The promo was enough but now having seen the first two episodes of the series, AFP is spectacular. It reveals the depth and extent of the work of the Federal officers we very rarely see yet perform duties integral to our nation’s safety. This fly on the wall factual series should play well for Channel 9, and build a solid audience into Tuesday night (the latest battleground for the networks). From the press release:
Never before has an Australian audience been given such unprecedented access to the work of Australia’s national police force.
AFP will take viewers behind the scenes with the men and women of Australia’s peak law enforcement agency, the Australian Federal Police.
Produced over more than two years, and filmed in more than eight countries including Indonesia, Colombia and the Philippines, video journalists were embedded in major operations from people smuggling to counter terrorism; bomb disposal to international drug syndicates; child sex exploitation to disaster victim identification.
AFP captures these stories on the ground as they unfold, drawing on surveillance, warrant and arrest footage and other evidentiary material provided exclusively by the Australian Federal Police.
At the heart of the operations are the compelling, untold stories of the people working on the frontline of everything Australians fear. We will find out how these men and women, working in often extraordinary circumstances, deal with the stressful situations they face. This is Australian policing like you have never seen it before.
In the first episode, the AFP targets people smugglers who put the lives of asylum seekers in danger as they attempt to reach the shores of Australia. We also see the elite of the Australian Federal Police as they undergo advanced training which sees them at the frontline of crime, arresting the most dangerous of criminals.
The series has been produced by Andrew Denton’s Zapruder’s Other Films, with Anita Jacoby as its Executive Producer and Jennifer Byrne narrating.
AFP – Premieres Tue 26/04 8pm, Channel 9.
Having some limited insight into the AFP operations from my own work history, it should be worth a watch for those interested. Will be far superior to the made up cop drama crap, even if they edit it to buggery for viewer impact.
Question: Is Molks TV talk in bed with Zapruders…they always seem to give outstanding reviews to less than outstanding programs like AFP & Hungry Beast? Just because Andrew Denton’s name is behind it, doesn’t guarantee anything. We should be treating this as we do any other production. Based on merits of the show alone, not celebrity kudos & ego! That’s the real test of a good quality story. Unfortunately, even though I was set up to hope for more, this failed to deliver after all the promises made on several occasions.
I am in appreciation of what is, in my opinion, all good TV. Pound for pound ZOF deliver far above other production houses in AU, but FMA and Shine do a great job also. Your opinion is important and vital to programmers who want to know what you, I and others think of what’s on TV – you can’t keep all people happy all the time.
The real test of a show is judging it by more than one episode.
I could certainly answer based on knowing Steve personally. I think he’s very much an optimist with a broad range of loves in what he watches. I’ve shaken my head more than a few times at his thoughts on various shows, but he certainly tends to look for the best in a given show .. probably to be admired from one as cynical as myself.
Long story short – I know Steve’s not in anyone’s “pocket”, so to speak. But his tastes are certainly not always those of others (sorry Steve 🙂 )