# The Gloaming
*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/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 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/) |
| Premiere | 1 January 2020, all episodes on Stan (Australia)[1](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming) |
| 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/) |
| 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/) |
| 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/) |
| 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/) |
| 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) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The 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)
Screen 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)
The 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)
## Cast and production
**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/)
**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/)
**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/)
## Release and distribution
All 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)
## Reception
Critical 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/)
## Tassie noir
Commentators 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)
## References
1. [Watch The Gloaming, Stan Originals](https://www.stan.com.au/watch/the-gloaming)
2. [Gloaming, The series 1, Screen Australia](https://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/screen-guide/gloaming-the-series-1-35737/)
3. [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/)
4. [The Gloaming, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_gloaming)
5. [The Gloaming ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/ratings/)
6. [AACTA Award nomination listing, Showcast](https://cdn.showcast.com.au/actor-pdfs/27b774e8-0c72-495c-a5a1-cddb8771adea.pdf)
7. [The Gloaming ratings, Rating Graph](https://www.ratingraph.com/tv-shows/the-gloaming-ratings-70909)
8. [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)
9. [The Gloaming Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-gloaming)
10. [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)
11. [The Gloaming, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8610212/)
12. [The Gloaming, Blue Post](https://bluepost.com.au/work/the-gloaming/)
13. [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/)
14. [Starz gets ready for The Gloaming, C21Media](https://www.c21media.net/news/starz-gets-ready-for-the-gloaming/)
15. [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)
16. [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)
17. [TV: The Gloaming, ScreenHub review by Mel Campbell](https://www.screenhub.com.au/news/reviews/tv-the-gloaming-259487-1427512/)
18. [The Gloaming Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-gloaming/)
19. [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/)
20. [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)
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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) › Science fiction, horror, and supernatural*
*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