Operation Buffalo (TV series)

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]

Operation Buffalo
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's official poster for the ABC TV production, 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
Release
Original networkABC
Picture format720p HDTV
Original release31 May 2020 (2020-05-31)

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. Major Leo Carmichael, an Australian Army engineer and World War II hero, has to keep the secret military base functioning smoothly. His job of testing the most dangerous weapon in the world is made no easy task, with his absent-minded General, “Cranky” Crankford, new meteorologist Dr Eva Lloyd-George, who starts asking questions, and the federal government and press watching his every move. Despite the land being deemed 'uninhabited', Leo is faced with the arrival of a family of Aboriginal Australians who are curious about the giant clouds that explode occasionally.[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 is filmed 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. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  2. Knox, David (31 July 2019). "Cast revealed for ABC miniseries Fallout". TV Tonight. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. "Dark clouds in the desert – Who's who in Maralinga?". TV Soap. No. 13. 22 June 2020. pp. 42–43.
  4. Buckmaster, Luke (31 May 2020). "Operation Buffalo review – Maralinga nuclear testing rendered as part-drama, part-farce". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. Morris, Anthony (29 May 2020). "TV Review: Operation Buffalo – a darkly comedic take on dubious historical moment". ArtsHub Australia. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. "Operation Buffalo – Listings". Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  7. Knox, David (12 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 31 May 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  8. Knox, David (19 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 7 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  9. Knox, David (26 June 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 14 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  10. Knox, David (3 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 21 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  11. Knox, David (10 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 28 June 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  12. Knox, David (17 July 2020). "Timeshifted: Sunday 5 July 2020". tvtonight.com.au. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  13. Knox, David (7 September 2019). "Cast revealed for ABC miniseries Fallout". TV Tonight. 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.
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