Stan is good at keeping secrets.

At its 2018 showcase event, the streaming service announced a slate of original television series. Among the new arrivals was Bloom, pitched as a six-part supernatural drama set in a country town. The premise was enough to create intrigue, as well as excitement that Stan is continuing to invest in original series in Australia.

Little did we know that Stan was eyeing two-time Oscar nominee Jackie Weaver to star.

The presence of Weaver – who balances the call of Hollywood and home – tells you everything you need to know about Bloom and its place in the current Australian television landscape. We’ve binged on quality television from all around the world and Australia has done its best to keep up. Now it’s time for us to take centre stage with the likes of Bloom.

A Gothic Fairy Tale In Our Own Backyard

Bloom comes from creator Glen Doleman (Hawke, High Life), who describes the series as “a gothic fairytale about the scarcity of time and the choices we make.

“We all like to think that we have a degree of control over our lives and fates. This notion is then shattered if we’ve ever experienced a natural disaster or freak accident,” Doleman said in a media release.

In Bloom, the disaster in question is a horrific flood that kills five people. The series picks up one year after the flood and focuses on a small town community dealing with the aftermath. Soon, a mysterious plant begins to appear and the effect it has on the townspeople makes them re-evaluate their lives.

“We starkly realise that our lives can be instantly and randomly taken from us,” Doleman says. “While it may feel like a betrayal by nature (such as with our freak flood), it’s the ‘deal’ we all have to accept. Life is fleeting and arbitrary. But it’s also why it’s meaningful.”

Bloom gets into mystical territory as the plant’s powers impact the town, but Doleman says the heart of the series is in the “intimate, domestic, human moments”.

Doleman adds, “It’s about the awe and weirdness of seeing the love of your life young once again. It’s about what you might do if you suddenly rejuvenated and what your deepest regrets might be.

“We want our audience to be pondering these questions and arriving at their own answers.”

Stacked With Australian Talent

Helping to bring the series to life is film director John Curran, known for Tracks, Chappaquiddick and Praise. The stunning look of Bloom is thanks to cinematographer Geoff Hall, who shot the iconic Australian films Red Dog and Chopper. Bloom is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s powerhouse production company Playmaker, the folks behind The Code, Love Child and Bite Club. With so much talent working behind the scenes, prepare to be spoilt by the cast filling out the roles of the townspeople in Bloom.

Joining Weaver are rising Australian actors Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals, Safe Harbour, The Vampire Diaries, The Affair), Ryan Corr (Holding the Man, Hacksaw Ridge), Daniel Henshaw (Okja, The Babadook, Snowtown), and Sam Reid (’71, The Railway Man).

Bookending the series is an Australian legend, Bryan Brown, who shares the screen with Weaver, and it’s a delight to see two titans of the Australian entertainment industry working together.

Bloom assembles an incredible amount of Australian talent at a time when we’re spoilt for choice, especially when it comes to anything with a cryptic premise. For too long, we’ve binged the best from overseas, but now it’s time to be proud of a show made locally.

Shot on location in Victoria, Bloom is an example of how Australia can and does compete in an era of high-quality television. The rural setting gives the series a haunting aesthetic that enhances the mystery while leaning on the authenticity of a small Australian town.

“The calibre of cast, production team and crew making this original new series is a true showcase of Victoria’s incredible creative capability and recognises once again our position as the leader in high end television drama production in Australia,” Film Victoria CEO, Caroline Pitcher, said in a media release.

Dinner-Party Ready

Bloom is set to become one of the most-talked-about television series of 2019, which is why you’re going to want to get started as soon as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.

We’re not saying you need to cancel your party plans, but you’ll want to binge all six episodes as soon as possible to avoid having to block your years when your mates start theorising about it during your next catch up.

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(Images courtesy of Stan Australia)

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Don’t miss the gripping new Stan Original drama series Bloom, premieres New Year’s Day – only on Stan. Watch the trailer now.