Australia keeps churning out quality TV programs, the latest being "Glitch," which has now completed its second season. You would think people have tired of zombies and the undead theme, but "Glitch" is so well-acted and well-presented that you eagerly suspend your disbelief at the ridiculous overall plotline.
The cast is superb, led by Patrick Brammall as policeman James Hayes. He's handsome, manly, cute without being overly pretty, and always extremely believable. Hayes is caught between two wives, one dead but arisen, and a new, live, pregnant wife, who doesn't seem to stay alive very long, either.
The entire series is based on his reality, how he uncovers the many layers of the eerie situation, and the scientific conspiracy that is bedeviling his tiny fictional town of Yaroona, in the state of Victoria. You are always aware that you are not in Kansas anymore with every scene and frame of the action.
I found myself totally engrossed in the Aboriginal struggle of the Land Down Under like never before. I've spent time in Oz, and never felt as close to the native people as I did while watching "Glitch."
I must admit I didn't see the gay twist coming, which made it all the more exciting. One of the formerly dead, arisen from his grave a century after his death during WWI, Sean Keenan as Charlie Thompson, is the stud of the series. He's stunning as he crawls out from his muddy grave butt-naked in a scene very reminiscent of George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead."
Charlie's alive again, but apparently suffering from total blanket amnesia. He doesn't even know his name, or how he died, or even that he's gay, so when his same-sex attraction evidences itself, it surprises not only himself, but the viewer as well. He never comes out quite as far as Priscilla Queen of the Desert, but he reveals that his partner was a fellow soldier he loved in the Great War.
That's just two members of the excellent cast, none of whom I have ever seen before, and you are unlikely to be familiar with them unless you live in Australia or New Zealand. Twelve 45-minute episodes are spread over two seasons now available on Netflix for live streaming. Season One debuted on ABC-TV in America. The second season was produced by Netflix for worldwide distribution. No word yet on a third season.
Sean Keenan is the undead stud of the Australian TV series "Glitch."