Netflix is home to a host of great and not-so-great movies and television shows. While things like Orange Is The New Black, and Stranger Things get all the press, other shows slip by under the radar. Shows like Slasher, or Black Mirror offer up stories that are familiar, yet fresh. Since many “under the radar” shows aren’t produced by American companies, they tend to provide more intrigue and uniqueness in their approach to telling a story. One such show is Glitch, an Australian supernatural drama that premiered down under in 2015 but only recently appeared on Netflix.
Glitch follows the story of James Hayes (Patrick Brammall) a law enforcement officer in the fictional Australian town of Yoorana. James is called out to a cemetery in the middle of the night where he encounters six people rising from their graves. At first, small town James dismisses the naked and dirty people as drunks. But James quickly figures out they’re risen dead. James, along with Elisha McKellar (Genevieve O’Reilly), a doctor, hide five of the “risen” away while a sixth wanders around town. To make things even more complicated for James, one of the Risen is his late wife which creates a strange dynamic. James has re-married, and it’s to his former wife’s best friend. As CW-drama as that might sound, Glitch handles their story with a lot less melodrama. It’s heartbreaking but more because of the grim reality than manufactured love triangle conflicts.
From this starting point, Glitch is a six-episode slow-burn through a creepy mystery. And before you roll your eyes at another zombie story, the sixth undead in Glitch are not zombies. Each one of them has come back fully human and in perfect health. None of the Risen remember who they were or what happened to them. Episode-by-episode each character’s past is revealed. And by the end of the first episode, there’s a clear way that these undead can be laid to rest for good.
Glitch is a supernatural show without fancy makeup or effects. Glitch has no vampires or werewolves or anything like that. The series is less about the supernatural and more about the natural. It’s a drama dealing people who are haunted by the past. As the show’s star, Patrick Brammall says it:
“When someone you’ve already said goodbye to comes back in your life, what does it mean?”
The town of Yoorana itself surrounds the characters like a shroud. Its once-pristine structures are reminiscent of a time when the town had a purpose. But like the Risen, the town is now in a time and place that doesn’t need them.
Glitch premiered in Australia in 2015 and went on to win some of the countries top TV honors. Netflix premiered season one just this week and is set to co-produce season two, set for 2017. Glitch is creepy and unsettling at times, but also sad and thought-provoking. It’s well worth a watch if you love familiar stories with a bit of glitch that makes them unique.
