Grab this Rake

Rake is utterly charming television series produced in Australia.  The first season aired in 2010, and the second season aired in 2012.  It has been renewed for a third season, which is good news for anyone who enjoys well-written, well-acted dramas focusing on lawyers and the legal profession.  I recently learned that there is an adaptation coming to American television (Fox) later this fall; I hardly see the point, as it is difficult to imagine how an adaptation could improve on the original.

Rake stars the excellent Richard Roxburgh, shown above, who is also one of the creators of the show, as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant barrister who engages in egregiously self-destructive behavior, e.g., frequenting bordellos, drinking to excess, gambling, using hard-core drugs.  He makes lots of bad choices and creates chaos wherever he goes; all the while, however, he successfully defend his clients, most of whom are actually guilty.  Some of his cases are drawn from the news, but all of his cases introduce us to interesting characters and provide a glimpse of politics and the legal system in Australia.  I have only two more episodes of season two to watch, and I will be eagerly awaiting season three's availability on DVD.