Tonight the Cleverman world is back on SundanceTV for a thrilling Season 2 with new characters and an even more nightmarish setting for those living in a world that sees them as not human.
Our exclusive clip below shows a chilling mass-televised state mandate speech given by The Minister for Human Safety, Marion Frith (Rachel Blake), imposing a curfew and crackdown to kill the “sub-humans”.
Billionaire Slade (Iain Glen) is also shown shooting up with a mysterious green performance drug to bolster his strength.
Declaring a state of emergency, Firth says: “This government will spare no effort to protect you and to protect our way of life.
“We get to say who lives here, and who doesn’t. And with your help, we will prevail. Thank you and God bless.”
As Slade is trying to doctor himself, Koen (the titular Cleverman) is quietly blending into the public crowd mesmerized by Firth’s speech. The increasingly over-militarized setting now makes saving his people all the more difficult.
A futurist dystopian nightmare, Cleverman weaves memorable and powerful characters from ancient Aboriginal mythology, the Hairy people, who must navigate a hellish new world filled with hostile people who only want to eradicate them.
The six-episode second season picks up with the destruction of the Zone and sees the Hairypeople in hiding to avoid complete decimation. We learn that Koen’s brother Waruu (Rob Collins) is also second guessing his alliance with Slade.
Peabody Award nominated Cleverman boasts a high production value with textural storytelling that dips into the sci-fi, dramatic and thriller genres with its resonating storylines of modern-day oppressive moral and political conflicts.
Koen (Hunter Page-Lochard), the chosen Cleverman, sets out to bring all cultures together. His half-brother Waruu shares the end game ideas, but with a different unsavory method.
For Koen to succeed, he must beat Waruu and the hyper-weaponized forces and racist rhetoric from his own Government.
This six-episode season promises even more complex plotlines and the introduction of Jarli the Bindawu warrior (Clarence Ryan), all designed to deliver another quick-paced, visceral, and thought-provoking ride.
The series is based on an original story by Ryan Griffen, and the cast also includes Frances O’Connor and Deborah Mailman.
New Zealand’s Weta Workshop designed and created the creatures and effects. Wayne Blair and Leah Purcell return as the series’ directors.
Cleverman premieres tonight, Wednesday, June 28 at 10/9c on SundanceTV in the U.S. and Thursday, June 29, at 9:30pm on ABC TV in Australia.