Like many people, I spent a lot of this quarantine scouring Netflix and other streaming services looking for things to binge to pass the time. In early April, I decided to try a trial of Acorn, a streaming service that specializes in British and Australian shows, because I have always enjoyed imports like Last Tango in Halifax, Scott and Bailey, and Broadchurch that often end up airing on PBS.  

Scanning the Acorn offerings, my first criterion was that  the show had to have several seasons so it would keep me occupied for a while. One of the first shows listed in the “popular series” category was A Place to Call Home which I thought was the cheesiest title, but six seasons? Sold. I had no idea when I first clicked “play,” the extent to which my world would shift.

A Place to Call Home is set in Australia after World War II, specifically from 1953-1960. It aired in Australia from 2013-18 and apparently has been airing on some PBS stations here since 2015, though I had not heard a whisper about. In describing the show to friends, I’ve described it as part Thorn Birds, part Downton Abbey and part Dallas. The story centers on the wealthy Bligh family and their relationship with Sarah Adams, a concentration camp survivor and gifted nurse, who comes to the small town of Inverness and changes the lives of everyone there. The show has all the rich and beautiful period detail of Downton, with incredible costumes, cars, and other minute details that draw the viewer immediately into that world. The edge-of-your-seat pacing will have you swearing you’ll only watch one more episode, but five hours later you'll be still glued to the TV. I thought six seasons would carry me through a good chunk of time, but I finished the entire series in less than two weeks.

But, what really sets Place apart is its unflinching examination of social issues of the time—many of which are clearly still with us today. Racism, anti-semitism, homophobia and PTSD are all explored in great depth. Further, Sarah is a convert to Judaism, and regularly recites prayers and adheres to rituals and traditions of the faith. As a Jew, it was surprising and refreshing to see our holidays, such as Yom Kippur and Chanukah, get more attention than Christmas and Easter.

The cast is filled with actors who are renowned and beloved in Australia, but are largely unknown in America. Particular standouts are Noni Hazlehurst as the fierce matriarch Elizabeth Bligh, and Marta Dusseldorp as Sarah Adams. Watching these two formidable women spar is a master class in acting. Three months ago, I had never heard of Marta, and now I call her my favorite actress ever. She can say more with her eyes than most actors say with actual words. She also stars in the popular series Janet King and Jack Irish in which she plays characters that are worlds away from Sarah, though equally strong and compelling. 

When I finished the series, I was desperate to talk about it, so I took to social media and found a Facebook group of devoted fans who delight in dissecting every episode. There, I have learned so much about the actors, the show’s history, and anything I could want to know. There are virual chats with the cast and creative team, even though the show wrapped in 2018. Most importantly, some of these people have actually become friends. I can honestly say I’ve made more friends during lockdown than I would have made in the “real world” in the same time period. Now, I look forward to someday visiting Australia, possibly meeting some of my new friends, and visiting some of the beautiful country that is itself a character in the show.    

I know many people would dismiss the notion of a TV show actually changing someone’s life, but it is certainly true for me. At the risk of changing your life, here's a link to the A Place to Call Home dvds in the Library's collection which you can reserve and borrow.