Our take
Frayed is one of those shows whose simple premise is made special by a strong script and even stronger performances. The humor is Australian dry, but it’s punctuated by surprisingly sweet moments that make you root for the growth of its complicated characters. The show is elevated, too, by its wonderfully detailed and realized setting: 1980s Australia, except it’s not Home and Away or any of the wealthy suburbias we’ve come to know via Aussie soaps, but a real place, Kendall’s hometown Newcastle, that is in the midst of an industrial recession and population diversification. As a whole, Frayed might seem like just another streaming dramedy, but there’s a lot to love here if you stick around.
The story
Fabulously wealthy London housewife Sammy, is forced to return to the town in Australia she grew up in. But in coming home, Sammy must revisit her past and the events that led her to flee as a teenager years ago.
Elsewhere
"At its foundation, Kendall can write a bump-set-spike punchline as good as anything else on TV."
— Steve Greene
In 1988, a bankrupt Simone (Sarah Kendall) is forced to bring her family back from the UK to Australia, where she encounters angered friends and family she abandoned 20 years ago.
The 1980s must be the most overdone decade in TV period history, but somehow, Frayed still makes its setting feel very special and real.
Don’t let streamers—especially, notoriously, Max—erase this show’s existence! Watch and share it to your friends!
The details
Who picked it
Renee Cuisia is the lead curator at A Good Movie to Watch. In her spare time, she likes to watch K-dramas and analyze them to death. She's also seen You've Got Mail one too many times but is still convinced it's one of the greatest films out there.
