Secrets & Lies is an Australian television series starring Martin Henderson. It was recently remade for American television with Ryan Phillippe and received decent enough ratings to warrant a season two later this year. I will admit that I have not seen the American remake, but the Australian version was entirely gripping from start to finish. My sense is that the two versions follow the same general storyline, but I suspect the original ā€“ at only six episodes ā€“ was a tighter telling of the tale than its American counterpart which contained ten episodes.

Secrets & Lies is the story of Ben Gundelach, a house painter who stumbles upon the body of a young boy from his neighborhood while out on a morning jog. With no real alibi, Ben becomes the prime suspect in the crime and the ramifications for his family are vast.

As with the recent slate of documentary films like Making a Murderer and The Staircase, this drama elucidates ways in which the police can misconstrue the evidence when focusing on a leading suspect too early in an investigation. Similar to the documentaries, this case takes some unexpected turns before the final reveal is made.

The cast is peopled with native Australian and New Zealand actors ā€“ all of who are more than up to the task of portraying these flawed characters. You can see the physical wear and tear this intense scrutiny inflicts on this everyday family as the episodes count down. As with all families, there are already real-life problems to be dealt with which are only exacerbated by pressures from the authorities.

This version of Secrets & Lies is easily accessible on American streaming services, so viewers looking for a new show should give it a shot.

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