There’s one thing you can say in favour of this show - it’s an original concept. Has there been another Aussie drama about the workings of the Coroner’s Court? Some of us can remember "Divorce Court" (the Family Law Act put an end to that show when it removed the fault grounds for divorce), but here at Law in the Lounge we can’t recall another show that deals with one particular court. Of course the producers have chosen a particularly interesting jurisdiction, where the dead are hardly able to reach out from the grave and point the finger at those responsible for their deaths. How did the person die? Who contributed to the death? – we’ll deal with the law of the Coroner’s Court later on in The Legal Point. It’s a wonder that no-one has followed this format before, because it combines the two most popular television drama genres – law and medicine. In "State Coroner" we have pathologists, forensic scientists, coppers, judges, lawyers – it’s a television junkie’s fantasies rolled into one! Apart from the specifics of the Coroner's jurisdiction, we are still in familiar territory. There is a death and a search to find the culprit, much as we're used to in any cop show. But the Coroner's Court provides a more exotic location and some nifty detective work that can keep us guessing. When we meet Kate Ferrari, she has been lecturing in law on leave from the Magistrates Court. She is unexpectedly thrust into the job as State Coroner, over the head of the Deputy Coroner who’s been babysitting the job for a while. This sets the stage for a bit of old fashioned office rivalry between Ferrari and the caretaker (Clive Trimble), who is enshrined as her Deputy. It’s never made entirely clear how Kate snags the job, and she seems to be on some sort of probation by the Attorney-General who appointed her. Clive and Kate could not be more different – he’s a crusty sort, a bit of a throwback and a lot of a chauvinist who might not take well to the appointment of an apparently less qualified woman. Of course, as their relationship develops we discover that Clive is basically a good hearted bloke and Kate is not as assured as she appears to be. In the pilot we see Kate trek out to the scene of a car accident, and then an office bombing, in search of clues to the deaths of some teenagers and a high ranking crime investigator. The purpose of these excursions is not entirely clear, although it's true that a Coroner sometimes visits the scene of an accident or a suspicious death. But all Ferrari does is poke around the mangled wreckage for a couple of minutes – true, it later allows a wonderful insight that leads to an amended finding, but it probably has little to do with reality. In the second series they have moved Kate into a new home, a trendy apartment, all chrome and glass. It doesn't seem to be her style, not that we would set ourselves up as judges of the aesthetic. Trimble is a well seasoned former magistrate (in fact the coroners are really "magistrates" as well, and are called "your worship" in court, just like magistrates in the Magistrates Court). He's not interested in any new fangled ideas of coronial practice, preferring to get to the bottom of the whodunit with a minimum of fuss. But don't be fooled by the mediocre appearance, because Clive doesn't let go until he gets to the truth of an inquiry, no matter how much digging is involved. Kate and her Coroner’s cohorts are helped in their endeavours by the forensic pathologist attached to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Dr Julie Travers – she’s central to the ability of the Coroner to decide the cause of death. Yes, the job is a bit gruesome, so it’s not surprising the writers have drawn this role as a rather sunny character, in contrast with the morbid surroundings. She’s meant to be in her mid thirties, although we thought she looked a lot younger. We get to see her at work in the lab, which seems quite realistic, and makes clear the crucial nature of autopsy evidence. Are there any other forensic pathologists around? We noticed in the second series that Julie seems to be the only person capable of doing the deed. In the real world there are a number of staff to handle these duties. The plot also revolves around the activities of the police attached to the Coroner’s Court, who operate in quite a different manner to their colleagues downtown and in suburban stations. Detective Sergeant Dermot McLeod is one of the Coroner’s assistants, and we see him in action as the person who gets to ask the hard questions in the hearings. Unfortunately for Dermot he found himself on the pathologist's stainless steel table when he was the victim of a hit and run driver who appeared to have murder on his mind. So he's left the show. But Dermot's death has made way for a new character, Sgt. Colin Decker. There's something a little fishy in Colin's past, because he apparently has been disciplined in his professional life, which is why he was pounding the traffic beat from being a high flyer in the glamour homicide squad before Kate brought him on board. Not surprisingly, he's quite abrasive. As he says to Kate, "If I take the job I want to do it my way, and I might tread on a few toes." George Cardillo is the Senior Coroner's Clerk, and looks after the administration of the Coroner's office. Maybe it's his Italian background that shows through in his warmth and devotion to his family, and his ability to deal with the distraught families of those who are the subjects of the hearings. It's a good thing that Kate has moved into a more salubrious neighborhood, because apartment buildings bring tenants into contact with neighbors. Meet lawyer Liam Pearse, who is the new love interest for the previously romantically burned Kate. When he offers to check Kate's thermostat, we know he's not talking about central heating. But Liam may not be a good bet, no matter how much he piles on the charm. He has an almost sixth sense when it comes to witnesses in court, where he plies his barrister's trade with some aplomb. But remember Kate, anyone as good as Liam at changing a jury's mind might just be able to do the same when it comes to romance. Colin Decker suffered terribly when his partner was shot during a failed arrest bid. Should Colin have fired his gun to protect his partner? Some of his colleagues thought he should have done just that! When Colin came back from leave he didn't seem to have the same dedication to the job and looked to be transferred to the Accident Investigation Section, where he was out of harm's way. Now he's into the hurly burly of the Coroner's Court and the Coronial Police Unit, but he seems to have a chip on his shoulder about his past. Wendy Hughes is the State Coroner, Kate Ferrari. She has previously starred in:
Wendy is the heart and soul of this show, and that's all to the good, because there is no doubt that she has the power to carry a show. Bob Baines is Clive Trimble, the Deputy Coroner. You know the face, because he’s guest starred in numerous television series including "GP", "Blue Heelers" and "E Street". This is his first permanent role. Elaine Smith had a regular role as Dr Sissy Wetherall in "The Flying Doctor". She plays the forensic pathologist attached to the Institute of Forensic Medicine – she’s the one that does the autopsies and appears on the stand in Coroner’s hearings to explain the physical causes of death. Andrew Clarke has worked with Wendy Hughes previously in "The Man From Snowy River". And how about "Skippy"? He's been in any other number of Australian shows and films. Seen previously with Elaine Smith in the 1990 miniseries "Flair". It's good to see him with another regular gig. Andrew has previously won two Logies as a "best actor", played "The Saint" in the NBC film "The Saint In Manhattan", the lead in "Outback Bound", "Sword of Honour", and "The Man From Snowy River" (he co-starred with Wendy Hughes). Nick Carrafa graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts and then went into the theatre. You might remember him from his two seasons in "Acropolis Now" (he was Alfredo) and his role in the (very) long-running soap "Neighbours" as Tony Romeo. Who could ever forget James Reyne in the quite amazing 1983 miniseries "Return To Eden", one of those kitsch icons that gets screened at hen's nights to the hilarity of all concerned. Reyne pulled off a Logie for that truly dismal outing, and then wisely went back to singing! The Director Michael Harvey, has plenty of experience in this sort of program. He undertook the same function on the set of the brilliant ABC program "Janus". The producers of "State Coroner" are Harvey Taft and Crawford Productions. The latter are the best known producers of the cop show genre, going all the way back to the glory days of "Homicide" and "Division Four". "State Coroner" has some very credible technical advice behind the scenes. David Stevens used to be the Registrar of the Coroner’s Court, where this reviewer had a number of dealings with him. Clearly this is a man who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the Coroner’s jurisdiction, and it shows in some of the factual detail in the scripts. The show also benefits from the help of David Ranson, who is a pathologist at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine – they’re the people who cut up the corpses and do things like toxicology and autopsy reports. The role of the forensic pathologist has lately received quite a run on television – see Amanda Burton in the excellent "Silent Witness". You might also want to take a look at "Profiler". And of course there are the best-selling books by Patricia Cornwell that feature her character Kay Scarpetta. And there is now an even more graphic fictional forensic pathologist, Dr Temperance Brennan in "Deja Death" by Kathy Reich. Remember the name of the first television show to focus on the work of a medical examiner (forensic pathologist)? Tick, tick, tick… "Quincy M.E", with Jack Klugman (Oscar in "The Odd Couple"), who was rather solemn compared to our Dr Travers. "State Coroner" is partly filmed at the real Coroner’s complex in Melbourne (situated just behind the National Gallery in South Melbourne). The front part of the complex is the court and offices; the rear is the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Kate's relationship with the Attorney General seems a little strange. He's always trying to pressure her, but would this really happen? It is the essence of the judiciary that it is independent and not subject to hiring and firing by politicians (this is not across the board, however, particularly with regard to Tribunals). The script tries to establish that Kate is a Magistrate who has become the State Coroner. In fact the Coroner’s Court is a part of the Magistrates Court, except that it has a different task. There are certain deaths that the Coroner must investigate, for instance a suspected homicide, a deceased who was in prison or in police custody. And there are other deaths that the Coroner may investigate, for example, if a person asks for an investigation. Coroners are there to make "findings". If possible they have to decide the identity of the deceased, how the person died, and most importantly, whether any person/s contributed to the death. Also, unlike other courts, Coroners can make recommendations in their findings. For example, if the Coroner finds that a child died by drowning in a backyard pool, they can recommend that all pools have fences around them; or if a death results from a fire, and the Coroner believes that a similar tragedy can be avoided by taking some preventative measures (like the installation of smoke detectors), this can be recommended too. Another difference with most other courts is that a wide range of people can apply to be "parties" to the inquiry. This means that any person (or sometimes an interest group) can participate in the hearing, and cross-examine witnesses if they can show that they have a sufficient interest in the outcome, or the Coroner believes they can be of assistance. The Coroner holds an "inquest" – this indicates that the rules of evidence are not as rigorous as in most courts. The Coroner wants to establish the reasons for a death, which is not the same process that's used in a criminal court hearing which focuses on the guilt or innocence of a defendant. Generally the Coroner hears the case alone, whereas a criminal trial will involve a jury. It is sometimes amusing to see Kate become quite emotional at the evidence that is adduced in some of the hearings. This reviewer has appeared at a number of Coroner's hearings, and he has yet to see much emotion from the bench. After all, the tragedy of unexpected death is the daily bread and butter of this jurisdiction. It's also interesting that the scripts sometimes suggest that relatives of deceased are making a nuisance of themselves in their quest for justice or an explanation for a death. As anyone in the jurisdiction knows, there is a ceremonial aspect to a Coroner's hearing. It is the place for theories to be put to rest and for relatives to have their say. The magistrates are normally very solicitous of the feelings of disgruntled relatives, and Coroner's assistants will endeavor to give them a fair hearing. In one of the shows a magistrate says, "I don't know why some relatives put themselves through the emotional rigors of a hearing." In reality he would understand their motives very well. And the show does police, ambulance drivers and similar workers a big favour. It demonstrates how difficult life can be for emergency service workers when they are cross examined by barristers intent on destroying their credibility. Often their decisions, so easily scrutinized in a later court hearing, are made in the midst of a crisis where split second decision making is the order of the day. The show gains a lot of its credibility from the technical expertise behind the scenes, which is revealed in the detail of the autopsies and the way the forensic staff handle the tools of their trade. But what is not made clear at all is the role of the Coroner – this is where the show falls down. Here at Law in the Lounge we did a straw poll amongst some non-lawyer friends who’d seen the show, and none could explain what the hell the Coroner does, based on the show’s script (as opposed to their personal knowledge) - most seemed confused between the role of the homicide police and the Coroner. Another problem with the show, at least in its infancy, was the domestic stuff – you know, Kate’s hopelessly unhelpful husband, whining daughter, and the stereotypical male-female power struggles etc etc. This was an appeal to the draw-by-numbers school of drama, as was the chaos of Kate’s hellish first day on the job. However, in the second series the writers seems to have made a solid attempt to place Kate in a more conducive domestic environment, particularly in her relationship with her daughter. And Kate's character also gains from the presence of James Reyne. But let’s not nit-pick. This Australian drama has a top pedigree, an excellent cast, worthy scripts, and reasonably good production values. It is unfortunate that we tend to judge our home grown shows by comparison with overseas (especially American) product. Some episodes of shows like "NYPD Blue" cost more than a low budget Aussie movie! So yes, the sets look a little phony, and there is a feeling that it’s all been hurried – but this has nothing to do with the quality of the scripts, or the pleasure an Australian audience derives from seeing a domestic product with familiar local actors, filmed on our doorsteps – and clearly Australians are voting with their feet, because local dramas are the flavour of the decade. We like the way that Coroner Kate and Deputy Clive deal with cases in tandem, so you get to see two separate inquests handled in quite different ways. As has been observed by others, this series is in the "fit the pieces of the jigsaw together" genre, and it makes the court room scenes, where the final pieces are inserted, a compelling part of the show. And the office relationships are allowed to develop as central to the plots, acknowledging the truth that audiences are attracted to character based drama. There is no doubt that the second series has brought tighter scripts and a greater worldliness to the plots. Most important, more attention has been paid to characterization, where these sorts of shows live and die. Although there is talk that the show survived into a second series because of Ten's need to fulfil local drama quotas, it deserves to do very well. So check out "State Coroner" – you can be assured of an entertaining program built around an original concept. Want us to tell you when we review another TV show? Read this: The legal information contained above is intended to be general information about the law. 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