Rake confirms final season (again)

Rake producers have confirmed the upcoming 5th season of Rake will be the last.

The ABC drama featuring Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene as an independent senator, begins later this month.

In truth this marks the third time the show has indicated a last-ever season.

In 2012 when the second season was premiering Richard Roxburgh told me, “…our vision is that we should only do three and then that story will be done. It’s certainly what we feel. You certainly don’t want to be flogging a dead thing.”

In 2014 ahead of the third season he said, “We want to leave a good-looking corpse and leave something beautifully, so that there is no sense ever that we’ve tried to string it out and it gets watered down.”

ABC sources assure this time it is the real deal, which should guarantee a rollicking season.

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, until opportunity knocks and he is given both a seat and a ministerial portfolio, with the promise of something more.

With a suspected terrorist gas attack on New Parliament House, an unfortunate incident during a visit by US Defence Secretary Linus Potemkin (Anthony LaPaglia), calling for a banking boycott whilst dressed as a zebra, an assassination attempt, a defamation case, the fight to maintain an Aussie ice cream icon, and the ever-rotating Prime Ministers and BuzzStay guests – none of Cleaver’s ensuing chaos has abated … but will he step up to help Australia keep calm and carry on – in this the final season of Rake?

Written by Peter Duncan and Andrew Knight
Produced by Ian Collie, Peter Duncan, and Richard Roxburgh
Directed by Rowan Woods, Jennifer Leacey, Shannon Murphy and Matthew Saville
Filmed in Sydney and Canberra
Easy Tiger and Blow by Blow production for ABC produced in association with Create NSW.

8:30pm Sunday August 19 on ABC.