“Terrific… a perfectly imperfect hero whose company you’ll relish… with romance, exotic suspense and dry wit, Jack’s the whole package.” - TV Guide
“A highly enjoyable performance…the acting is splendid.” - USA Today
“Pearce shines as Irish.” - NPR’s Fresh Air
“Intelligent, hard-boiled thriller” —The Wall Street Journal
“Enormously engaging… (a) funny, sexy performance as a flawed hero” —The Washington Post
“This Australian noir could become the coolest show on television.” —Daily Record
“A little bit Philip Marlowe, a little bit Indiana Jones, the occasional dash of streetwise Cary Grant.” - Sydney Morning Herald
Silver Spring, MD – Featuring “the most robust, reliable selection of European, British, Canadian and Australian shows” (The New York Times), Acorn TV, North America’s largest streaming service specializing in British and international television, acquires exclusive North American digital and home video rights from DCD Rights for Season 2 of the critically-acclaimed noir mystery series Jack Irish.
In a new six-part thriller inspired by Peter Temple’s bestselling Jack Irish novels and produced by Easy Tiger Productions for ABC Australia and with the assistance of Film Victoria, popular film and Emmy-winning television star Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3, Memento, When We Rise, Mildred Pierce, The King’s Speech) returns to his Aussie roots as Jack Irish, former criminal lawyer, and part-time debt collector, with a penchant for getting wrapped up in things he shouldn’t. Jack Irish, Season 2 will make its exclusive . The new season follows Acorn TV’s premiere of Series 1 (2016) and three TV Movies (2012-2014). In Season 2, Jack stumbles into the world of manipulative Pharmaceutical companies, corrupt educational institutions aimed at international students and fatal clinical trials. The apparent suicide of a foreign student triggers a chain of events that will see Jack risking his life to uncover the truth.
Ian Collie Chief Executive at Easy Tiger Productions and producer of Jack Irish adds, “We are thrilled to see this new series of Jack Irish heading to the US and working with Acorn TV once again (Rake and The Heart Guy also available on Acorn TV). Guy and our team of outstanding Australian actors have done a great job in delivering the next chapter in this riveting and thrilling series which packs a punch from start to finish. We’re sure US audiences will enjoy travelling with Jack on his next adventure into the seamy-side of life: this time the world of Big Pharma.”
Filmed in Melbourne, Jack Irish, Season 2 is an Easy Tiger Production for ABC with the assistance of Film Victoria. Season 2 features returning favorites Marta Dusseldorp (A Place to Call Home, Janet King) as journalist Linda Hillier, Roy Billing as horse racing identity Harry Strang, Aaron Pedersen (A Place to Call Home) as Harry’s trusted off-sider Cam Delray, Shane Jacobson as old-school detective Barry Tregear, Kate Atkinson as IT-guru Simone, Damien Richardson as Jack’s former legal partner Drew, Damien Garvey as Stan, the Prince of Prussia publican, and the inimitable Fitzroy Youth Club, Terry Norris and John Flaus. The series has an all-star line-up of guests including Danielle Cormack (Rake, Wentworth), Tiarnie Coupland (Sunshine, Love Child), Jacek Koman (Jack Irish Series 1, Seven Types of Ambiguity), Leah Vandenberg (The Letdown, Sun shine) and Tom Gleeson (Hard Quiz, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering).
In Season 2, the bluebird of happiness has stopped warbling and Jack’s life has hit a new low. His body broken from too many beatings, Linda (Marta Dusseldorp) has left him, the racing world is in turmoil, his local the Prince of Prussia may never be the same again and Jack has returned to the law in the form of mundane conveyancing. That is, until he learns of foreign students at a disreputable private college dying in bizarre circumstances. His investigation leads him down a rabbit hole – and Linda to India – to unveil a corrupt and complicit government in bed with a homegrown global enterprise engaged in the literal pursuit of happiness and its very lucrative benefits.
The six-part series is once again produced by Ian Collie (Doctor Doctor – The Heart Guy in the US, Rake), Andrew Knight (Hacksaw Ridge, Rake), and Matt Cameron (Sunshine, Secret City, Molly) . It is written by 2017 Australian Writers’ Guild (AWGIE) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Andrew Knight, Matt Cameron and Andrew Anastasios (The Water Diviner, Wentworth) with Elise McCredie (Sunshine, Nowhere Boys) joining the team. Series directors are Mark Joffe (Jack Irish Series 1, The House of Hancock), Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, The Principal) and Fiona Banks (Wentworth, Mustangs).
This news follows Acorn TV’s recent commission announcements for the straight-to-series order of British drama London Kills Series 1 and 2 and Agatha Raisin, Series 2 starring Ashley Jensen as well as a co-production announcement for Aussie comedy Sando and the licensing of hit British police procedural No Offence. Acorn TV will feature ten Acorn TV Originals in 2018 plus more than 30 licensed premieres of first-rate international content. Read recent announcements at https://www.rljentertainment.com/press-room/
Called a “glorious streaming service… an essential must-have” (The Hollywood Reporter) and “Netflix for the Anglophile” (NPR), Acorn TV exclusively premieres several new international series and/or seasons every month from Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and other European countries with no commercials. A division of RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), Acorn TV offers a free trial and is the greatest value in streaming at only $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year.
Acorn TV currently features the exclusive U.S. premieres of universally adored BBC comedy Detectorists, Series 3; Kay Mellor’s ITV drama Girlfriends starring Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey),Miranda Richardson (Stronger, And Then There Were None), and Zoe Wanamaker (Agatha Christie’s Poirot); British school dramedy Ackley Bridge, Series 1; and British drama Delicious, Series 2. Coming soon, Acorn TV premieres Irish legal drama Striking Out, Series 2 starring IFTA winner for Best Drama Actress Amy Huberman; ITV’s heartwarming medical drama The Good Karma Hospital, Series 2; riveting documentary Interview with a Murderer (Apr. 9); and Paul Abbott’s outrageous British police procedural No Offence, Series 1 (Apr. 16). Upcoming Acorn TV Originals include fast-paced Wales thriller Keeping Faith starring Eve Myles (Torchwood, Broadchurch, Victoria), international crime drama Straight Forward, and the return of Ashley Jensen in Agatha Raisin, Series 2, among others.
Website:Acorn.TV
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About RLJ Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premium digital channel company serving distinct audiences primarily through its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and UMC (Urban Movie Channel), which have rapidly grown through development, acquisition, and distribution of its exclusive rights to a large library of international and British dramas, independent feature films and urban content. RLJE’s titles are also distributed in multiple formats including broadcast and pay television, theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-ray, and a variety of digital distribution models (including EST, VOD, SVOD and AVOD) in North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Additionally, through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE co-produces and develops new programs and owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited. For more information, please visit RLJEntertainment.com, Acorn.tv, and UMC.tv.
Acorn TV Press Contact: Chad Campbell, ccampbell@acorn.tv
