Beloved period drama coming to Netflix hailed ‘best show of the year’
The upcoming drama is based on a book of the same name, published in 1901.
The Netflix series has been adapted from the 1901 novel of the same name (Image: Netflix)
If you’ve run out of period dramas to binge-watch then don’t panic, as a brand-new series is arriving on Netflix in just a few days to fill the void. Set in the early 20th century in rural Australia, My Brilliant Career explores the life of Sybylla Melvyn, a young spirited woman who dreams of becoming a writer. However, things were never that simple in the early 1900s, and Sybylla’s family has other plans for her.
They hope she will marry a wealthy man and build a stable life, while also helping them out of the debt they have accumulated over the years. But that doesn’t mean Sybylla is opposed to romance altogether, and she ends up in the middle of a love triangle between wealthy landowner Frank Hawdon and kindred spirit Harry Beecham.
Philippa Northeast, best known for her role as Evelyn MacGuire on Australian soap Home and Away, stars as the fiercely independent Sybylla.
Christopher Chung, who many will recognise as portraying Roddy Ho in Apple TV’s Slow Horses, plays Harry, while Jake Dunn stars as Sybylla’s other love interest, Frank.
The cast also includes Anna Chancellor, Kate Mulvany, Genevieve O’Reilly as Helen, Alexander England, Sherry-Lee Watson and Miah Madden.
My Brilliant Career is based on the 1901 book of the same name by Miles Franklin. This is not the first time the novel has been adapted for the screen, having previously been brought to life in the 1979 film starring the late Sam Neill and Judy Davis.
My Brilliant Career tells the story of Sybylla Melvyn, a young spirited woman who dreams of becoming a writer (Image: Netflix)
The series has already received glowing reviews from critics, with Radio Times branding the show “perilously close to brilliant”.
The review said: “As a love story, it wrong-foots; as a coming-of-ager, it delights; as a portrait of creative frustration, it works. As a whole, it’s perilously close to brilliant.”
Another wrote: “The sense of humour and boundless empathy of this adaptation, further catapulted by a phenomenal ensemble of performers, make this the best series of the year. 5 out of 5.”
A third shared: “I adored this series, the cast of characters and the tone in which the story was told. My Brilliant Career falls into the sub-genre of period-piece drama, not overly trying to be a truly period-piece, which is something of the rage at the moment, but this series stands out because of the cast and Sybylla.”
Stream My Brilliant Career on Netflix on August 13.
SOURCE: EXPRESS