Blue Murder: Killer Cop is a two-part Australian television miniseries based on true events, produced by the Seven Network and premiered on 6 August 2017.[1] It is a sequel to the miniseries Blue Murder which screened in 1995 on the ABC.[2][3] Set in the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s in Sydney, the miniseries continues the story of the life of former Detective Roger "the Dodger" Rogerson.[4] The series is directed by Michael Jenkins and produced by John Edwards for Endemol Shine.[5]
| Blue Murder: Killer Cop | |
|---|---|
DVD cover
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| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Peter Schreck |
| Directed by | Michael Jenkins |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Richard Roxburgh |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 2 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 105 - 120 minutes (including ads) |
| Production company | Endemol Shine Australia |
| Original release | |
| Network | Seven Network |
| Release | 6 August (2017-08-06) – 7 August 2017 (2017-08-07) |
| Related | |
The series follows Roger Rogerson, post Blue Murder (1995), showing how he met his wife Anne and the murder of Jamie Gao that led to his arrest and murder conviction.
The first part of the mini-series achieved a metro ratings audience of 717,000, coming second in its timeslot behind 60 Minutes and ranking seventh of the night.[6]
The second part of the mini-series dropped 200,000 viewers and achieved a metro ratings audience of 516,000, coming third in its timeslot behind This Time Next Year and Have You Been Paying Attention? respectively and ranking 20th of the night.[7]
| No. | Title | Air date | Timeslot | Overnight ratings | Consolidated ratings | Total viewers |
Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Rank | ||||||
| 1 | Part 1 | 6 August 2017 | Sunday 8:30pm | 717,000 | 7 | 185,000 | 4 | 902,000 | [8][9] |
| 2 | Part 2 | 7 August 2017 | Monday 8:45pm | 516,000 | 20 | 148,000 | 15 | 664,000 | [10][11] |
The series has received positive reviews, Denise Eriksen, journalist for The New Daily said "This is a brilliantly written, layered drama, it weaves together many stories of flawed-yet-interesting men into a seamless narrative and features some of Australia’s best actors."[12]
Bridget McManus, writer for The Sydney Morning Herald gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, praising Richard Roxburgh and Toni Collette for their roles in the series saying "Richard Roxburgh slips so effortlessly back into the role, whilst Toni Collette is superb as she nails the strident Sydney accent and strangely sensual frump of the printing shop worker whose heart Rogerson stole".[13]
David Knox, writer for TV Tonight also gave the series 4 out of 5 stars saying "The sequel stands up well, thanks to retaining its links with director Michael Jenkins and Roxburgh. It does adhere to the true crime bio-pic path than look more broadly at an era in NSW law & order, with its leading man promoted to anti-hero".[14]
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (7th) |
Best Telefeature or Mini Series | Carol Hughes | Nominated |
| Michael Jenkins | Nominated | ||
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Richard Roxburgh | Nominated | |
| Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Toni Collette | Nominated | |
| Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Matt Nable | Nominated | |
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Emma Booth | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography in Television | Bruce Young | Nominated | |
| Best Editing in Television | Bill Russo | Nominated | |
| Best Original Music Score in Television | John Gray | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design in Television | Murray Picknett | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design in Television | Damir Peranovic | Won | |
| Best Hair and Makeup | Nikki Gooley | Nominated | |
| Sheldon Wade | Nominated |
