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Returning: Rake

Richard Roxburgh returns as Senator Cleaver Greene in August.

Richard Roxburgh returns as Senator Cleaver Greene in the new season of Rake, airing on ABC in August.

Jane Turner, Anthony LaPaglia & William McInnes are new cast additions joined by Helen Thomson, Jacek Koman, Tony Briggs and John Gaden.

Will the move from law to politics bring a new world of possibilities or end up jumping the shark?

One year on from taking up residency in Canberra as a Senator in Federal Parliament, Cleaver (Richard Roxburgh) has old foes and new: Cleaver has a new nemesis in the formidable and right-wing Senator Penny Evans (Jane Turner) and a new comrade in his COMCAR driver Jakub (Jacek Koman).

Nicole Vargas (Kate Box) is now Cleaver’s Chief of Staff, and Jack (Tasma Walton) lurks in the Parliamentary shadows, ready to make or break careers. David Potter (Matt Day) has made the transition to a Senator for the Greens and Cal’s arch rival and half-brother Joe (Mark Mitchinson) is the Leader of the Government in the Senate who, with Minister for Homeland Security Gareth Morrow (William McInnes), runs the government with an iron fist – or so he thinks.

Wendy (Caroline Brazier) is encouraged to set up her practice in the Capital, whilst Missy (Adrienne Pickering) somehow becomes Cleaver’s Press Secretary and, with Fuzz (Keegan Joyce) missing in action in Silicon Valley, she (and their daughter Winsome) move in with Cleaver. Cal (Damien Garvey) is fighting his own battles both at home with Jane (Sonia Todd), and at work with the appointment of Caitlin Farquhar (Sara Wiseman) as co-host of his show. That is until opportunity knocks and he is given both a seat and a ministerial portfolio, with the promise of something more.

On the eve of the arrival of US Defence Secretary Linus Potemkin (Anthony LaPaglia) for an Asian Security Summit, there is a purported terrorist gas attack on New Parliament House causing the seat of government to move down the hill to its old home and now Museum of Australian Democracy.

Old friends, it doesn’t take much persuasion for Potemkin and Cleaver to fall into their old ways and party like it is 1999 … only for Cleaver to discover that Linus is the keeper of the nuclear codes and that he may not be in a healthy mental state due to the pressures of office and a secret private life.

8:30pm Sunday August 19 on ABC.

10 Responses

  1. Extremely disappointing. Absurd plot line devoid of previous series’ finesse and precision made mess of Rake’s character usually so finely drawn and drawn out in tight scripting and directing. Roxburgh should have put his foot down. Overall appears to be product of cliche ridden ABC writers who find stereotyping a substitute for comic creativity. Such an opportunity missed in current political climate. Vale Rake.

  2. Whenever of look at that picture of Jane Turner, my mind turns to Liberal Women in Big Girls Blouse except the bad 90s hair has now turned into the “Michaelia Cash”

  3. Yippy, hoorah. Finally something decent to watch on the ABC again.. I love this show and the mis adventures of Clever. I am so over the endless annoying promos by 10 for Pointless and Survivor that I just mute the sound when they are aired.

  4. I will now start nightly prayers that it reaches the sublime standards of seasons 1, 2 and 4.

    Literally the best thing I have gotten out of tvtonight were suggestions by nik c and mickche to try season 4 after season 3 was so bad. I don’t mean to belittle all your efforts David 😉

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