Fake (TV series)

Fake is an eight-part Australian drama thriller series which debuted on Paramount+ on 4 July 2024.

Synopsis
Fake is a drama-thriller series. Inspired by the 2019 book with the same name by Stephanie Wood, the series follows a smart magazine writer who thinks she has found her ideal match when she meets a successful grazier on a dating app. The writer later discovers that he is not all that he has led her to believe.

Production
The eight-part 40 minute series was filmed in Melbourne in September 2023, created by screenwriter Anya Beyersdorf and directed by Emma Freeman, Jennifer Leacey and Taylor Ferguson. Three episodes were written by Hyun Lee and Jessica Tuckwell.

The series is produced by Kindling Pictures, led by Imogen Banks and Emelyne Palmer. The series received a major production investment from Paramount ANZ and Screen Australia, in association with VicScreen.

Cast
Fake stars Asher Keddie as Birdie Bell and David Wenham as Joe Burt, as the main characters of the series. The series also stars Janet Andrewartha, Nicholas Brown, Anne Charleston, Heather Mitchell, Ming-Zhu Hii, Louisa Mignone, Spencer McLaren, Jack Sandle and Greg Stone.

Broadcast
All episodes of the series were added to Paramount+ on 4 July 2024.

Reception
Craig Mathieson of The Age wrote, "On an emotional level it is forensic, and the direction – set up by Emma Freeman – accentuates the acutely felt unease…It becomes a brutal, recurring cue. Fake is one gripping shock to the system after another." Luke Buckmaster of Guardian Australia described the series' narration, "There's a logic to this narration but it's almost impossible to make a sentence like that sound natural – and the show doesn’t quite master the literary qualities it's aspiring for, either." David Knox of TV Tonight wrote, "In a world of scams, bad dates and ghosting Fake is a modern cautionary tale about trust and self-worth. It's also a ripping yarn."