{ "id": "epsw8d6wzm", "slug": "the-gloaming", "title": "The Gloaming", "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", "label": "Drama and prestige series (individual series)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural", "label": "Science fiction, horror, and supernatural", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Other (Canada, Oceania, polar regions, oceans) · 2001 to 2020: Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "path": [ { "id": "geo.other", "label": "Other (Canada, Oceania, polar regions, oceans)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001", "label": "Other (Canada, Oceania, polar regions, oceans) · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv", "label": "Scripted television and comedy series", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.other.t2001.culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Gloaming is an eight-part Australian Tasmanian noir crime drama created by Victoria Madden, starring Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie, which premiered on Stan on 1 January 2020 and later aired on Starz.", "snippet": "The Gloaming is an eight-part Australian Tasmanian noir crime drama created by Victoria Madden, starring Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie, which premiered on Stan on 1 January 2020 and later aired on Starz.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_scripted_tv.drama-prestige-series.science-fiction-horror-and-supernatural", "markdown": "# The Gloaming\n\n*The Gloaming* is an Australian eight-part crime drama television series created and written by Victoria Madden, which premiered on the streaming service Stan on 1 January 2020. Set and filmed in Tasmania, it follows Detective Molly McGee (Emma Booth) and Detective Alex O'Connell ([Ewen Leslie](https://www.edgepedia.org/ewen-leslie)), former lovers who reunite to investigate the murder of an unidentified woman and find that the evidence links to a 20-year-old unsolved crime, with political corruption, occult practices and ghosts of the unsettled dead woven into the plot.[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming) • [2](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Format | Eight episodes of roughly 50 minutes each; one season, completed 2020[2](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/) |\n| Premiere | 1 January 2020, all episodes on Stan (Australia)[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming) |\n| Creator | Victoria Madden, showrunner and writer, also creator of *The Kettering Incident*[3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) |\n| Lead cast | Emma Booth (Molly McGee), Ewen Leslie (Alex O'Connell), Aaron Pedersen, Rena Owen, Martin Henderson, Matt Testro, Josephine Blazier[2](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/) |\n| Directors | Michael Rymer, Greg McLean, and Sian Davies[3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) |\n| Production | Sweet Potato Films and 2 Johns Productions, co-produced with ABC Signature; filmed entirely in Tasmania[3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) |\n| Reception | 90% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (10 reviews); 6.6/10 on IMDb from about 3,000 votes; three AACTA Award nominations[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_gloaming) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/ratings/) • [6](https://cdn.showcast.com.au/actor-pdfs/27b774e8-0c72-495c-a5a1-cddb8771adea.pdf) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and structure\n\nThe story opens when an unidentified woman is found brutally murdered, and evidence at the scene links the killing to a 20-year-old unsolved crime. Detective Molly McGee must partner with Alex O'Connell, a fellow cop with whom she shares a tragic past, and the two have not spoken in twenty years.[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming) • [7](https://www.ratingraph.com/tv-shows/the-gloaming-ratings-70909) A seemingly ordinary inquiry opens the door to darker forces, with corrupt politics and questionable commercial interests becoming entangled with macabre offenses and occult activity.[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming)\n\nScreen Australia's synopsis describes the series as entwining three narrative strands: a character-driven story about two past lovers overcoming tragedy and betrayal, a crime story that leads the detectives into the past, and a strand of social commentary touching on the housing crisis and social marginalisation.[2](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/) The AACTA handbook entry frames the show as a \"Whydunit\" rather than a whodunit, involving a crime stretching back decades and an occult religious order whose origins stem from transported Scottish convicts; Molly is also locked in a cat-and-mouse game with the powerful Gareth McAvaney ([Martin Henderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/martin-henderson)), a man she believes got away with murder.[8](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aacta-org-assets/Uploads/Telefeature-or-Mini-Series-Handbook2.pdf)\n\nThe title refers to a Scottish term for twilight, \"the dying of the light,\" and in the series' mythology names the liminal space between light and dark, life and death, where the unsettled dead linger.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-gloaming) • [10](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedia/a0a4e559-ba30-46b9-bad6-f841e436d284/mr-190401-Emma-Booth-and-Ewen-Leslie-lead-cast-of-The-Gloaming.PDF) Episode titles follow this imagery, from the premiere \"The Dying of the Light\" to the finale \"The Night of the Mothers.\"[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming)\n\n## Cast and production\n\n**Casting.** AACTA Award-winning performers Emma Booth (*Glitch*, *Hounds of Love*) and Ewen Leslie (*The Cry*, *Safe Harbour*) lead the cast, announced in April 2019 when production commenced in Tasmania. [Aaron Pedersen](https://www.edgepedia.org/aaron-pedersen) (*Mystery Road*), New Zealand actress [Rena Owen](https://www.edgepedia.org/rena-owen), Matt Testro and newcomer Josephine Blazier joined them, with Martin Henderson later confirmed as Gareth McAvaney.[10](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedia/a0a4e559-ba30-46b9-bad6-f841e436d284/mr-190401-Emma-Booth-and-Ewen-Leslie-lead-cast-of-The-Gloaming.PDF) • [3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) According to IMDb trivia, Booth and Leslie underwent vocal training before filming to cover their Western Australian accents, since the series is set in Tasmania.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/)\n\n**Directing and crew.** The director lineup pairs Michael Rymer (*Hannibal*, *Battlestar Galactica*, *American Horror Story*), Greg McLean (*Wolf Creek*, *Jungle*), who also serves as an executive producer, and Sian Davies (*Reef Break*, *Wentworth*). Marden Dean was director of photography, and the series was delivered as a 4K HDR drama.[3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) • [12](https://bluepost.com.au/work/the-gloaming/)\n\n**Financing and companies.** The series is a co-production of Madden's Sweet Potato Films and John Molloy's 2 Johns Productions with [ABC Signature](https://www.edgepedia.org/abc-signature), a Disney Television Studios company. Production funding came principally from the Tasmanian Government via Screen Tasmania and Screen Australia, working alongside Film Victoria, while Stan helped finance the series.[3](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/) • [13](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/company-announcements/production-starts-in-tasmania-on-the-gloaming-257658-1426344/)\n\n## Release and distribution\n\nAll eight episodes premiered on Stan in Australia on 1 January 2020.[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming) Starz, the Lionsgate-owned US network, picked up the series and debuted it on all its platforms on 21 March 2021.[14](https://www.c21media.net/news/starz-gets-ready-for-the-gloaming/) Screen Australia lists ABC Studios International as the international sales agent.[2](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/) In April 2020, Screen Tasmania approved $25,000 in development funding for a second season of eight 50-minute episodes.[15](https://www.screen.tas.gov.au/funding/approvals/april_2020/accordion2/the_gloaming%2C_season_2_8_x_50_minute_drama_series_%2425_000)\n\n## Reception\n\nCritical response favored the series' atmosphere over its plotting. On Rotten Tomatoes the miniseries holds a 90% Tomatometer from 10 reviews, with a critics consensus praising its \"sumptuous aesthetics\" and creeping mystery, while the audience Popcornmeter sits at 50%.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_gloaming) Luke Buckmaster, reviewing for *The Guardian*, compared its fog-swamped look to *Twin Peaks* and credited cinematographer Marden Dean, while noting that the personal connections between the detectives and some stilted dialogue gave the show a whiff of familiar contrivance.[16](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/30/the-gloaming-review-shades-of-twin-peaks-in-fog-swamped-drama) Mel Campbell of ScreenHub gave it 3.5 stars, placing the series in the tradition portraying Tasmania as Australia's gothic heartland.[17](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/tv-the-gloaming-259487-1427512/) On IMDb the series holds a weighted 6.6/10 from about 3,000 users, with individual first-season episodes rated between 7.2 and 7.7.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/ratings/) The series received three AACTA Award nominations, including Best Telefeature or Mini Series.[6](https://cdn.showcast.com.au/actor-pdfs/27b774e8-0c72-495c-a5a1-cddb8771adea.pdf) • [18](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-gloaming/)\n\n## Tassie noir\n\nCommentators group *The Gloaming* with Madden's earlier series *The Kettering Incident* (2016) under the label \"Tassie noir,\" a Tasmanian variant of the noir crime genre inspired partly by Scandinavian noir. An academic study by Rebekah Brammer in the *Australian Journal of Popular Culture* examines Madden's two series against *Forbrydelsen* and *Bron | Broen*, arguing that Tasmania's climate and topography, its looming mountains, treacherous coastlines and cold, rainy weather, lend themselves to the gothic-noir style and to crime narratives set in remote or marginal places.[19](https://www.citedrive.com/en/discovery/from-scandi-noir-to-tassie-noir-victoria-maddens-adapting-auteurship-of-noir-in-australian-television/) Madden herself has said she wants to keep moving the noir style forward by bridging a strong crime story with other genres.[20](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-23/scandi-noir-to-tassie-noir-cold-dark-and-riveting/105060348)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Watch The Gloaming, Stan Originals](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming)\n2. [Gloaming, The series 1, Screen Australia](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/)\n3. [Starz Announces Exclusive Limited Series THE GLOAMING, Bell Media](https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/starz-announces-exclusive-limited-series-the-gloaming-with-official-trailer-and-key-art/)\n4. [The Gloaming, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_gloaming)\n5. [The Gloaming ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/ratings/)\n6. [AACTA Award nomination listing, Showcast](https://cdn.showcast.com.au/actor-pdfs/27b774e8-0c72-495c-a5a1-cddb8771adea.pdf)\n7. [The Gloaming ratings, Rating Graph](https://www.ratingraph.com/tv-shows/the-gloaming-ratings-70909)\n8. [The Gloaming, AACTA Telefeature or Mini Series Handbook](https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aacta-org-assets/Uploads/Telefeature-or-Mini-Series-Handbook2.pdf)\n9. [The Gloaming Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-gloaming)\n10. [Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie lead cast of THE GLOAMING, Screen Australia press release (1 April 2019)](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedia/a0a4e559-ba30-46b9-bad6-f841e436d284/mr-190401-Emma-Booth-and-Ewen-Leslie-lead-cast-of-The-Gloaming.PDF)\n11. [The Gloaming, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/)\n12. [The Gloaming, Blue Post](https://bluepost.com.au/work/the-gloaming/)\n13. [Production starts in Tasmania on The Gloaming, ScreenHub](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/company-announcements/production-starts-in-tasmania-on-the-gloaming-257658-1426344/)\n14. [Starz gets ready for The Gloaming, C21Media](https://www.c21media.net/news/starz-gets-ready-for-the-gloaming/)\n15. [The Gloaming, season 2 development funding, Screen Tasmania](https://www.screen.tas.gov.au/funding/approvals/april_2020/accordion2/the_gloaming%2C_season_2_8_x_50_minute_drama_series_%2425_000)\n16. [The Gloaming review, The Guardian (29 December 2019)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/dec/30/the-gloaming-review-shades-of-twin-peaks-in-fog-swamped-drama)\n17. [TV: The Gloaming, ScreenHub review by Mel Campbell](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/tv-the-gloaming-259487-1427512/)\n18. [The Gloaming Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-gloaming/)\n19. [From Scandi noir to Tassie noir: Victoria Madden's adapting auteurship of noir in Australian television, Rebekah Brammer](https://www.citedrive.com/en/discovery/from-scandi-noir-to-tassie-noir-victoria-maddens-adapting-auteurship-of-noir-in-australian-television/)\n20. [Inspired by Scandinavian TV, Tassie noir is cold, dark and riveting, ABC News (23 March 2025)](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-23/scandi-noir-to-tassie-noir-cold-dark-and-riveting/105060348)\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) › Science fiction, horror, and supernatural*\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/the-gloaming", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming.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": "\"The Gloaming\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Gloaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Gloaming\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-gloaming. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Gloaming is an eight-part Australian Tasmanian noir crime drama created by Victoria Madden, starring Emma Booth and Ewen Leslie, which premiered on Stan on 1 January 2020 and later aired on Starz." }