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Peacock Preview: FIVE BEDROOMS

Aug 06, 2020 Posted by in Features, Preview | Comments

Peacock continues to add some great international shows to its roster of programming, the latest of which is the Australian drama Five Bedrooms. The series originally aired in Australia on Network 10 last summer, but makes its debut stateside as a Peacock Original on August 13.

As the series opens, five 30-somethings meet at the singles table at a wedding, where an idea hatches. They talk about how all these folks with families can afford to live in these big houses while people like them are stuck in unfortunate living situations. And so, after several drinks, they decide it would be a great idea to join forces to purchase a five-bedroom house together. Lawyer Liz (Kat Stewart, Offspring) and construction guy Ben (Stephen Peacocke, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot) had already hit it off at the wedding. Closeted gay doctor Harry (Roy Joseph, Halim) was eager to get out of his overbearing mother’s house and away from the constant question of when he was going to find a wife. Ainsley (Katie Robertson, Rosehaven) thought sharing a house would be a great way to get closer to co-worker Lachlan (Hugh Sheridan, Packed to the Rafters)—whose marriage had been on the rocks—on whom she’s always had a secret crush. Heather (Doris Younane, Frayed), Ainsley’s current landlord and mother-like figure, had accidentally come up with this whole idea at the wedding, but disapproves of Lachlan as she has seen the way he has taken advantage of Ainsley over the years. Heather has been married for 25 years, with a stagnant husband, and 21- and 23-year-old sons who refuse to grow up and leave the house. So she’s also eager to get away.

As the group embarks on this new venture, they decide to put one rule in place, that there would be no hook-ups or romantic entanglements among the roommates—a rule that is quickly broken and causes many complicated and awkward situations. As they try to cohabitate, the strangers also learn just how little they know about one another, with many of them dropping some surprise revelations about their past to the others. This leads to some disputes and fights, but also ultimately brings these roommates closer, to support one another during their ups and downs. Will this unique social experiment be a success, or will it turn out to be a disaster for those involved?!

I binged through all 8 episodes of the season and really enjoyed them. I found the series to be quite engaging. Each episode is narrated by one of the roommates. The main story of the episode explores some obstacle or issue in that character’s life while also fleshing out their backstory. Meanwhile, there are also several other B-stories involving the other roommates. While the series starts off as more of a straightforward drama with some comedic moments, by the end of the season it really finds its comedic legs, and had me laughing out loud several times. The issues and storylines aren’t anything new or groundbreaking, but that didn’t matter as the series was able to make me like these characters and get invested in them right from the start. Over the course of the season, the characters and their relationships change quite a bit, but I found the series to be entertaining and engaging throughout.

As I watched this first season of Five Bedrooms, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another Aussie drama that I had seen nearly a 15 years ago, The Secret Life Of Us. That series followed the complicated and intertwined lives of a group of 20-somethings living in the same apartment complex, and had a similar type of tone and narration. I’m not sure if this is a common style for Australian dramas, but it is a very solid format that I quite enjoy.

At launch, all 8 hour-long episodes of the first season will be available to watch for Peacock Premium subscribers, while those with the basic free tier should be able to at least check out the first episode. The series has already picked up for a second season in Australia.