| Genre: | Drama |
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| Starring: | |
| Country: | Australia |
| Language: | English |
| Num Series: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 18 |
| Executive Producer: |
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| Editor: |
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| Location: | |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes |
| Network: | Fox Showcase |
| Company: |
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| Composer: | Rafael May |
| Last Aired: | present |
| Related: | De Twaalf |
The Twelve is an Australian television drama series on Fox Showcase that premiered on 21 June 2022. It stars Kate Mulvany, Sam Neill, Marta Dusseldorp, and Brendan Cowell. The second series aired on 11 July 2024, and in September 2024 the series was renewed for a third season.
The Twelve was based on the 2019 Belgian miniseries De twaalf created by Sanne Nuyens and Bert Van Dael.[1] It follows the story of Kate Lawson, who is on trial for the alleged murder of her niece and how the twelve jurors bring their personal lives and prejudices to the courtroom.[2]
The second series focuses on Bernice Price (Kris McQuade) who was found dead on the Price property. On trial her daughter Sasha and farmhand Patrick, the tight-knit community must put aside past encounters to find out if they are guilty of her murder.[3]
The series is produced by Ian Collie, Rob Gibson, and Ally Henville, with executive producers Michael Brooks, Hamish Lewis, and Liz Watts.[5]
For the second series, production moved away from Sydney to Western Australia. Production of the third season remains in Western Australia.
The first series premiered in June 2022.
The second series aired on 11 July 2024.[6]
In September 2024 the series was renewed for a third season.[7]
Reviews for The Twelve were generally positive. Prior to its premiere, David Knox of website, TV Tonight, rated the series at four out of five stars and praised both the adaptation and its cast, stating that "The Twelve has been entirely adapted for Australian audiences -and the results are quite fabulous."[8] In a review from Wenlei Ma from news.com.au, she highly praised the production, commenting, "The performances and the writing are solid, the premise is compelling and the series itself has a lot of promise."[9] Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald gave the series three and a half stars, comparing the adaptation to the original Belgian series.[10]
The series received a mixed reception in the UK. Rebecca Nicholson of The Guardian rated the series at 2 out of 5 stars, praising Sam Neill and Kate Mulvany's performances, but was highly critical of the show's storyline, commenting that "there is a sense of several soapy subplots bumping against each other, but never really gelling. You are left wanting to get back to the murder, which is the most straightforward part of the story. There is little in the did-she-do-it debate that sets it apart. The 12 aren’t really the focus here, then, and even actors as seasoned as Neill and Mulvany struggle to lift it beyond the realms of a functional thriller."[11] In a review for the Evening Standard, Vicky Jessop give it 3 out of 5 stars, stating that "it’s fascinating stuff, in theory, but never gets enough time to breathe." She goes on to say "you can’t blame the show’s makers for wanting to spice up the court drama formula a little: we get so many that it can be hard to make them stand out, and this is a worthy attempt. But The Twelve ultimately fails to stick the landing. Crime lovers will find plenty to intrigue them; for the casual viewer, the jury’s very much out."[12]
On average, the series had a viewership of 58,000, and ranked at #3.
| Year | Association | Category | Recipient | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards | Best Lead Actress in a Television Drama | Kate Mulvaney | |||
| Best Lead Actor in a Television Drama | Sam Neill | ||||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actress in a Television Drama | Brooke Satchwell | ||||
| Best Guest or Supporting Actor in a Television Drama | Brendan Cowell | ||||
| Best Costume Design in Television | Xanthe Huebel | ||||
| Best Direction in Drama or Comedy | Daniel Nettheim | ||||
| Best Editing in Television | Mark Perry | ||||
| Best Screenplay in Television | Sarah Walker | ||||
| Best Casting Presented by Casting Networks | Kirsty McGregor | ||||
| Best Miniseries or Telefeature |
| ||||
| AACTA Audience Choice Awards | Best Actor | Hazem Shammas | |||
| Australian Directors' Guild Awards | Best Direction in a TV or SVOD Drama Series Episode | Sian Davies | |||
| Screen Music Awards | Best Music for a Mini-Series or Telemovie | Rafael May | |||
| 2023 | TV Tonight Awards | Best New Show (Aussie) | The Twelve | ||
| Logie Awards | Most Popular Actor | Sam Neill | |||
| Most Outstanding Actor | Sam Neill | ||||
| Most Outstanding Actress | Kate Mulvany | ||||
| Most Outstanding Actress | Marta Dusseldorp | ||||
| Most Outstanding Supporting Actor | Hamish Michael | ||||
| Most Outstanding Supporting Actress | Brooke Satchwell | ||||
| Most Outstanding Supporting Actress | Pallavi Sharda | ||||
| Most Popular Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie | The Twelve | ||||
| Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie | The Twelve |