There are two versions of 'Rake' in Toobworld; my American readers probably know about the show on Fox, even if they're not watching it. (Apparently, not many people are.) But it was originally a series in Australia starring Richard Roxburgh as dissolute defense attorney Cleaver Greene. Keegan Deane is the Los Angeles-based lawyer played by Greg Kinnear.
Both attorneys have the same messed-up lives. In fact, we can go stronger - they both have bleeped-up lives. Both of them are gambling addicts; they have problems with booze; divorced, they both coached their sons about sleeping with their teachers..... Basically, their lives are pretty much rock-bottom. The only thing keeping them from being bumped off by their bookies is that the bookies' enforcers find them both just so likeable.
They also have the same type of pond-scum clients - cannibals, serial killers, and bigamists. I may be wrong in this, but apart from their names, about the only thing that separates Greene from Deane is that the defense attorney from Down Under has slept with his best friend's wife. Keegan, as far as I know, has not sunk that far.
A lot of similarities between the two, perhaps even enough so that the American remake should have been shipped off to its appropriate TV dimension. (Land O' Remakes)
But I'm leaving them both in Earth Prime-Time. The name changes certainly help (a reason why the American 'Shameless' had to go), and lawyers on the skids probably find themselves with clients who like to eat human flesh quite often.
You can judge for yourself though, and then get back to me if you think the shows are much too similar to co-exist. On March 1st, Netflix began streaming the first two seasons of the Australian 'Rake'. As for its third season, that will show up on DirecTV's Audience Network in April.
As for the American version of 'Rake'?
It'll be lucky to reach the finish line on its first season, I'm afraid.....
BCnU!
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