Tomorrow night, Nine gives birth to the new Australian drama Amazing Grace.
Amazing Grace follows the life of Grace Cresswell (Kate Jenkinson, Wentworth), who’s a smart and quick-witted midwife, currently juggling a sea of birthing women at St Brigid’s Birthing Centre.
Grace is having a great day at work when teen mother-to-be Sophia (Alexandra Jensen Frayed) arrives at the centre about to pop with her own baby. Grace learns that Sophia is the biological daughter she gave up for adoption 17 years ago and Grace is floored. Complicating matters even further, her ex-husband and paramedic Jim (Ben Mingay, Packed To The Rafters), wants to sell the house from under her. On top of that, a complex relationship with her mother Diane (Sigrid Thornton, Seachange), is complicated as she works at the adjacent hospital.
As Grace juggles the bombshells we are introduced to the rest of the team, which includes trainee midwife Max (Ben O’Toole, Halifax Retribution); Sasha (Kat Hoyos, Here Come The Habbis) who’s struggling with the emotional toll of the job; and unit manager Laney (Catherine Van-Davies, Hungry Ghosts) who is Grace’s best friend but hiding secrets of her own.
What will Grace do when Sophia arrives, and what impact with Sophia’s adoptive father Kirk (Alex Dimitriades The End) have? Only time will tell…
Writer Jonathon Garvin (Offspring) lays the groundwork with an interesting premise in the pilot. Amazing Grace has the potential to develop with its compelling cast, with Jenkinson, O’Toole and Thornton all shining, but it’s Alexandra Jensen who really gives a captivating performance.
Amazing Grace offers an intriguing premise and I’m keen to see how it develops over the course of the season.
4 Stars
Amazing Grace premieres 9:00pm Wednesday, 3 March on Nine.
