Devil's Playground (TV series)

Devil's Playground is an Australian psychological thriller television series which premiered on Showcase on 9 September 2014. It was created as a sequel to the 1976 film, The Devil's Playground. The series begins in 1988 and follows the story of Tom Allen, a recently widowed psychiatrist and a secular counselor to the Catholic clergy, who becomes entangled in political and theological intrigue. Simon Burke reprised his role as Tom Allen.

Development
On 26 November 2012, Matchbox Pictures announced that they would produce a drama series for Foxtel that would serve as a continuation to the 1976 film The Devil's Playground.

The series is produced by Helen Bowden, Penny Chapman and Blake Ayshford and directed by Rachel Ward and Tony Krawitz. It is written by Blake Ayshford, Cate Shortland, Alice Addison and Tommy Murphy and the Executive Producers are Tony Ayres, Penny Win and Simon Burke.

Synopsis
The year is 1988. It is 35 years after the events of Fred Schepisi's classic film, The Devil's Playground. Tom Allen, now in his 40s and recently widowed, is a respected Sydney psychiatrist and father of two children. A practising Catholic, Tom accepts an offer by the Bishop of Sydney to become a counsellor of priests. During these sessions and other events, he uncovers a scandal that embroils him through a personal hell hole and the Church's various attempts to cover it up. Tom's quest for justice pushes him to his limits, but it reveals a dark-side of the Church's power and the extent of official corruption, which he could never have envisaged.

Cast

 * Simon Burke as Tom Allen
 * John Noble as Bishop John McNally
 * Don Hany as Bishop Vincent Quaid
 * Jack Thompson as Cardinal Constantine Neville
 * Toni Collette as NSW MP Margaret Wallace
 * Andrew McFarlane as Father Marco Andrassi
 * Uli Latukefu as Father Matteo
 * Max Cullen as Father Joyce
 * Leon Ford as Brother Warren
 * James Fraser as David Allen
 * Malcolm Kennard as Joe Kelly
 * Anna Lise Phillips as Alice Kelly
 * Ben Hall as Finton Kelly
 * Fletcher Watson as Peter Kelly
 * Michael Denkha as Massimo Drago
 * Jason Klarwein as Matthew Darcy
 * Jessica Donoghue as Catherine Darcy
 * Jarin Towney as Elliot Darcy
 * Coco Jack Gillies as Megan Darcy
 * Avani Farriss as Rachel Darcy
 * Matt Levett as Brendan Mahony
 * Rory Potter as Cavanagh
 * Darren Gilshenan as Father Lenken