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TV series
Poster for Janus

Janus

1994–1995 · 2 seasons

A dense, grim legal grind that asks you to track jargon and grudges as justice slips through procedural cracks.

Created by
Alison Nisselle, Tony McDonald
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Simon Westaway, Jennifer Jarman-Walker, Chris Haywood
Overview
Janus is an Australian drama television series screened on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1994 and 1995. Two series were produced, with a total of 26 episodes. Janus was a spin-off series from the earlier ABC-TV crime series Phoenix. Loosely based on the true story of Melbourne's Pettingill family and the Walsh Street police shootings, Janus follows the bitterly-fought prosecutions of a notorious criminal family, the Hennesseys, from the viewpoints of the family, the police and, in particular, the lawyers, prosecutors, barristers and judges involved in all aspects of the story. When the series begins, four members of the infamous Hennessey clan are acquitted of the shooting of two young policemen in a bungled bank heist. The city of Melbourne is shocked as brothers Mal and Steve, along with brother-in-law Darren Mack and friend Ken Hardy, walk free. The prosecutors, judges, magistrates and police—many modelled heavily on real-life legal figures—are determined to put the Hennessey members behind bars if they can. But corruption, legal loopholes, delays, and stretched resources combine to make the quest to jail the group far from straightforward.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Created by
Alison Nisselle, Tony McDonald
Genres
Drama, Crime
Starring
Simon Westaway, Jennifer Jarman-Walker, Chris Haywood
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • crime
  • justice
  • corruption
  • family
  • power
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • procedural
  • serialised
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour1
Realism9
Romance1
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity8
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, crime
Created by
Alison Nisselle, Tony McDonald
Written by
Graeme Koetsveld, Joanna Murray-Smith, Alison Nisselle, Graham Hartley
Starring
Simon Westaway, Jennifer Jarman-Walker, Chris Haywood, Jeremy Kewley, Brett Swain, Leon Teague, Felix Nobis, Louise Siversen
Length
2 seasons, 26 episodes, 60 min each
Network
ABC TV
Country
Australia
Languages
English

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