Janus (TV series)
Janus (released internationally as Criminal Justice)[1] is an Australian legal drama television series broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation from 1994 to 1995. It was created by Alison Nisselle and Tony McDonald.
| Janus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Tony McDonald Alison Nisselle |
| Starring | Simon Westaway Chris Haywood Jeremy Kewley |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Sue Masters |
| Producer | Bill Hughes |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | September 1, 1994 – April 19, 1995 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Phoenix |
It is a spin-off of the 1992 crime drama Phoenix, which also starred Simon Westaway as Sergeant Peter Faithful.[2] The 1994 series was loosely based on the true story of Melbourne's Pettingill crime family and the Walsh Street police shootings. It was followed by a second series, Janus II, in 1995.
While the series struggled in ratings, attributed to its realism and complex legal jargon,[3] it was critically lauded, winning several Logie Awards, including Most Outstanding Drama Series in 1995, and several AFI Award nominations.[4]
Synopsis
Janus follows the bitterly fought prosecutions of a notorious criminal family, the Hennesseys, from the viewpoints of the family, the police and, in particular, the lawyers, prosecutors, barristers and judges, involved in all aspects of the story.
When the series begins, four members of the infamous Hennessey clan are acquitted of the shooting of two young policemen in a bungled bank heist. The city of Melbourne is shocked as brothers Mal and Steve, along with brother-in-law Darren Mack and friend Ken Hardy, walk free. The prosecutors, judges, magistrates and police — many modelled heavily on real-life legal figures — are determined to put the Hennessey members behind bars if they can. But corruption, legal loopholes, delays, and stretched resources combine to make the quest to jail the group far from straightforward.
Cast
Starring
- Chris Haywood as Defence Barrister Michael Kidd (25 episodes)
- Simon Westaway as Sergeant Peter Faithful (25 episodes)
- Jeremy Kewley as Crown Prosecutor Vic Manoulis (25 episodes)
Also starring
- Tracy Mann as Tina Bertram (12 episodes)
- Louise Siversen as Magistrate Glenda de Bono (18 episodes)
- Felix Nobis as Rob Griffin (23 episodes)
- Jane Menelaus as Jenny Hanson (6 episodes)
- Paulene Terry-Beitz as Shirl Hennessey (21 episodes)
- Brett Swain as Mal Hennessey (16 episodes)
- Leon Teague as Steve Hennessey (13 episodes)
- Victoria Eagger as Rhonda Hennessey (8 episodes)
- Belinda McClory as Kirsty Nichols (13 episodes)
- Nique Needles as Darren Mack (7 episodes)
In addition, David Bradshow and Jennifer Jarman-Walker reprise their roles from Phoenix as Andrew "Fluff" Saunders and Cathy Darby respectively. Brett Swain and Belinda McClory previously appeared in Phoenix as other characters.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | September 8, 1994 | November 17, 1994 | ||
| 2 | 13 | January 26, 1995 | April 20, 1995 | ||
Janus (1994)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Malice Afterthoughts – Part 1" | September 1, 1994 |
| 2 | 2 | "Malice Afterthoughts – Part 2" | September 1, 1994 |
| 3 | 3 | "Not on the Merits" | September 8, 1994 |
| 4 | 4 | "A Rare Crushing Reversal" | September 15, 1994 |
| 5 | 5 | "Judgement Amongst Short Men" | September 22, 1994 |
| 6 | 6 | "Reckless Indifference" | September 29, 1994 |
| 7 | 7 | "Without Consent" | October 6, 1994 |
| 8 | 8 | "Fail to Appear" | October 13, 1994 |
| 9 | 9 | "A Mischievous Offence" | October 20, 1994 |
| 10 | 10 | "A Familiar Utterance" | October 27, 1994 |
| 11 | 11 | "Without Prejudice" | November 3, 1994 |
| 12 | 12 | "Improper Influences" | November 10, 1994 |
| 13 | 13 | "Burden of Proof" | November 17, 1994 |
Janus II (1995)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "A Lawful Apprehension" | January 26, 1995 |
| 15 | 2 | "Suicide by Cop" | February 2, 1995 |
| 16 | 3 | "Intent to Permanently Deprive" | February 9, 1995 |
| 17 | 4 | "Right to Remain Silent" | February 16, 1995 |
| 18 | 5 | "My Learned Friend, Mr. Hennessey" | February 23, 1995 |
| 19 | 6 | "Confess and Avoid" | March 2, 1995 |
| 20 | 7 | "A Prima Facie Case" | March 9, 1995 |
| 21 | 8 | "Demands with Menaces" | March 16, 1995 |
| 22 | 9 | "Fit to Plead" | March 23, 1995 |
| 23 | 10 | "Breach of Bond" | March 30, 1995 |
| 24 | 11 | "An Unnatural Act" | April 6, 1995 |
| 25 | 12 | "Mute by Visitation" | April 13, 1995 |
| 26 | 13 | "Elements of Murder" | April 20, 1995 |
Home release
The series was released in 2009 by the ABC on DVD in two volumes, each containing 13 episodes across 4 discs. However, it has since gone out of print.
Related shows
Members of the Pettingill crime family were later depicted in the 2008 first series of Underbelly and in the 2011 miniseries Killing Time. They also inspired the characters in the 2010 Australian film Animal Kingdom and the 2016 American adaptation of the same name.
References
- https://www.jeremykewley.com.au/janus-tv-series/
- https://web.archive.org/web/20070927091958/http://www.propaganda.com.au/phoenix/archive.html
- http://www.australiantelevision.net/janus/articles.html
- https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/a-different-beat-cop-shows-that-broke-the-mould-20030710-gdh2ii.html