Tags: blog, tv, comedy, drama, essential, 2026
Author: KickingK
Date: Saturday April 11th, 2026
CSI: Outback
AAAaaand we're back. Well, not back. This series isn't actually set in the town of Deadloch as the gang get their show on the road. A road which ends up in the outback of Darwin, Barra Creek.
It's a pretty bold move, to throw out your main character, because as engaging as Dolcie and Eddie were, Deadloch was the star of the first series.
Sadly, Barra Creek, whilst being populated with a full cast of colourful characters, can't match up. It's not the perfectly drawn microcosm of society that the town of Deadloch was. The jokes mostly stay in the Australian outback, rather than reverberating out into the wider world. There's nothing as epic as the Man-Bus from the first series.
But that's pretty much where the negatives end. The show's creators, the two Kate's, have clearly learnt from the first series. This one is tighter, it gets going faster, flags less in the middle and lands some nasty punches at the end.
Is it still funny? Oh by Christ yes, relentlessly so. The Kate's can write. Every line of dialogue works because it comes from a place of knowing the characters and their situation.
This season really digs into the psychology of Dolcie and Eddie and puts their relationship under greater pressure and scrutiny. What it loses in social commentary, it makes up for with care for it's characters. The late revelation as to why Eddie is being so evasive is perfect, which is exactly why it's so howlingly funny. Pain is comedy and the Kate's know exactly where to stick the knife. And then to give it a damn good twist.
The ending loops back to the start of the first series and ends by answering the question as to what you do when all the cops really are bastards. I'm not sure where Dolcie and Eddie, or even Abbie and Leo, go from here. This could be the end or the start of something new. But what ever Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan come up with next is sure to be very dark and very, very funny.
