Rake Cancelled
Kinnear stars in the series as a self-destructive criminal defence lawyer named Keegan Joye. Rake is the latest show to be scrapped by Fox after it cancelled Dads, Enlisted and Surviving Jack on. Although The Rake Podcast had some fun with Cordeiro’s departure using headlines such as “Marle’s Fired,” “Marle’s Been Canceled” and “Serious Allegations” to explain her leaving in their messaging, all indications are that it was her decision to leave the show. Patrons, 2020–21 Subscribers, Members ($150 Supporting level and above), and audience members with money on account or who donated their canceled performance tickets are eligible to purchase single tickets now. Please login to continue. Ticket on-sale date for general public will be announced in summer 2021. Definition: a dissolute or profligate person Many people are familiar with the word, rake, from various forms of entertainment, such as Stravinsky’s opera, and a Rex Harrison movie (both called The Rake’s Progress), or a series of paintings by William Hogath (A Rake’s Progress).
When Rake first hit our screens in 2010, it signalled a shift in Australian television. Based loosely on the life of barrister Charles Waterstreet (now a Sydney Morning Herald columnist), Rake’s lead character Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) is an unscrupulous, misanthropic but undeniably endearing scoundrel – one Australian television needs and deserves.
While critic David Dale noted in the Sydney Morning Herald that the show isn’t always a ratings winner (not that surprising, given our collective love affair with reality TV), it consistently presents a smart take on Australian cultural life. Commentary on Rake from the likes of Lauren Carrol Harris, Karl Quinn, and Debi Enker suggests that the show has gradually nudged its way into Australian pop culture.
The show routinely parodies Australian law and politics, as well as Australian media. In an episode right before last week’s federal election, Cleaver announced he was running against his sister for the Senate, with a campaign aimed at young people: “running for nothing”.
Australian television thrives on satire: Fast Forward (1989-1992), Front Line (1994-1997), Kath and Kim (2002-2007), and Housos (2011-2013), targeting bogans, politicians, journalists, or all of the above.
But Rake exemplifies hybrid television, thanks to its writers (Roxburgh, Peter Duncan. Its comedic elements – Cleaver’s brilliant antics in and outside the courtroom – are balanced with poignant moments of the absurd and tragic, such as Scarlet’s (Danielle Cormack) sudden death in season four.
As Debi Enker writes in The Sydney Morning Herald:
Rake has always been a piquant hybrid, a series that deftly blends legal and crime drama with cheeky comedy and political satire, and it has assembled one of the most vibrant ensembles on Australian TV.
This ensemble has included Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Miriam Margolyes, and Hugo Weaving, to name a few. But it’s the regular cast that makes the series resonate on such a relatable level. The show’s actors are frequently applauded in discussions on just what makes Rake such good television.
But good acting isn’t the only secret. Rake also employs plenty of postmodern techniques such as metafiction, in which a show subtly alludes to itself as fiction, as well as intertextuality – frequently referencing other popular culture. In the latest season, viewers were treated to an in-show episode of Media Watch (1989-), with real-life host Paul Barry taking a swipe at fictional but all-too-real right-wing politician Cal McGregor (Damien Garvey).
Other staples of Australian cultural life, like Australian Story and radio presenter Fran Kelly, have also made appearances. This tongue-in-cheek approach was pioneered by American shows such as The Simpsons (1989-), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), and The Sopranos (1999-2007).
Another trope of postmodern television is the figure of the anti-hero. With his many flaws, and blunt, dismissive outlook, Cleaver Greene joins a long list of charismatic television anti-heroes: Tony Soprano (The Sopranos), Dr House (House, 2004-2012), Dr Cox (Scrubs, 2001-2010), and Edmund Blackadder (Blackadder, 1983-1989).
Rake straddles the high/low cultural divide. Cleaver frequently quotes Yeats, is a fan of Balzac, but remains distinctly Australian, asking one character: “What in the name of Bob Menzies are you doing here?” In the very first episode of the series Cleaver says of Lord Byron: “Bugger me, he was good.” And in the seventh episode of the most recent season, Cleaver tells a priest: “I could out-Nietzsche you at five paces.”
Its combination of distinctly Australian-isms, and more sophisticated references beyond Australia’s own culture puts Rake in a rare and enviable position in Australian television history. As Lauren Carroll Harris wrote in the Guardian:
It’s hard to miss the show’s rich, no-bullshit Australian vernacular, rare as that way of speaking is these days.
Harris also observes that Rake is essential TV viewing in the post-Chaser era:
In a Chaser-free TV landscape, Rake has stepped in to provide reliable, weekly analysis of a dying political system that parodies itself.
The series was remade for American television in 2014, with Greg Kinnear in the title role, renamed Keagan Deane. Like many Australia-to-America remakes, it fell flat without the humour or darkness of the original, and was cancelled after one season.
Australian writer Ben Neutze credits the original Rake’s success to Roxburgh’s complex portrayal:
A lot of the reason that Richard Roxburgh gets away with it is that he just has bucket loads full of charm. And I think in the Australian version there’s always the sense that he is a genius underneath all his madness, whereas I didn’t really get that sense from Greg Kinnear, as talented as he is.
What the failure of the American version shows is that Rake is situated within a distinctly Australian cultural environment. The show deliberately engages with Australian stereotypes in order to subvert them, with Cleaver embodying a more nuanced version of the Aussie battler. Through its diverse portrayal of Australian people and culture, Rake ushers in a new kind of Australian satirical drama.
Was Rake Cancelled
The final episode of season four of Rake airs on ABC TV on Thursday 7 July at 8.30pm.
TheWrap
'Rake' is the fourth Fox show canceled on Wednesday.
The Greg Kinnear vehicle was cut shortly after after the cancelation of 'Dads,' 'Enlisted' and 'Surviving Jack.'
While the network would not officially confirm that the show was canceled, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap that two of the leads have been let out of their contracts, signaling the cancellation.
Also read: 'Dads,' 'Enlisted' and 'Surviving Jack' Canceled by Fox
'Rake' had been struggling ever since it's soft January premiere, which drew a 1.7 rating in the advertiser-sought 18-49 demographic. The show was moved to Fridays in March, where it did so poorly that the finale was actually shifted to a Saturday night in favor of 'Kitchen Nightmares' reruns.
It's been a busy half-week for Fox thus far. On Monday, the network ordered 'Gotham' to series. On Tuesday, it ordered 'Empire' and 'Red Band Society' to series, later upping the 'Mulaney' order by 10 episodes.
Tv Show Rake Cancelled
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Australian Tv Show Rake Cancelled
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