Danger 5
| Company type | Television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | February 27, 2012 |
| Founder | Dario Russo, David Ashby |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia, United States, New Zealand, United Kingdom |
| Products | Television series, audio series |
Danger 5 is an Australian action and surreal comedy television program that debuted on SBS One on 27 February 2012. Developed by Dario Russo and David Ashby, this series draws inspiration from men's adventure fiction and is set in a deliberately campy 1960s-themed vision of World War II. It chronicles the exploits of five international secret agents assigned to assassinate Adolf Hitler and prevent his plans for global conquest. The show's second season, which began airing on SBS 2 from 4 January 2015, takes place in an equally eccentric 1982 setting, with Hitler surviving the war and returning as the antagonist.
Development
After the web series Italian Spiderman, produced by Alrugo Entertainment (including Russo, Ashby, Tait Wilson, Will Spartalis, Boris Repasky), gained popularity, Australian broadcaster SBS showed interest in transforming it into a short-format television show. However, due to complications involving rights and ownership, this adaptation did not proceed. Subsequently, in 2009, SBS offered Russo and Ashby a development contract for a new project. They proposed three ideas and ultimately selected Danger 5, the most ambitious and intricate concept among their submissions.
Broadcast
Prior to its television debut in Australia, a prologue web series titled Danger 5: The Diamond Girls was released weekly on YouTube during November and December 2011. The main series premiered on SBS One on 27 February 2012.
On 11 September 2014, the production team announced a postponement of the second season caused by unforeseen global events, including activities involving ISIS. On the same day, they unveiled the trailer for the upcoming season. The second installment started broadcasting on SBS 2 from 4 January 2015.
Setting and style
Set against the backdrop of World War II with a stylistic nod to classic spy television shows, Danger 5 follows Allied operatives tasked with disrupting bizarre plots orchestrated by Adolf Hitler. Each episode features historically inaccurate Axis characters executing wildly imaginative schemes such as stealing famous landmarks or reviving prehistoric creatures.
The show parodies outdated production techniques through deliberately obvious studio backdrops, intentionally low-quality model effects, and exaggerated stereotypes. Characters frequently respond to grim circumstances with comedic detachment, while stock footage is reused throughout episodes.
The surreal comedic tone emerges from characters accepting their illogical environment with complete seriousness and without question.
Cast and characters
| Actor | Character | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
| David Ashby | Jackson | Main | |
| Nataša Ristić | Ilsa | Main | |
| Sean James Murphy | Tucker | Main | |
| Amanda Simons (voice: Michelle Nightingale) | Claire | Main | |
| Tilman Vogler | Colonel Chestbridge | Main | 3 episodes |
| Aldo Mignone | Pierre | Main | 1 episode |
| Pacharo Mzembe | Main | ||
| Elizabeth Hay | Holly | Main | |
| Fumito Arai | McKenzie | Main | |
| Actor | Character | Series | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | ||
| Carmine Russo (voice: Andreas Sobik) | Adolf Hitler | Main | |
| Robert Tompkins | Josef Mengele | 1 episode | 1 episode |
| Brendan Rock | Erwin Rommel/Desert Fox | 1 episode | 1 episode |
| Paul Muscat | Emperor Hirohito | 1 episode | |
Danger 5
This group of five Allied agents, led by Colonel Chestbridge, undertakes unusual assignments, including the assassination of Hitler. They are expertly trained, ruthless in execution, and habitually indulge in alcohol and cigarettes even while on duty.
Jackson
Jackson (David Ashby) is a patriotic American with a macho persona, known for deserting the team to prevent Hitler from stealing the Statue of Liberty. His self-centered and pleasure-seeking approach frequently causes tension with Tucker. He secretly admires Ilsa and is an avid reader of Real Man Magazine.
Ilsa
Ilsa (Nataša Ristić), a Russian operative, communicates exclusively in Russian, with subtitles provided for viewers. She leverages her sexuality as a tactical advantage during missions and remains indifferent to Jackson’s affections. Formerly married to Erwin Rommel, she defies the emotionally stoic Russian stereotype depicted throughout the series.
Tucker
Tucker is a rigid Australian whose conservative demeanor contrasts with his teammates’ distractions. An enthusiast of Sensible Chuckle magazine, he is devoted to Claire, who rescues him from transformation into a Japanese robot-man. Despite his prim image, he partakes in drinking and smoking alongside the others. At the start of the second season, they plan to wed until Claire is murdered by Hitler. Tucker’s grief leads to clumsy attempts at revenge; he is haunted by flashbacks and carries Claire’s severed head.
Claire
A Cambridge-educated Englishwoman, Claire often feels uneasy about Ilsa and Jackson’s overt sexuality and initially distances herself from Tucker’s reserved nature. She is the team’s most intelligent and capable member but faces neglect and condescension from Colonel Chestbridge, underscoring the show’s critique of sexism. Though engaged to Tucker, she is killed on their wedding day.
Pierre
Pierre’s European background is ambiguous; he is known for mixing cocktails for the team and is frequently involved in running gags about his mysterious past. He often runs into former acquaintances who die shortly after sharing “perfect” cocktail recipes with him. As the team’s most laid-back member, Pierre acts as a mediator between the assertive Jackson and Ilsa and the more conservative Tucker and Claire. Unlike his oblivious teammates, Pierre occasionally shows genuine emotional responses to the numerous deaths encountered during missions.
In the second season, Pierre is played by Pacharo Mzembe, with no explanation provided for this casting change—even during time-travel scenes featuring interactions with his previous self. Between seasons one and two, he rises to international fame as a musician, surpassing Johnny Hitler as Christmas King. In "Un Sacco Di Natale," he identifies as Catholic when confronting Nazis disguised as priests.
Kilroy
Kilroy appears suddenly in the first season finale as a cel-animated anthropomorphic dog; his cartoonish existence goes unmentioned within the show. He speaks using surfer slang until Hitler fatally shoots him midway through the episode. Before dying, Kilroy shares a cocktail recipe with Pierre and then disappears from subsequent episodes.
Colonel Chestbridge
Serving as the team’s commanding officer, he assigns missions that invariably conclude with orders to "kill Hitler." Notably, he possesses a bird’s head—a detail neither explained nor acknowledged by anyone. His frustration with Claire grows over repeated mission failures throughout season one, climaxing in him brandishing a shotgun during a briefing. Retired at the beginning of season two, he becomes a target of Hitler and is ultimately killed.
Series 1 (2012)
Broadcast dates on SBS One, Australia.
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Series 2 (2015)
The second series debuted on 4 January 2015.
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Legacy
Danger 5 can be streamed on Netflix across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In 2020, the franchise expanded into audio entertainment with a new series of stories featuring the original cast released on Audible.