Netflix Sets First Oz Original

Netflix has revealed the supernatural crime drama Tidelands as its first Australian original series.

Production will start in Queensland in 2018, with Brisbane-based Hoodlum Entertainment behind the series. The drama follows a former criminal as she returns home to the small fishing village of Orphelin Bay. When the body of a local fisherman washes ashore, she must uncover the town’s secrets while investigating its strange inhabitants, a group of dangerous half-Sirens, half-humans called “Tidelanders.”

Executive producers are Tracey Robertson, Nathan Mayfield and Leigh McGrath, who produced the hit Australian series Secrets & Lies and its remake for the U.S. The ten-episode first season will be written by creator Stephen M. Irwin (Secrets & Lies).

“We’re proud these strong Australian storytellers are bringing their vision to the first Australian Netflix original series,” said Erik Barmack, the VP of international original series at Netflix. “We can’t wait to bring the mystery of Tidelands to our members around the world.”

“We are excited to be partnering with Netflix on Tidelands—this story is one that has been itching to be told and we are thrilled to be making it on our home soil in Australia with fantastic creatives and highly skilled crews,” said Robertson, co-creator and co-executive producer of the show. “The primeval landscapes of Queensland are a perfect setting to tell the story of betrayal, small-town secrets, ancient mythology and, when it comes to family, explore whether blood really is thicker than water.”