australian television information archive

Portrait of a Lady

Episode 1
Wed, March 17, 2021 (ABC, 9pm)
532,000 viewers (11th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

Helen Tudor-Fisk (Kitty Flanagan) is a contracts lawyer who is not good with people. When her personal and professional lives implode spectacularly in Sydney, Helen runs home to Melbourne and takes a job at Gruber & Gruber, a small suburban law firm. Helen is brought in to replace Roz Gruber (Zemiro), a recently-suspended solicitor who has temporarily appointed herself the office manager. No longer allowed to sit in with clients, Roz now has nothing else to do but get all up in Helen’s business.

Ray Gruber (Sheargold), Roz’s brother, hires Helen in a fit of laziness but also because Helen is a ‘mature lady’ which has proven to be the preferred option for clients who are grieving. Unfortunately, Helen is not that kind of mature lady.

Roz is always lurking, Ray is always skiving off and there’s often a scuffle in reception that Helen is forced to take control of. With the help of the idiosyncratic probate clerk, George (Chen), Helen attempts to find her feet in the messy world of probate; where the clients are at their most irrational and it’s never as simple as just dividing up the money.

Starring: Kitty Flanagan as Helen, Julia Zemiro as Roz, Marty Sheargold as Ray, Aaron Chen as George

With: Alison Whyte as Ruth, Glenn Robbins as Dean, Libby Tanner as Annabelle, Rhys Nicholson as Male Assistant, Lien Yeomans as Minh, Chi Nguyen as Juliana, Max Brown as Seb, Zenya Carmellotti as Waitress, Rohan Ganju as Michael

Cremains of the Day

Episode 2
Wed, March 24, 2021
515,000 viewers (10th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

Helen mediates a case between a bereaved daughter, Gina Munster, and Kellie-Joy Fraser, the new, much younger partner of Gina’s dead father, Alan Munster. Both women want Alan Munster’s ashes. Helen mediates an agreement whereby Kellie-Joy will get one teaspoon of ashes but at the last minute, Gina reneges on the deal. Meanwhile, Helen has an awkward family lunch at Dad’s house, which culminates with her father accidentally killing a pesky possum with his homemade sling shot. Helen is kicked out of her Airbnb for being ‘too messy’ and ‘complaining too much’ about everything.

With: John Gaden as Anthony Fisk, Glenn Butcher as Viktor, Debra Lawrance as May, George Henare as Graham, Lien Yeomans as Minh, Chi Nguyen as Juliana, Dave O'Neil as Bob, Daniela Farinacci as Gina, Jessica Redmayne as Kellie-Joy, Max Brown as Seb

Taken

Episode 3
Wed, March 31, 2021
594,000 viewers (10th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

Helen meets with Eileen Popovitch who is demanding power of attorney over her mother, Daphne because she has dementia. Meanwhile, Helen’s estranged husband, William G.H Ford is in town for the writer’s festival and shows up at Gruber & Gruber to ask Helen for shared custody of their dog, Artie. The following day, Eileen brings her mother Daphne to Gruber & Gruber to convince Helen that Daphne is not compos mentis. While Helen is at work William shows up at May and Graham’s to take Artie for a walk and never returns with him. Helen makes a late afternoon dash to the writer’s festival to find Artie and makes a scene at William’s serious writerly panel, run by iiterary interlocutor, Lindy Baxter-Smythe.

With: Bert LaBonté as William, Debra Lawrance as May, George Henare as Graham, Colette Mann as Mrs Popovitch, Annie Lee as Eileen Popovitch, Marg Downey as Lindy, Miki Oikawa as Akiko, Fiona Stewart as Valerie

Dead Man Texting

Episode 4
Wed, April 07, 2021
561,000 viewers (9th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

The Gruber & Gruber workplace is a-buzz because their favourite temp, Fun Peggy is coming in to help out with a deceased estate. Helen doesn’t understand what’s so fun about Fun Peggy, but everyone else, including George, thinks she is ‘a hoot’. Helen tries to hand off a court case because she has no actual court experience and then has to ask Dad for help. Before she knows it, Dad and Viktor are staging a mock trial to help her up her court game. Meanwhile, Helen looks into a will where a woman’s dead husband has arranged to keep texting her from beyond the grave.

With: Bessie Holland as Peggy, John Gaden as Anthony Fisk, Glenn Butcher as Viktor, Debra Lawrance as May, George Henare as Graham, Robyn Arthur as Carole, Michael Nkiou as Des

Ladies in Black

Episode 5
Wed, April 14, 2021
537,000 viewers (12th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

Ray palms off one of his cases to Helen because he is scared of the opposing counsel, Alice Pike. While working late one night, Helen stumbles upon Roz’s passion project; an all-woman harmony group (available to sing at funerals) called, The Sadrigals. Alice Pike reports Roz to the legal board for supposedly breaching her terms of suspension and Roz, determined to clear her name, arranges a special ‘hearing’ with board member, Alex Pang, where The Sadrigals will perform.

With: Debra Lawrance as May, George Henare as Graham, Georgina Naidu as Alice Pike, Jolyon James as Terry, Linda Bull as Tina, Sun Park as Bobbie, Louisa Wall as Maggie, Richard Davies as Brandon, Sam Pang as Alex, Denise Scott as Leslie, Lindy Yeates as Joy, Dave O'Neil as Bob, Penny Flanagan as Bookshop Owner

Honour Thy Father

Episode 6
Wed, April 21, 2021
542,000 viewers (11th)
Written by Kitty Flanagan and Penny Flanagan
Directed by Tom Peterson and Kitty Flanagan

Roz announces that Gruber & Gruber has been nominated for a Small Business Award at the local council awards night. The judging is done by a ‘mystery judge’ who could come at any time’, so she instructs everyone to be on their best behaviour and has a quiet word to Helen about her ubiquitous brown suit. Helen meets with Petro, a man who is convinced he is the illegitimate son of a recently deceased newsreader. Helen and George try to put on their best faces for every client, including Blayden Tork who comes in to consult with Helen about his will. A scuffle in reception has Helen and George worried that they’ve blown their chances of winning an award. Roz puts her best face (and dress and hairdo) forward at the awards night anyway, determined to enjoy the evening.

With: John Gaden as Anthony Fisk, Glenn Butcher as Viktor, Debra Lawrance as May, George Henare as Graham, Alex Papps as Petro, Richard Pyros as Thomas, Ed Kavelee as Blayden, Georgina Naidu as Alice Pike, Ian Rooney as Phil, Glenn Ridge as MC, Joel Salom as Courier, Daisy Friesian as Cash Cow