# Fake
**Fake** is an Australian drama television series in which magazine writer Birdie Bell, played by [Asher Keddie](https://www.edgepedia.org/asher-keddie), meets wealthy grazier (Australian term for a livestock farmer/rancher) Joe Burt, played by [David Wenham](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-wenham), on a dating app and falls into a relationship with a man who is not what he claims to be. Adapted by screenwriter Anya Beyersdorf from Stephanie Wood's memoir of the same name, the series comprises eight 40-minute episodes, was completed in 2024, and premiered on [Paramount+](https://www.edgepedia.org/paramount) on July 4, 2024.[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/releaseinfo/) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/04/fake-tv-show-review-paramount-cast-asher-keddie)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Australian drama/thriller series, 8 x 40-minute episodes, completed 2024[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/) |
| Source | Adapted from the memoir *Fake* by Fairfax writer Stephanie Wood[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/04/fake-tv-show-review-paramount-cast-asher-keddie) |
| Lead cast | Asher Keddie as Birdie Bell; David Wenham as Joe Burt; Heather Mitchell as Birdie's mother Margeaux[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01) |
| Creative team | Created by Anya Beyersdorf; directed by Emma Freeman, Jennifer Leacey, and Taylor Ferguson; produced by Emelyne Palmer and Imogen Banks[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/) |
| Premiere | July 4, 2024 on Paramount+ in Australia, France, and the United States; United Kingdom April 20, 2025[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/releaseinfo/) |
| Reception | 100% Tomatometer from 5 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes; IMDb rating 7.0/10 from about 2.3K users[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Birdie Bell is a Melbourne journalist and food writer in her fifties who meets Joe Burt, a property developer turned grazier, through a dating app. Their first date at an inner-city bar goes badly: Joe comes across as too loud, too forceful, and too pushy, and Birdie cuts the evening short. Encouraged by her mother Margeaux, who tells her she needs to be realistic about what is still out there, she agrees to a second meeting, and the relationship intensifies quickly. By the end of the first episode Birdie has melted when Joe says he loves her, while also realizing that his stories do not add up.[6](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/fake-paramount-review-lies-and-love-2645968/) • [7](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/fake-itv1-review-be-careful-what-you-wish)
The series is upfront about the deception from the start. Joe's voiceover in the first episode tells the audience that the sensible response to meeting him is to "turn around and run," and he reminisces that "you were on to me from the start." Screen Australia's synopsis describes the show as a story of deception, exploring "the illusions life lays out for us, through both the lies we are told and the lies we tell ourselves."[6](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/fake-paramount-review-lies-and-love-2645968/) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/04/fake-tv-show-review-paramount-cast-asher-keddie) • [1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/)
Across the eight episodes, Joe's account of himself never quite hangs together. He changes arrangements at the last moment because of unforeseen calamities, such as his son having an accident or his ex-wife having a medical "episode," and he sometimes turns up unannounced in the middle of the night. In the final episode Birdie decides to investigate Joe and, with Allan's help, discovers that his con was never about her.[7](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/fake-itv1-review-be-careful-what-you-wish) • [8](https://www.flicks.com.au/tv/fake/)
## Production
The series was written by Anya Beyersdorf, Jessica Tuckwell, and Hyun Lee, with Emma Freeman, Taylor Ferguson, and Jennifer Leacey directing and Emelyne Palmer and Imogen Banks producing. Cornel Wilczek and Alex Olijnyk composed the score, and Sky Davies was the director of photography.[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/)
## Release
Fake premiered on July 4, 2024, releasing on Paramount+ in Australia, France, and the United States on the same date. It reached Canada on January 16, 2025, and the United Kingdom on April 20, 2025; in Britain it aired on ITV1 on Saturday nights with all episodes available on ITVX.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/releaseinfo/) • [7](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/fake-itv1-review-be-careful-what-you-wish) In Australia it later screened on Channel 10 free-to-air television.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01)
## Reception
Critical response was strongly positive on a small review base. Rotten Tomatoes recorded a 100% Tomatometer from 5 reviews, with an audience score of 65% from fewer than 50 ratings.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01) Craig Mathieson of *The Age* gave it 4.5 out of 5 and called it "one of the best Australian dramas of the decade so far," an unflinching examination of deception's grip whether wielded by an imposter or delivered through flawed self-esteem. Anthony Morris of ScreenHub also rated it 4.5, writing that the story is as much an exploration of why Birdie kept seeing an obvious liar as a display of the unsettling dynamics between the couple. James Croot of *The Post* (NZ) compared it to the BBC thriller *Liar*, calling Fake more insidious and nuanced.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01)
Luke Buckmaster, reviewing for *The Guardian*, found the series slow to establish a compelling groove but praised the back half: he was hooked by the end of episode four and singled out a prolonged scene set in a car in episode five as one of the best and most visceral moments in Australian television that year. He judged Keddie's performance award-worthy and criticized the voiceover narration as the show's weakest element.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/04/fake-tv-show-review-paramount-cast-asher-keddie) Adam Sweeting of *The Arts Desk*, rating it 4, wrote that Keddie plays Birdie's insecurity with poignancy and great skill and that Wenham puts on a finely tuned display as Joe.[7](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/fake-itv1-review-be-careful-what-you-wish)
On IMDb the series holds a 7.0/10 rating from about 2.3K users, with the most ratings coming from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Russia. Episode ratings range from 6.9 for the first two episodes to 8.0 for episode five.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/ratings/)
## Awards
The series drew industry recognition in Australia. In 2024 Emma Freeman was nominated for Best Direction of a Drama Series Episode at the Australian Directors Guild Awards, and in 2025 the series was nominated for an AWGIE Award in the [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television), Limited Series category; Anya Beyersdorf was also nominated for Best Screenplay in Television for episode 1, "Lanolin."[1](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/)
## References
1. [Fake, Screen Australia Screen Guide](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/fake-41265/)
2. [Fake (TV Series 2024– ) - Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/releaseinfo/)
3. [Fake review – Asher Keddie thrills in visceral drama about a romance scammer, The Guardian (Luke Buckmaster, 3 July 2024)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/article/2024/jul/04/fake-tv-show-review-paramount-cast-asher-keddie)
4. [Fake: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/fake/s01)
5. [Fake (2024) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29120226/ratings/)
6. [Fake, Paramount+ review: lies and love, ScreenHub (Anthony Morris, 2 July 2024)](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/fake-paramount-review-lies-and-love-2645968/)
7. [Fake, ITV1 review - be careful what you wish for, The Arts Desk (Adam Sweeting, 4 May 2025)](https://www.theartsdesk.com/tv/fake-itv1-review-be-careful-what-you-wish)
8. [Fake: Limited Series, Flicks](https://www.flicks.com.au/tv/fake/)
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*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 › Psychological and domestic thrillers*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license