Underbelly" (2008) TV series

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Genre:

Drama | Crime | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Murder

Awards:

11 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Caroline Craig	...	Jacqui James / ... (26 episodes, 2008-2009)
Peter O'Brien	...	George Freeman (14 episodes, 2009-2010)
Rodger Corser	...	Steve Owen (13 episodes, 2008)
Gyton Grantley	...	Carl Williams (13 episodes, 2008)
Kat Stewart	...	Roberta Williams (13 episodes, 2008)
Frankie J. Holden	...	Garry Butterworth (13 episodes, 2008)
Roy Billing	...	Aussie Bob Trimbole (13 episodes, 2009)
Anna Hutchison	...	Alison Dine (13 episodes, 2009)
Asher Keddie	...	Liz Cruickshank (13 episodes, 2009)
Matthew Newton	...	Terry 'Mr Asia' Clark (13 episodes, 2009)
Peter Phelps	...	Joe Messina (13 episodes, 2009)
Martin Sacks	...	Mario Condello (11 episodes, 2008)
Jamie Cohen	...	Adam Rith (11 episodes, 2008)

Also Known As:

Underbelly Uncut (Australia) (rerun title)
Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities (Australia) (second season title)
Underbelly: The Golden Mile (Australia) (third season title)
Underbelly: The Mr Asia Story (New Zealand: English title) (second season title)
Htypima kato apo ti zoni (Greece) [el]
Underbelly - Krieg der Unterwelt (Germany) [de]

Runtime:

Australia:60 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:MA (some episodes) | New Zealand:R16 (season 1) | UK:18 | New Zealand:R18 (Season 2) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Trivia:

Just days before its debut, a judge ordered the first series not be aired in the Australian state of Victoria, saying it would likely influence potential Melbourne jurors in Evangelos Goussis' trial over the murder of Lewis Moran. The DVDs of the series were released on May 8, 2008 (the day after the last episode aired) and were not allowed to be sold in Victoria for the same reason. Though Goussis' trial ended on May 30, 2008, Tony Mokbel has returned to Australia and faces trial on several charges, so the ban continues in Victoria. In September 2008, Channel 9 was allowed to air only the first five episodes of the series in Victoria, but blurred the face of Tony Mokbel's character, suppressed his name, and edited several scenes related to the character and crimes. The full first series and its DVDs will likely not be released in Victoria until Mokbel's trial is complete.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Modern cars and license plates feature in some of the first episodes that were set in the mid-1990s.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune: Celebrity Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune: Night 3 (#1.23)" (2008)

Brilliant blend of drama, comedy and realism

This is no easy subject to film and is still restricted in its distribution in Australia due to possible legal issues. I found it excellent. The cast is necessarily large and the acting exceptional. The gangsters really look evil and the blend of drugs, excessive sex and violence gives a chilling insight into this nether world of gangland culture. It is shot on location in Melbourne. The case is well known locally and despite it being a dramatization it runs more like a real life fly-on-the-wall documentary. For me it out Sopranoed the Sopranos and is one of the best gangster films Australia has ever produced. See it if you can. I watched all 13 episodes straight through!!