Building a media empire from scratch takes cash flow, followers and guts. Evelyn Jones is struggling to acquire all three as she attempts to take her women’s website, Eve Life, to the next level.
In the season one finale of Strife, Evelyn (Asher Keddie) discovered that her old workplace was creating their own website – a seemingly carbon copy of Eve Life. But she was even more stunned to learn that her second-in-command, Christine (Maria Angelico), had jumped ship to helm the project.
The two are now on a competitive warpath and – with a mysterious online troll questioning Eve’s every move – the publisher is flailing for a way forward.
“Her ambition is at an all-time high,” Asher, 50, tells TV WEEK. “But she desperately needs an investor to support that ambition and she has fairly fierce competition, so she’s quite thrown.”
To amplify her work stresses, life at home continues to be experimental as Evelyn and ex-husband Jon (Matt Day) test the ‘bird-nesting’ technique in the wake of their separation. The theory, which allows children to remain living in the family home while the parents take it in turns to stay there, is complicated further by Evelyn and Jon’s prospective dating lives… If they can actually bring themselves to contemplate dating.
For Asher, returning to the series – which is based on Mia Freedman’s memoir Work, Strife, Balance – was a great opportunity to delve further into what makes Evelyn the way she is.
“There was so much more to explore with Evelyn after the first season. She’s such an interesting character,” the TV WEEK Gold Logie winner explains. “We also wanted to explore the people who are close to her and whose lives are affected by her determination to succeed.”
Jonathan LaPaglia returns as Evelyn’s former boss, alongside Tina Bursill, Alex Dimitriades and Lincoln Younes. Other big names, such as Mary Coustas, Dylan Alcott and Tim Minchin, join the cast.
“I’m so glad Mary agreed to play the role of Evelyn’s therapist,” Asher says. “That was a big coup for me.”
With plenty of relatable laugh-out-loud moments, this Aussie drama looks at the women’s glorious, messy lives while also examining the serious search for balance in work, life and family – and sometimes even self-preservation.
Stream Strife on Foxtel from $35/mth, with a 10-day free trial.
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