The newest Australian Original Fake lands on Paramount+ today.
Fake follows Birdie Bell (Asher Keddie), a beautiful, brilliantly sharp magazine features writer, who is about go on a date with wealthy grazier Joe Burt (David Wenham). Things are weird from the offset when he awkwardly messages her before she arrives, asking if she can pretend to be his partner as he’s bumped into a client.
Despite alarm bells starting to sound, Birdie goes on the date and gives Joe the flick soon after. But Joe is a charmingly persistent individual who won’t be tossed to the side so easily.
Birdie’s world is coloured by her mother Margeaux (Heather Mitchell) and friends and couple Anton (Nicholas Brown) and Tovey (Spencer McLaren), who are settling down. With her friends loved up, it doesn’t take long for Birdie to give Joe a second chance.
Joe is co-parenting with his ex, Mary, meaning he understandably isn’t putting Birdie first. But there are obvious holes in his story and cracks soon start to show in their romance.
Casting it top-notch with an ensemble that includes, but is not limited to, Janet Andrewartha, Anne Charleston, Greg Stone, and Freya Stafford. But at its core, this is a two-hander series centring around Keddie and Wenham.
Writer Anya Bedersdorf draws inspiration from the book by Stephanie Wood to create a series that draws you in and that will be your next binge.
5 Stars
Fake is now streaming on Paramount+
