Glitch is an Australian supernatural drama television series developed by Tony Ayres and Louise Fox. Set in the fictional country town of Yoorana, Victoria, it follows seven people who return from the dead in perfect health but with no memory. No one in the town knows why the deceased have returned. Glitch premiered on 9 July 2015 on ABC and the first series was awarded Best Television Drama Series at the 2016 AACTA Awards. The series also won Most Outstanding Drama Series at the 2016 Logie Awards.
On 26 October 2015, ABC TV renewed the show for a second series of six episodes. The second series premiered on 14 September 2017 on ABC. Series two follows James and the Risen as they begin to unravel the mystery of how and why they are back, though their journey of reconciliation, romance, and revenge is soon disrupted by a new and even more lethal threat. The first series was made available to stream on Netflix globally on 15 October 2016. Series 2 premiered on 28 November 2017 internationally on Netflix. The show concluded with the third season, which premiered on 25 August 2019.
Contents
Plot
James Hayes is a small town policeman in Yoorana, Victoria. He is called to the local cemetery in the middle of the night, only to discover some people that have risen from the dead in perfect health but with no memory of their identities or past. They are determined to find out who they are and what has happened to them. James struggles to keep the mysterious case hidden from his colleagues, family, and the world, with the help of local doctor Elishia McKellar. The people are all linked in some way, and the search begins for someone who knows the truth about how and why they have returned.
Cast
Main
Patrick Brammall as Sgt. James Hayes
Genevieve O'Reilly as Dr. Elishia McKellar (series 1–2)
Emma Booth as Kate Willis
Emily Barclay as Sarah Hayes (series 1–2)
Ned Dennehy as Patrick "Paddy" Fitzgerald (series 1–2)
Sean Keenan as Charlie Thompson
Hannah Monson as Kirsten "Kirstie" Darrow
Aaron McGrath as Beau Cooper
Rodger Corser as John Doe/William Blackburn
Andrew McFarlane as Vic Eastley (series 1–2)
Daniela Farinacci as Maria Rose Massola (series 1)
John Leary as Chris Rennox
Luke Arnold as Owen Nillson (series 2–3)
Rob Collins as Phil Holden (series 2–3)
Pernilla August as Nicola Heysen (series 2–3)
Jessica Faulkner as Belle Donohue (series 3)
Harry Tseng as Tam "Chi" Chi Wai (series 3)
Dustin Clare as Mark Clayton-Stone (series 3)
Recurring
Anni Finsterer as Caroline Eastley
Lisa Flanagan as Kath
Robert Menzies as Pete Rennox
Tessa Rose as Sharon
Gerard Kennedy as Leon Massola
Antonio Kapusi-Starow as Young Leon
Phoebe Gorozidis as Anna
Alison Whyte as Lucy Fitzgerald
Nicholas Denton as Angus Fitzgerald
Jacob Collins-Levy as Rory Fitzgerald
Greg Stone as Russell
Leila Gurruwiwi as Kalinda
James Monarski as Carlo Nico
Katrina Milosevic as Ellen
Lex Marinos as Steve Tripidakis
Max Brown as David Goldman
Dalip Sondhi as Samarvart Chadra Gard
Rhys Mitchell as Young Paddy
Jackson Gallagher as Raf
Susan Prior as Anne Donohue
Taylor Ferguson as Judith Donohue
Reef Ireland as Luke Donohue
Simon Maiden as Duncan
Guests
Anna McGahan as Millie
Eddie Baroo as Gary
Freya Stafford as Amy
Marta Kaczmarek as Registrar
Shareena Clanton as Elena Triggs
Syd Brisbane as Cam
Tom Budge as Rob
Production
Although the show bears remarkable similarity to the 2012 French series Les Revenants, which was broadcast internationally as The Returned and adapted as an American series with that title, the writers insist Glitch was not influenced by it and "the first script was written before I even saw the French film of The Returned."
Episodes
Broadcast
Glitch was screened at Roma Fiction Fest in 2015.
Glitch premiered on 9 July 2015 on ABC and the first series was awarded Best Television Drama Series at the 2016 AACTA Awards. The series also won Most Outstanding Drama Series at the 2016 Logie Awards. The show concluded with the third season, which premiered on ABC 25 August 2019.
The first series was made available to stream on Netflix globally on 15 October 2016. Series 2 premiered on 28 November 2017 internationally on Netflix. Netflix globally released series 3 on 25 September 2019.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, season 1 of Glitch has an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews. Likewise, season 2 has an approval rating of 80% based on 5 reviews. Season 3 was poorly received, with the final episode in particular getting the lowest rating of all.