Love My Way
Love My Way is an Australian television drama series created by John Edwards and Claudia Karvan, which premiered on Fox8 on 22 November 2004, before moving to W. for its second season, and Showtime for its third and final season, concluding on 19 March 2007. The series stars Claudia Karvan, Asher Keddie, Brendan Cowell, Daniel Wyllie, Lynette Curran, Alex Cook, Max Cullen and Gillian Jones. It was produced by Southern Star Group for Foxtel, with Kim Vecera and Mike Sneesby serving as executive producers for the series.
The series garnered critical acclaim, where it became the recipient of several major Australian awards and nominations, including the AFI award, in which it won for Best Television Drama Series for each of its three seasons, as well as award wins at the TV Week Logie Awards, Australian Writers' Guild Awards, and the ASTRA Awards.
Premise
Set in Sydney, Love My Way was about a group of 30-somethings dealing with the ups and downs of life. The series revolves around an extended family unit - Frankie Paige and Charlie Jackson are the separated parents of Lou, and Frankie also lives with Charlie's brother, Tom. As the series began, Charlie's new wife Julia is about to have their first child. Frankie's mother, Di and Charlie's mother, Brenda, and father, Gerry, also have a strong presence in the ongoing story, as does Julia's ex-lover Howard, who enters into a relationship with Frankie.Production
Love My Way was produced by John Edwards of the Southern Star Group, and Claudia Karvan, who also played the leading role of Frankie Paige in the series. Initially intended to be picked up by Network Ten, which did not proceed due to budget concerns, subscription service Foxtel commissioned a first season on ten episodes in 2003, with pre-production lasting 18 months before filming began on 21 June 2004.When the series was launched, much was made of the connection between Love My Way and The Secret Life of Us: both sharing a star, as well as significant creative talent. However, the series is not a continuation of Secret Life, although it does share some thematic concerns. When developing Love My Way, Edwards and Karvan did, in fact, explore the possibility of a spin-off series set in a hospital, featuring Karvan's character Alex, and Rex – a project which never came to fruition.
Foxtel's director of television and marketing, Brian Walsh, stated that the series marked the first time that the network had the freedom to produce a drama exclusively aimed at subscribers, as he remarked that it drew inspiration from several HBO series, including Six Feet Under, The Sopranos and Sex and the City, commenting " wanted to carve out a piece of TV drama that was edgy, daring, provocative".
The series was filmed at locations in Sydney, including The Sunday Telegraph office, while some scenes were filmed on location at the infamously dangerous Cromwell Park, as there was enough money in the budget to cover council fees. Another advantage of producing a pay TV drama was the freedom to push the boundaries, such as the inclusion of regular swearing, drug use and sexual scenes and references – content which is limited in free-to-air shows.
In March 2005, Foxtel commissioned a 12-episode second season, with Austar joining the production as co-investors. The series was renewed for a third season in May 2006, and filming commenced in December 2006.
The star of the series, Claudia Karvan, was also a co-producer, along with having written for the series. Brendan Cowell, who appears as Tom, also worked as scriptwriter for two episodes of seasons 1 and three episodes of season 2.
On first airing, the theme song originally by The Psychedelic Furs, this time covered by Magic Dirt, played over the title sequence.
Cast
Main
- Claudia Karvan as Francesca 'Frankie' Paige
- Asher Keddie as Julia Jackson
- Brendan Cowell as Tom Jackson
- Daniel Wyllie as Charlie Jackson
- Lynette Curran as Brenda Jackson
- Alex Cook as Louise 'Lou' Jackson Paige
- Gillian Jones as Di Paige
- Max Cullen as Gerry Jackson
Recurring / guests
- Abby Earl as Chloe
- Adelaide Clemens as Harper
- Alan David Lee as Father Chris
- Alex Dimitriades as Julien
- Angela Punch McGregor as Angela Morris
- Ben Mendelsohn as Lewis Feingold
- Claire van der Boom as Billie
- Damon Herriman as George Wagstaffe
- Ewen Leslie as Duc
- Ian Bliss as Darren Longman
- Josef Ber as Bruce
- Justine Clarke as Simone
- Kym Gyngell as Curtis Manning
- Leah Purcell as Caroline Syron
- Mariel McClorey as Katie
- Matthew Le Nevez as Jai
- Paula Arundell as Gina
- Sacha Horler as P.K.
- Sam Parsonson as Dylan Feingold
- Sam Worthington as Howard Light
- Steven Vidler as Steven
- Susie Porter as Christine
Episodes
Season 1 (2004-05)
Season 2 (2006)
Season 3 (2007)
Reception
Critical reception
Love My Way has received critical acclaim throughout its run.In a review for The Sydney Morning Herald, prior to broadcast of the second season, Robin Oliver stated that "The unrivalled television drama production of 2004 returns with fresh episodes and a verdict is easily reached: better than ever"... "Love My Way positively glows with that precious and often elusive ingredient, the ordinariness of life." Of the cast, he said, "The old gang is in position, notably Tom, Charlie and Julia Jackson. Lovely work, but it is the art of unexplored nuance - the parked car, the fingerprinting - that makes Jacqueline Perske's opening script a triumph."
David Knox of TV Tonight, gave the series a positive review prior to the season three premiere, showing praise to the cast performances, commenting "as with previous seasons of LMW the performances are roundly excellent", in particular, he mentioned " Mendelsohn shines in a role that reminds us he is all too rarely seen. Keddie’s Julia teeters on the brink of vulnerability and anal-retentiveness that shows she is no one-dimensional performer."