# Rake (2010)

> Brilliant but self-destructive Sydney barrister Cleaver Greene takes on the cases nobody else will, defending clients society might otherwise convict.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/31644

## Facts

- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 40
- Episode runtime: 55 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, comedy
- Created by: Richard Roxburgh, Peter Duncan, Charles Waterstreet
- Network: ABC TV
- Cast: Richard Roxburgh, Matt Day, Adrienne Pickering, Russell Dykstra, Caroline Brazier, Danielle Cormack, Kate Box, Keegan Joyce
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587000/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: sardonic, irreverent, witty, morally wry

## What critics say

Acclaimed by its audience for Richard Roxburgh's sharp, charismatic performance as a brilliant but self-destructive barrister, with a witty script balancing courtroom drama and comedy.

## Synopsis

Rake (2010-2018) is an Australian ABC television legal comedy-drama created by Richard Roxburgh, Peter Duncan and Charles Waterstreet. Richard Roxburgh stars as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant, hard-drinking Sydney criminal barrister whose encyclopaedic knowledge of human nature and the labyrinthine legal codes lets him defend clients the system might otherwise convict without a fair trial. His personal life is as chaotic as his caseload: his long-suffering junior Melissa Partridge (Adrienne Pickering) and his colleague David Potter (Matt Day) are pulled into his schemes, while his family life with Wendy Greene (Caroline Brazier) and his children strains under his recklessness. Each season runs eight episodes of self-contained cases woven into a continuing story of professional gambles and personal wreckage, giving it a serialized shape across five seasons. Set in present-day Sydney, the show balances sharp, morally wry comedy with genuine stakes, its tone sardonic and irreverent yet earnest about the right to a diligent defence. Fans of Better Call Saul, The Good Wife and Ally McBeal will find resonance in its flawed lawyer at the center of a courtroom world.

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