''Fake'' is an eight-part Australian drama thriller series which debuted on

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

in Australia on 4 July 2024.

Synopsis

''Fake'' is a drama-thriller series. Inspired by the 2019 book with the same name by Stephanie Wood, the series follows a smart magazine writer who thinks she has found her ideal match when she meets a successful grazier on a dating app. The writer later discovers that he is not all that he has led her to believe.

Production

The eight-part 40 minute series was filmed in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in September 2023, created by screenwriter Anya Beyersdorf and directed by Emma Freeman, Jennifer Leacey and Taylor Ferguson. Three episodes were written by Hyun Lee and Jessica Tuckwell. The series is produced by Kindling Pictures, led by Imogen Banks and Emelyne Palmer. The series received a major production investment from Paramount ANZ and

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

, in association with VicScreen.

Cast

Main

* Asher Keddie as Birdie Bell *

David Wenham David Wenham (born 21 September 1965) is an Australian actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre. He is known for his roles as Faramir in The Lord of the Rings (film series), ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy, Friar Carl in ' ...

as Joe Burt

Supporting

* Janet Andrewartha as Kath Tovey * Nicholas Brown as Anton *

Anne Charleston Anne Charleston (born 30 December 1942) is an Australian-born former actress prominent in television, radio and theatre, notable for her career locally and in the United Kingdom in both England and Ireland. She began her career on the stage in ...

as Shirley Burt * Heather Mitchell as Margeaux * Ming-Zhu Hii as Kirsty *

Spencer McLaren Spencer McLaren (born 28 February 1973, Sydney) is an Australian theatre and television actor, most well known for his starring role on the Australian television drama, '' The Secret Life of Us'', as Richie Blake; a role he played for 66 episode ...

as Tovey * Jack Sandle as Connor *

Greg Stone Gregory "Greg" Jonathon Stone (born 23 June 1961 in Perth, Western Australia) is an Australian actor who has appeared in films, television and on stage. Early life Stone was born in Perth, Western Australia to parents Roy and Jennifer Stone a ...

as Peter Van Rotterdam * Louisa Mignone as Peggy

Guests

Arka Das Arka Das is an Australian actor, director and screenwriter. Early life Das born in Bangladesh and emigrated to Australia with his family as a child. He grew up in Ashfield in Sydney's western suburbs, where he attended school and university ...

as Rohit * Freya Stafford as Tessa Rain * John Stanton as Percy *

Peta Brady Peta Brady (born 1972) is an Australian actress, known for her role as Cody Willis in ''Neighbours''. Early life Brady first gravitated towards acting and writing during her high school years, where she wrote some scenes for a school producti ...

as Milena *

Petra Yared Petra Georgina Yared (born 18 January 1979) is an Australian actress. She has also been credited as Petra Jared. Early life Yared was born in Melbourne to Rick and Shelley, having an older sister, Sara, and younger brother, Nicholas. Yared i ...

as Jessa * Tony Rickards as Mr Whitney

Broadcast

All episodes of the series were added to

on 4 July 2024. The series marked its free-to-air debut on

Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...

and

10Play 10Play or 10 Play (formerly known as Tenplay, set to rebrand as 10 in 2025) is an Australian free video on demand and catch-up TV service run by Network 10. The service became available on 29 September 2013, replacing the network's old website ...

on 25 May 2025.

Reception

Craig Mathieson Craig Mathieson (born 1971) is an Australian music journalist and writer. His books include, ''Hi Fi Days'' (1996), '' The Sell-In'' in (2000) and the '' 100 Best Australian Albums'' in 2010, with Toby Creswell and John O'Donnell Biography ...

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

wrote, "On an emotional level it is forensic, and the direction – set up by Emma Freeman – accentuates the acutely felt unease…It becomes a brutal, recurring cue. Fake is one gripping shock to the system after another." Luke Buckmaster of

Guardian Australia ''Guardian Australia'' is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, ''The Guardian''. Available solely in an Online newspaper, online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 201 ...

described the series' narration, "There's a logic to this narration but it's almost impossible to make a sentence like that sound natural – and the show doesn’t quite master the literary qualities it's aspiring for, either." David Knox of

TV Tonight TV Tonight is an Australian-based website which features reviews, news and programming information related to television in Australia as well as OzTAM ratings information. The site was started by television critic David Knox in 2007 after li ...

wrote, "In a world of scams, bad dates and ghosting ''Fake'' is a modern cautionary tale about trust and self-worth. It's also a ripping yarn." On 25 May 2025,

aired the show free-to-air and the first episode aired to 300,000 viewers.

Episodes

Awards and nominations

, - , rowspan="6",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, rowspan="6",

AACTA Awards The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the cinema of Australia, film and ...

, Best Drama Series , ''Fake'' , , rowspan="6", , - , Best Lead Actress in Drama , Asher Keddie , , - , Best Supporting Actress in Drama , Heather Mitchell , , - , Best Direction in Drama or Comedy , Emma Freeman - Fake – Episode 5: Love Kitten , , - , Best Screenplay in Television , Anya Beyersdorf – Fake – Episode 1: Lanolin , , - , Best Casting , Nathan Lloyd – Fake ,

References

External links

* {{Paramount+ 2020s Australian drama television series 2024 Australian television series debuts 2024 Australian television series endings Australian English-language television shows Paramount+ original programming Television shows filmed in Australia Television shows set in Melbourne