''Dearest Enemy'' is a 1989
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n sitcom about two newlyweds.
[Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 141] The pilot episode starred
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
and
Jacki Weaver
Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Her accolades include five AACTA Awards (including the Longford Lyell Award) and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations ...
, who were replaced by
Grigor Taylor
Grigor Weston Taylor, born 1943, also known as Greg Taylor, is an Australian former actor, best known for his parts in several television series including ''Matlock Police'' and ''Glenview High''.
Early life, education and teacher
Taylor was ...
and
Linden Wilkinson
Linden Wilkinson is an Australian film, television, and theatre actress, and a playwright and screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role in soap opera ''Home and Away'' playing 'The Believers' cult leader Mumma Rose. Her o ...
for season one in 1989. In season two (1992),
John Wood replaced Taylor.
Plot
Two newlyweds with different political views deal with them and move on.
Cast
*
Grigor Taylor
Grigor Weston Taylor, born 1943, also known as Greg Taylor, is an Australian former actor, best known for his parts in several television series including ''Matlock Police'' and ''Glenview High''.
Early life, education and teacher
Taylor was ...
as Anderson (1989)
*
John Wood as Anderson (1992)
*
Linden Wilkinson
Linden Wilkinson is an Australian film, television, and theatre actress, and a playwright and screenwriter. She is perhaps best known for her recurring role in soap opera ''Home and Away'' playing 'The Believers' cult leader Mumma Rose. Her o ...
as Alex Taylor
*
Frank Wilson as Walter Taylor
*
Bruce Spence
Bruce Robert Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand-born Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre.
Career
Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 197 ...
as Lenny
* Vic Hawkins as Simon
*
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
(pilot only)
*
Jacki Weaver
Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Her accolades include five AACTA Awards (including the Longford Lyell Award) and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations ...
(pilot only)
*
Maggie Kirkpatrick
Margaret Anne Kirkpatrick (née Downs; born 29 January 1941) is an Australian stage and screen actress who has appeared in numerous theatre, television and feature film roles since the late 1950s.
Kirkpatrick starred in the TV series ''Prisone ...
(pilot only)
*
Ernie Dingo
Ernest Ashley Dingo Member of the Order of Australia, AM (born 31 July 1956) is an Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison (Western Australia), ...
(1 episode)
Production
Writer Michael Riordan's father Joe was a housing minister in the Whitman government. He approached John O'Grady and Geoff Portmann, the producers of ''
Mother and Son
''Mother and Son'' is an Australian television sitcom that was broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars Ruth Cracknell, Garry McDonald, Henri Szeps and Judy Morris. ...
'', then shot a pilot in 1987 with
Jacki Weaver
Jacqueline Ruth Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film, and television actress. Her accolades include five AACTA Awards (including the Longford Lyell Award) and a National Board of Review Award, in addition to nominations ...
and
John Waters
John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...
. Neither reprised their roles - he for stage commitments and she because of another sitcom, ''House Rules''.
Critical reception was mixed.
The show returned in 1992 with
John Wood replacing Taylor.
References
{{reflist
External links
''Dearest Enemy''at
IMDb
IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
Australian television sitcoms
1980s Australian comedy television series
1990s Australian comedy television series
1989 Australian television series debuts
1992 Australian television series debuts