Australia has a rich history, but this time of year is often a good time to pause and reflect on the stories we tell about our country, and whose voices have historically been left out of the national narrative.
While many Australians mark January 26 as Australia Day, for First Nations Australians it represents Invasion Day: a painful reminder of dispossession, displacement and the ongoing impacts of colonisation.
From confronting documentaries and current affairs to sharp, incisive comedy, we’ve compiled a list of brilliant Indigenous-led TV shows that place First Nations stories front and centre.
1. Always Was Tonight
Logie-winning media personality Tony Armstrong leads this brand new news series — with a twist.
Each week, Tony seeks to unpack the headlines in the news with a decolonised lens, alongside a heap of brilliant First Nations talent. Funny, fresh and willing to go where no news show has gone before, you’ve got to add Always Was Tonight on your weekly watch list.
It’s not the first time the proud Gamilaroi man has led a series tackling First Nations issues head on. In End Game, he looked into racism in Aussie sport and in Eat The Invaders, Tony worked with scientists and chefs to see if they could turn invasive species threatening Australia’s biodiversity (like cane toads) into food.
Fascinating stuff!!
WHERE TO WATCH: ABC iView
2. Total Control
After showing immense bravery in a terrifying situation, Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) finds herself in the public spotlight. Before she knows it, the prime minister Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths) is at her door, asking whether she’d be interested in becoming a federal senator.
When she gets to Canberra, Alex realises that her appointment was mostly for the Prime Minister’s political gain. But she doesn’t want to be a political stunt. Alex is determined to fight through the systematic road-blocks and challenges to make real, lasting change.
The series was created by Rachel Griffiths, Darren Dale, and Miranda Dear and directed by Indigenous Australian film director and television producer, Rachel Perkins.
WHERE TO WATCH: ABC iView
3. The Australian Wars
In this three-part documentary series, director Rachel Perkins investigates the Australian Frontier Wars — the battles between Indigenous Australians and British settlers months after the First Fleet to the 1920s.
The focus of the doco series is the Aboriginal resistance to the British settlement, with each episode focusing on a different location. The first is Tasmania, then Sydney then Queensland.
The Australian Wars includes interviews with historians, re-enactments and archaeological research. It also takes a personal turn as Perkins — who also narrates the series — returns to the location of the massacre her grandmother survived in Arrernte Country in the Northern Territory.
WHERE TO WATCH: SBS On Demand
4. Black Comedy
There’s nothing like sketch comedy, is there?
Black Comedy is an Aussie sketch series made by First Nations peoples, for everyone.
It first landed on our screens in 2014 and aired until 2020 with fast-paced cheekysketches that ranged from observational comedy to history spoofs. While starred a heap of Aussie comedy talent, including Jon Bell, Wayne Blair, Nayuka Gorrie, Shari Sebbens, Deborah Mailman and Rarriwuy Hick.
WHERE TO WATCH: ABC iView
5. Mystery Road
If you love crime dramas, you can’t go past Mystery Road.
Mystery Road is a spin-off from the 2013 film of the same name by Iven Sen. It follows Detective Jay Swan (Aaron Pederson) as he investigates crimes in the Aussie outback. Along the way, he seemingly discovers some long-held secrets within the small communities that he’s working in.
Season one takes place before the film, whilst season two happens after. If you can’t get enough of the Mystery Road universe, there’s also Mystery Road: Origin, a prequel series.
WHERE TO WATCH: ABC iView
6. Redfern Now
Redfern Now is an anthology series set in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Redfern which explores big decisions made by six different families as their lives are changed by a seemingly ordinary event.
Each episode focuses on a different family and explores issues faced by urban Aboriginal communities such as cultural identity, racism and resilience.
Released in 2012, Redfern Now was the first series to be commissioned, written, acted and produced by First Nations Australians as part of the ABC’s Indigenous Department.
WHERE TO WATCH: ABC iView
Well, there you have it. Happy watching!
