{ "id": "ep5drq3qm3", "slug": "irreverent", "title": "Irreverent", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", 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}, { "id": "geo.other.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2021.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2021.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Irreverent (2022) is an Australian-American comedy-crime-drama series created by Paddy Macrae, in which Colin Donnell's Chicago criminal poses as Reverend Mack Boyd in Far North Queensland; one season of 10 episodes on Peacock and Netflix.", "snippet": "Irreverent (2022) is an Australian-American comedy-crime-drama series created by Paddy Macrae, in which Colin Donnell's Chicago criminal poses as Reverend Mack Boyd in Far North Queensland; one season of 10 episodes on Peacock and Netflix.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.crime-and-thriller-series.organized-crime-and-heist-series", "markdown": "# Irreverent\n\n**Irreverent** is a 2022 Australian-American comedy-crime-drama television series in which a Chicago criminal mediator flees to Australia and hides in a small Far North Queensland reef town by posing as its new church reverend. The ten-part series was created by Paddy Macrae, produced by Matchbox Pictures, and streamed on Peacock in the United States and Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.[1](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/past-events/irreverent-in-conversation/) • [2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Premiere | November 30, 2022, on Peacock (US); also on Netflix in Australia and New Zealand[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent) • [1](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/past-events/irreverent-in-conversation/) |\n| Format | 10 episodes of about 46 minutes each; one season, status ended[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent) • [4](https://epguides.com/Irreverent/) |\n| Premise | Criminal mediator Paulo Keegan, after a mediation gone wrong, assumes the identity of Reverend Mackenzie \"Mack\" Boyd in the fictional town of Clump[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent) |\n| Lead cast | Colin Donnell, Kylie Bracknell, Ed Oxenbould, Tegan Stimson, P.J. Byrne, Wayne Blair[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent) |\n| Key crew | Directors Jonathan Teplitzky and Lucy Gaffy; composer David Hirschfelder; production company Matchbox Productions[5](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/irreverent-38903/) |\n| Reception | Metascore 65 (generally favorable); 57% Tomatometer and 93% Popcornmeter; IMDb rating 7.1/10[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/irreverent/critic-reviews/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15285844/ratings/) |\n| Age rating | TV-14[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/irreverent) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and story\n\nThe series follows Paulo Keegan, a criminal mediator from Chicago who flees the United States after a mediation goes bloodily wrong, leaving him with a bullet wound, a large sum of illicit cash, and the hostility of his former employers.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent) • [9](https://www.flicks.com.au/reviews/an-american-crook-hides-out-in-queensland-in-the-slick-but-forgettable-irreverent/) He surfaces in Clump, a small, eccentric beach town in Far North Queensland hundreds of miles from phone reception, and assumes the identity of the town's new reverend, Mackenzie \"Mack\" Boyd, a name that is not his own.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent)\n\nTo stay alive, Mack must keep the town believing he is a devoted man of God while searching for an exit strategy before the Chicago mob catches up with him.[2](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent) His series-long goal is to gather enough money to buy a new identity, and each episode combines a weekly problem in the town with progress on that larger scheme.[10](https://www.insights.uca.org.au/a-dramatic-caper-with-heart-and-comedy/) Early episodes establish the pattern: Mack tracks down the real reverend while officiating a wedding, enters the illegal \"chop-chop\" tobacco trade to raise money, and works to save the church from closure.[11](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/irreverent/5250104757456537112) The season builds toward the arrival of the Chicago mob in Clump in the finale, \"The Last Breakfast\".[11](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/irreverent/5250104757456537112)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\n[Colin Donnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-donnell), an American actor and Broadway performer, plays the fugitive who poses as Mack.[12](https://brieftake.com/video-interview-irreverent-colin-donnell/) The ensemble around him includes Kylie Bracknell as Piper, the town's by-the-book police officer; Ed Oxenbould as Cameron; Tegan Stimson as Daisy, who quickly works out that the faux reverend is not who he claims to be and becomes his partner in the tobacco-smuggling operation; Wayne Blair as Peter, the mayor and church enthusiast; P.J. Byrne; and [Susie Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/susie-porter) as Agnes, who runs the chop-chop smuggling operation.[8](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/irreverent) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/05/irreverent-review-a-chicago-criminal-goes-undercover-down-under)\n\n## Production\n\nThe series was created by Paddy Macrae, who wrote alongside Andrew Knight, Andrew Anastasios, Angela McDonald, and Darlene Johnson, with Debbie Lee, Andrew Knight, and Paddy Macrae as executive producers.[5](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/irreverent-38903/) • [14](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/netflix-and-nbcuniversal-order-production-on-irreverent-in-queensland-next-month-1471415/) It was produced by Matchbox Pictures, an NBCUniversal International Studios company, for Peacock in the United States and Netflix in Australia and New Zealand.[1](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/past-events/irreverent-in-conversation/)\n\n**Filming in Queensland.** Principal photography began in September 2021, starting at Village Roadshow Studios on the [Gold Coast](https://www.edgepedia.org/gold-coast) before moving to Mission Beach and the inland townships of Tully and Silkwood.[15](https://www.ausfilm.com.au/news/irreverent-escape-to-far-north-queensland-2/) The production was supported by the [Australian Government](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-government)'s Location Incentive and by Screen Queensland's Production Attraction Strategy, which offers incentives for productions spending at least AU$3.5 million in the state; Irreverent was the third [NBCUniversal](https://www.edgepedia.org/nbcuniversal) production to film in Queensland under that strategy.[15](https://www.ausfilm.com.au/news/irreverent-escape-to-far-north-queensland-2/) • [14](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/netflix-and-nbcuniversal-order-production-on-irreverent-in-queensland-next-month-1471415/)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response was mixed to favorable. The series holds a Metascore of 65 on Metacritic, based on four critic reviews, two positive and two mixed.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/irreverent/critic-reviews/) On Rotten Tomatoes it has a 57% Tomatometer from seven reviews, against a 93% Popcornmeter audience score.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent) IMDb users rate it 7.1/10 from about 1,900 ratings, with the most ratings coming from Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15285844/ratings/)\n\nReviewers divided over the same qualities. John Anderson of The Wall Street Journal called it a good-natured 10-part series that relies on the abundant charms of its cast because its circumstances are comedic and clichéd.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/irreverent/critic-reviews/) Luke Buckmaster in The Guardian found it \"very funny and bingeable\", praising Donnell's fusion of bravado and bewilderment while noting that some second-half plot twists felt rushed.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/05/irreverent-review-a-chicago-criminal-goes-undercover-down-under) Travis Johnson of Flicks judged it easy and enjoyable but largely forgettable, arguing it lacked a singular point of view about faith or the city-country divide.[9](https://www.flicks.com.au/reviews/an-american-crook-hides-out-in-queensland-in-the-slick-but-forgettable-irreverent/) The Insights Magazine review framed it as a redemption tale about a crook coming to terms with the transformative power of doing good.[10](https://www.insights.uca.org.au/a-dramatic-caper-with-heart-and-comedy/)\n\nThe series ran for one season and is listed as ended.[4](https://epguides.com/Irreverent/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [In Conversation with the Creator & Producer of Irreverent, Screen Queensland](https://screenqueensland.com.au/sq-news/past-events/irreverent-in-conversation/)\n2. [Irreverent, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/57044/irreverent)\n3. [Irreverent, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/irreverent)\n4. [Irreverent, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/Irreverent/)\n5. [Irreverent, Screen Australia](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/irreverent-38903/)\n6. [Irreverent critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/irreverent/critic-reviews/)\n7. [Irreverent (TV Series 2022) ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15285844/ratings/)\n8. [Irreverent, Parents' Guide & TV Review, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/irreverent)\n9. [Irreverent TV review, Flicks.com.au](https://www.flicks.com.au/reviews/an-american-crook-hides-out-in-queensland-in-the-slick-but-forgettable-irreverent/)\n10. [A dramatic caper with heart and comedy, Insights Magazine](https://www.insights.uca.org.au/a-dramatic-caper-with-heart-and-comedy/)\n11. [Watch Irreverent Season 1 Streaming Online, Peacock](https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/irreverent/5250104757456537112)\n12. [Interview: Irreverent's Colin Donnell, Brief Take](https://brieftake.com/video-interview-irreverent-colin-donnell/)\n13. [Irreverent review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/dec/05/irreverent-review-a-chicago-criminal-goes-undercover-down-under)\n14. [Netflix and NBCUniversal order production on Irreverent in Queensland, ScreenHub](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/news/netflix-and-nbcuniversal-order-production-on-irreverent-in-queensland-next-month-1471415/)\n15. [Irreverent: Escape to Far North Queensland, Ausfilm](https://www.ausfilm.com.au/news/irreverent-escape-to-far-north-queensland-2/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series › Organized crime and heist series*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Irreverent\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Irreverent](https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent](https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Irreverent\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/irreverent. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Irreverent is an Australian-American comedy-crime-drama series created by Paddy Macrae, in which Colin Donnell's Chicago criminal poses as Reverend Mack Boyd in Far North Queensland; one season of 10 episodes on Peacock and Netflix." }