Rake is an Australian television series, produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, that first aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's ABC1 in 2010. The fourth series started on ABC TV on 19 May 2016. IT stars Richard Roxburgh as rake Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive Sydney barrister, defending a usually guilty client. The show airs in the United States on DirecTV's Audience Network and is available on Netflix in the UK, Ireland, Canada, the United States (seasons 1 and 2 only), and Australia.
The Fox Network in the US commissioned an American version, starring Greg Kinnear as the lead character, renamed Keegan Deane for American audiences which aired between January and April 2014.
Rake series1 trailer
Main cast
Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive criminal defence barrister. The character is loosely based on Sydney's most colourful barrister and author Charles Waterstreet, and was named after Cleaver Bunton. At the end of the fourth series, he successfully obtains a seat as an independent senator.
Russell Dykstra as Barney "Barnyard" Meagher, Cleaver's instructing solicitor and best friend. After Cleaver sleeps with his wife Scarlet, there is tension between their relationship. In the second series, he begins an affair with Cleaver's secretary, Nicole. At the start of the third series, it is revealed that Barney and Nicole had a child together, and that Barney is receiving treatment for testicular cancer.
Danielle Cormack as Scarlet "Red" Engles SC, Barney's wife, a criminal prosecutions barrister. She is Jewish. In the second series, she works part-time for Cal McGregor, the Attorney General, before returning to the bar as a criminal defence barrister in the third series. In addition to this, during the third series she has a short-lived affair with David Potter, and is promoted to Senior Counsel.
Matt Day as David "Harry – Sorry, David" Potter, a tax lawyer suing Cleaver Greene and attempting to get into politics with the help of Attorney General Joe Sandilands. In series 2, Potter is a Member of Parliament of the Australian Labor Party and is Shadow Attorney General. In the third series, he has become the Leader of the NSW Australian Labor Party, and is having a secret affair with Scarlet. In the fourth series, he runs as a Senator for the Australian Greens.
Adrienne Pickering as Melissa "Missy" Partridge, a former prostitute now studying law, caught up between being Potter's girlfriend and helping Greene, a former client for whom she has developed feelings. By the end of the series, she reveals her true identity as Jane Tanner (Turner) to Cleaver and David and travels to several European countries. In series 2, she writes a book based on her life in prostitution under the name of "J.M. Doolan". In series 3, the book based on her life is made into a film. In series 4, she returns to Australia after a hiatus in America, she is addicted to a multitude of drugs and has to go through the process of removing the addiction of ice. In the end of series 4 she is pregnant with Finnegan Greene's child.
Caroline Brazier as Wendy Greene, Cleaver's ex-wife, who is a psychologist in a hospital psychiatric ward. At the end of the second series, she starts dating Roger, an osteopath, and at the beginning of the third series she and Roger are engaged.
Keegan Joyce as Finnegan "Fuzz" Greene, Cleaver and Wendy's teenage son, who often has sexual relationships with older women. By the end of the second series, he has started dating Tara, an evangelical Christian, and during the third series is planning on doing aid work in the Congo.
Geoff Morrell as Joe Sandilands, Labor Party Attorney General of New South Wales. After reports of himself being a regular customer of the brothel in which Missy worked, he commits suicide, and is replaced by corrupt Liberal politician Cal McGregor.
Damien Garvey as Cal McGregor, the successor of Joe Sandilands as Attorney General of New South Wales. He is corrupt and hates Cleaver because of an affair Cleaver had with Cal's ex-wife and former NSW Premier, Claudia McGregor, played by Toni Collette. Cal is released on parole at the start of the third series, and becomes a current affairs journalist.
Robyn Malcolm as Kirsty Corella, wife of imprisoned crime boss Mick Corella, who Cleaver defended. He owes huge gambling debts to Kirsty. During the second series, she briefly dates Cleaver, before falling in love with Col.
Steve Le Marquand as Col, Mick and Kirsty's henchman, who eventually enters a relationship with Kirsty, thanks to Cleaver.
Rhys Muldoon as Lincoln Lincoln, an incompetent solicitor who occasionally instructs on matters for Cleaver and Scarlet.
Kate Box as Nicole Vargas, Cleaver's long-suffering secretary who has a drunken one-night stand with Barney, days before her marriage. In the third series, she and Barney have a child out of wedlock.
DVD rating
In Australia, Rake was rated MA 15+, whereas in New Zealand, it was rated R16 for sex scenes, violence, drug use and offensive language for the first two series and series three is rated R18 for violence, offensive language, drug use and sex scenes.
