Operation Buffalo (TV series)

Operation Buffalo
GenreDramedy
Written by
Directed byPeter Duncan
ComposerAntony Partos
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerPeter Duncan
Producers
  • Vincent Sheehan
  • Tanya Phegan
EditorMark Perry
Camera setupMartin McGrath
Running time60 minutes
Production companyPorchlight Films
Original release
NetworkABC
Release31 May 2020 (2020-05-31)

Operation Buffalo is an Australian television comedy-drama series written and directed by Peter Duncan that screened on ABC TV from 31 May 2020.[1]

Synopsis

The series is inspired by true events of British nuclear bomb tests in the 1950s at remote Maralinga, in outback South Australia, specifically the four tests codenamed Operation Buffalo. It follows Major Leo Carmichael as he deals with various pressures and problems during nuclear weapons testing.[2]

Cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [6]Australia viewers
1"Episode 1"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan31 May 2020 (2020-05-31)688,000[7]
2"Episode 2"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan7 June 2020 (2020-06-07)595,000[8]
3"Episode 3"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan14 June 2020 (2020-06-14)608,000[9]
4"Episode 4"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan21 June 2020 (2020-06-21)591,000[10]
5"Episode 5"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan28 June 2020 (2020-06-28)573,000[11]
6"Episode 6"Peter DuncanPeter Duncan5 July 2020 (2020-07-05)593,000[12]

Production

The six-part series was filmed in New South Wales with additional filming for desert locations in South Australia. French distributor and production company APC Studios helped fund the project and provided worldwide distribution.[13]

Critical reception

The series received mixed reviews, attaining a score of 5.0 on IMDb.[14] Luke Buckmaster from The Guardian gave the series three stars out of five and described the series as, "much more fickle: sometimes funny as a comedy, sometimes effective as a drama, but rarely satisfying as a combination of both".[4] Wenlei Ma from News.com.au thought much better of the series, writing: "as much as sombre images of death and destruction can evoke emotional reactions, nothing hits the point as hard as the glaring judgment of satire done well – which is exactly what Operation Buffalo is".[15]

References

  1. ^ Knox, David (1 May 2020). "Airdate: Operation Buffalo". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. ^ Knox, David (31 July 2019). "Cast revealed for ABC miniseries Fallout". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Dark clouds in the desert – Who's who in Maralinga?". TV Soap. No. 13. 22 June 2020. pp. 42–43.
  4. ^ a b Buckmaster, Luke (31 May 2020). "Operation Buffalo review – Maralinga nuclear testing rendered as part-drama, part-farce". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. ^ Morris, Anthony (29 May 2020). "TV Review: Operation Buffalo – a darkly comedic take on dubious historical moment". ArtsHub Australia. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Operation Buffalo – Listings". Australian Television Information Archive. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. ^ Knox, David (12 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 31 May 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  8. ^ Knox, David (19 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 7 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. ^ Knox, David (26 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 14 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. ^ Knox, David (3 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 21 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 3 July 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  11. ^ Knox, David (10 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 28 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 July 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. ^ Knox, David (17 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 5 July 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. ^ Knox, David (7 September 2019). "Cast revealed for ABC miniseries Fallout". TV Tonight. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  14. ^ Operation Buffalo at IMDb
  15. ^ "Operation Buffalo will make you want to laugh and retch at the same time". News.com.au. 31 May 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.