There is a double dose of The Doctor Blake Mysteries this month, plus a new documentary from New Zealand and the final season of an Australian comedy-drama.
For updates about shows from Australia and New Zealand added to US channels and streaming services throughout the month, see the Down Under TV Viewing Guide.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
The Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season 5 (AU)
The fifth and final season of this hit Australian mystery series finds Dr. Lucien Blake (Craig McLachlan, Home and Away, Neighbours), the local GP and police surgeon in Ballarat, investigating the deaths of a boxer, a Romani woman, a French chef, a controversial novelist, a retired carpenter, a teen-aged girl, a local farmer, and a young policeman.
Blake’s relationship with receptionist Jean Beazley (Nadine Garner, City Homicide, Blue Water High) has had its ups and downs (especially in Season 4! — more about it below), and in Season 5 they finally look toward the future together. However, as loyalties are tested, friendships are strained, and faith is challenged (is it ever!), Blake and Beazley may or may not find the happiness they deserve as a couple.
The cast in Season 5 includes Charlie Cousins (City Homicide), Joel Tobeck (Ash vs Evil Dead), Belinda McClory (Corridors of Power), John Wood (Blue Heelers), David Whiteley (Gallipoli), Timothy Quabba (Beyond), Anna McGahan (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Ian Rooney (Jack Irish), Craig Hall (A Place to Call Home), Lee Beckhurst (Offspring), Nick Farnell (Killing Time), and Gary Sweet (House Husbands).
The Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season 5 premieres in North America on Wednesday, July 4, exclusively on BritBox.
Dark Tourist (NZ)
From a nuclear lake to a haunted forest, journalist David Farrier (Tickled, Short Poppies) visits unusual — and often macabre — tourism spots around the world.
Dark Tourist, a Netflix Original series, premieres in the US on Friday, July 20, exclusively on Netflix. (You can add it to your queue now.)
Bed of Roses: Series 3 (AU)
The third and final season of this Logie Awards-nominated comedy-drama series opens soon after the Series 2 finale, with Louisa (Kerry Armstrong, MDA, SeaChange, Skyways) starting a new chapter in her life as the co-owner and editor of the Rainbow End Echo newspaper.
But this is Louisa we’re talking about, so it’s almost inevitable that things don’t go the way she thought or hoped they would — whether it’s running the paper with Vivien Susie Dee (Lowdown) or getting married to Nick (Jay Laga’aia, Home and Away).
The series costars Hanna Mangan Lawrence (Containment), Julia Blake (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Caroline Gillmer (Neighbours), Kaarin Fairfax (Picnic at Hanging Rock), Andrew S. Gilbert (Please Like Me), Haiha Le (Neighbours), and Frank Magree (Romper Stomper).
Bed of Roses: Series 3 premieres in the US on Monday, July 23, exclusively on Acorn TV and the Acorn TV channel on Amazon.
ADDED TO PROGRAMMING SCHEDULES
The Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season 4 (AU)
Rodger Corser (The Heart Guy, Glitch) joins the cast of the penultimate season of this award-winning mystery-crime drama series. First appearing in the second episode, he plays Chief Superintendent Frank Carlyle, who takes over for Chief Superintendent Lawson (Joel Tobeck, Ash vs Evil Dead) following the latter’s retirement in the Season 3 finale.
Opening in 1960, this season’s murder mysteries include the suspicious deaths of a mechanic, a would-be theme park owner, a jockey, a soldier, a reporter, a fireman, and a recurring character in the series. In addition to investigating those crimes, Blake also uses his keen instincts to determine who kidnapped a lottery winner for ransom.
But the biggest shock for Lucien (not to mention Jean) is the arrival of someone from his past, specifically his years in the Far East as a medical officer for the British Army.
Also joining the cast this season are Anna McGahan (Picnic at Hanging Rock, ANZAC Girls) and Ling Cooper Tang (Top of the Lake, All Saints).
The Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season 4 begins streaming Wednesday, July 4, on BritBox and the BritBox channel on Amazon.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous months? Check the Down Under TV Viewing Guide to find out.
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For details about the July premieres of shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland, visit The British TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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