Watch The First Trailer For ‘Cleverman’, ABC’s New Show About An Indigenous Superhero

When most people think of Australian TV, a variety of familiar images spring to mind. Alf Stewart yelling at someone in a freshly-ironed shirt from Lowes. People crying over a poorly-made lasagne that reminds them of their mums. Maybe even some chaotic visions of Grant Denyer/Eddie McGuire/Rove grinning around neon lights like a tiny Cheshire Cat. Please prepare for something vastly different, and infinitely more enjoyable.

After premiering earlier this year to much hype at the Berlin International Film Festival, Cleverman has just dropped its first official trailer. The new series from the ABC sees Australia transformed into a dystopic society in which people are segregated from “Hairys”, a group classified as “subhumans” and played exclusively by Indigenous people. With Indigenous actors comprising a groundbreaking 80 percent of the cast, Cleverman goes to fantastical lengths to skewer Australian racism, xenophobia and colonial cruelty. It looks GREAT.

It’s likely a few of those faces looked familiar to you too. Cleverman features Iain Glen (Jorah from Game of Thrones) as well as a number of high-profile Indigenous Australians such as Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell (who at one point kicks some racist jerks’ asses on a Sydney bus), Briggs, and Uncle Jack Charles (who was last night refused a taxi in Melbourne on what he claims were discriminatory grounds; this happened late last year as well, just moments after he was named Victorian Senior Australian of the Year). 

Though the series draws heavily from Indigenous culture and is obviously uniquely entrenched in Australia’s political and cultural climate, it’s also garnering significant attention overseas. The series will air on Sundance TV in the US at the same time as its premiere on ABC and ABC iView at 9.30pm on June 2.

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RELATED:  Seven Things You’ll Be Talking About This Year, From The Berlin International Film Festival.