During the era of network television, shows used to have a shelf-life of at least 10 seasons. Some TV series that were made before the OTT boom continue to enjoy the freedom to adapt and improve over the course of many years, but the same can’t be said about made-for-OTT shows, especially the ones on Netflix. Yes, “guilty pleasure content” like Emily in Paris and Elite has benefited from the hate-watch syndrome. However, a lot of really good shows have been unceremoniously axed by the streaming platform before they could find their audience. The one cancellation that hurt viewers the most was Mindhunter. Now, ever since its termination, fans have been clamoring for David Fincher, Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv, and the rest of the team to come together for at least one more season. Like the monkey’s paw curling effect, they did return to Netflix, but just via different projects. Fincher did Mank and Killer. McCallany is in The Lincoln Lawyer. Groff lent his voice to Lost Ollie. And Torv is the lead in Territory. So, there you go.
Greg McLean’s Territory, created by Ben Davies and Timothy Lee, is centered around the cattle station called Marianne Station in Australia. It’s owned by Lawsons. The family patriarch is Colin Lawson. He has two sons, Graham and Daniel Lawson. Daniel is the golden boy, while Graham is the black sheep. Daniel isn’t married and seemingly has no next of kin. Graham is married to Emily Lawson. They have a daughter named Susie Lawson, and Marshall is Graham’s son from his previous marriage. The six-part TV show opens with the brutal death of Daniel, and even though it looks like a freak accident, that’s clearly not the case. With Daniel gone, the Lawsons’ enemies descend upon Marianne Station. Nolan Brannock, a long-time partner of the Lawsons, breaks his ties with them due to Colin’s rude behavior. Campbell Miller aims to become the president of the Territory Cattlemen’s Federation so that he can legally end the Lawson family business. Sandra Kirby reopens her gold mine in Marianne Station to eat away at the land. All this external pressure causes the Lawsons to crumble from the inside, and the entire show hinges on whether or not they’re going to survive these tumultuous times.
Territory covers a lot of ground. The writers talk about the weight of legacy and what happens when the abusive family patriarch is way too reliant on just one successor instead of shaping every member of his unit to be capable enough to sit on the proverbial throne. They highlight the complicated dynamic between the Aboriginals, the colonizers, and those who exist somewhere between these two communities, and the varied ways in which they view the land they live on. It briefly comments on the environmental impact of allowing capitalist leeches to run amok and then goes back to the petty politics around cattle rearing. There are a few romantic subplots peppered through the narrative. Since the inciting incident is murder, on top of everything, the show is also a murder mystery. But despite having six episodes at their disposal, the only theme that sort of makes an impact is the “capitalism is bad for the environment” stuff. The rest is just so cliche and bland that it’s a chore to sit through. Romance is a motivating factor when it comes to character decisions in the shows, but the twists and turns are so contrived that it’s tough to care about those relationships. And amidst all this, the murder mystery element goes for a toss and is brought into the limelight right at the end, as if it’s an irritating obligation.
Territory has been described as Netflix’s Aussie answer to the massively popular Paramount show, Yellowstone, which already has two spin-offs and three more in development. I haven’t watched Yellowstone or its spin-offs, so I can’t exactly comment on its quality, but I am guessing they’re better than whatever is going on Down Under. To be fair, the Netflix show does look and feel expensive. I can only imagine the amount of effort it must’ve taken to handle all those cows, bulls, and horses. Most of the shooting has been done on real locations, and if you know anything about the flora and fauna of Australia, you’ll have an idea of how treacherous the process must’ve been. With all that said, the show is, for the lack of a better word, soulless. There’s no passion or energy behind the cinematography, editing, pacing, or any other aspect of the series. I know that westerns and neo-westerns aren’t exactly high-octane and adrenaline-pumping, but they tend to generate intrigue with their slow-burn drama-mystery and occasional bursts of action. Greg McLean seemingly has no interest in any of that. Yes, that’s the same Greg McLean who made the two Wolf Creek movies, The Belko Experiment, and Jungle—all of which are bubbling with style and substance. What exactly happened to him while making this show? I have no clue.
Coming to the performances in Territory, Anna Torv was obviously a major draw for me because she has done some phenomenal work in Fringe, Mindhunter, and The Last of Us. There’s no doubt about the fact that she is the most talented member of the cast in this Netflix series, but she is woefully underutilized. She isn’t allowed to play to her strengths. Her character has a decent arc, but she doesn’t get the opportunity to marinate in it. Then again, if Emily wasn’t played by Anna, then the character would’ve been incredibly forgettable. Actually, the same can be said about the rest of the cast as well. Michael Dorman taps into the tragic nature of Graham’s character really well, but he is never really allowed to bloom. Robert Taylor, as the violent patriarch, is good, but the director and the writers don’t let him experiment with the character. The young cast, composed of Sam Corlett, Philippa Northeast, Joe Klocek, Kylah Day, and Sam Delich, have some solid screen presence. Sara Wiseman, Jay Ryan, Hamilton Morris, Tuuli Narkle, Dan Wyllie, Clarence Ryan, and Tyler Spencer deliver serviceable performances as the supporting cast.
Despite my largely negative thoughts about Territory and the trend of canceling shows after the first season, I have a feeling that it’s going to do well with the Netflix audience because the streaming platform has been training people to care about this type of story. You know the type I am talking about, right? There’s a rich family. There’s a death (or multiple deaths). And then there’s drama. The Turkish series The Tailor doesn’t have good ratings but has been going strong for three seasons. Monarca, from Mexico, got two seasons and was remade as a South African series named Blood Legacy. South Africa has also given us Savage Beauty. There’s Fool Me Once from the United Kingdom and The Perfect Couple from the United States of America. And all of them have been the talk of the town at least for a few weeks (or even months) after their release. So, there’s a good chance that Territory will get its time in the sun too. I hate all of these titles, by the way, and if you’re looking for good neo-westerns, just watch Outer Range, Desperado, No Country for Old Men, The Rover, Hell or High Water, Wind River, Logan, or Nope.
