The Unlisted

The Unlisted

Company type	Television series
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2019
Founder	Justine Flynn (creator and showrunner)
Key people	Polly Staniford (producer), Angie Fielder (producer), Justine Flynn (executive producer), Libbie Doherty (executive producer), Carla De Jong (executive producer)
Products	Children's science fiction drama television series
Parent	Aquarius Films

The Unlisted is an Australian children's science fiction drama series that revolves around thirteen-year-old identical twins, Drupad and Kalpen Sharma. They become involved with a covert organization known as "The Unlisted" to prevent a dominant corporation from exerting worldwide control over young people through tracking devices that allow for remote influence.

The series was produced by Polly Staniford and Angie Fielder, with executive producers including Justine Flynn, Libbie Doherty, and Carla De Jong. Justine Flynn also served as the creator and showrunner. Direction was handled by Rhys Graham, Justine Flynn, Neil Sharma, Nicholas Verso, Lucy Gaffy, and Rebecca O’Brien. The writing team featured Mithila Gupta, Timothy Lee, Tristram Baumber, Chris Kunz, Greg Waters, Jane Allen, Rhys Graham, Nicholas Brown, and Natesha Somasundaram. This production is by Aquarius Films.

Netflix holds distribution rights internationally outside of Australia. As of May 2025, ABC Me has not announced whether the series will be renewed or canceled for a second season.

Premise

The narrative centers on thirteen-year-old identical twins who uncover a secret collaboration between a corporation and the government that implants electronic devices in Australian youth during routine dental check-ups as part of the Global Child Initiative Programme. These devices enable tracking and manipulation. After revealing the truth behind this scheme, the twins join an underground resistance group called 'The Unlisted' to halt the corporation’s efforts to control young people and build a controllable army for the richest elite.

Main

• Ved Rao portrays Kalpen "Kal" Sharma: a middle school student and twin brother to Drupad "Dru" Sharma. Kal inadvertently receives two implants after taking Dru’s place at a dental appointment, which grant him enhanced capabilities. Although not as intellectually gifted as Dru, Kal is athletic, tactical, courageous, and devoted. His character undergoes transformation as he becomes influenced by Infinity Group following implantation.
• Vrund Rao plays Drupad "Dru" Sharma: Kal’s clever twin who specializes in coding and decoding secret communications to locate other members of The Unlisted. Dru avoids implantation due to his fear of dental procedures and lacks enhanced powers but provides crucial expertise to the team.
• Miah Madden is Kymara Russell: a well-known gaming vlogger affiliated with The Unlisted. Her popularity often keeps her from direct involvement in missions; however, she plays an essential role in networking with other members such as Aaron.
• Abigail Adriano acts as Rose Aquino: an Asian member collaborating with the Sharma twins within The Unlisted to thwart the Global Child Initiative’s objectives.
• Nya Cofie portrays Jacob Annan: a soccer fan and member of The Unlisted who initially mistrusts the twins but eventually supports their mission after recovering from injury.
• Jean Hinchliffe plays Gemma Khouri: a compassionate girl raised on a farm who avoids implantation due to family responsibilities and supports The Unlisted’s cause.
• Zachary Wan is Jiao: an intelligent Chinese exchange student who conceals his implant by wearing it as a pendant to avoid detection. He allies himself with The Unlisted and stays with the Sharma family.
• Kate Box portrays Emma Ainsworth: the antagonist leading Infinity Group’s Australian division, managing both Infinity Group’s operations and the Global Child Initiative programme.

Recurring

• Saba Zaidi Abdi portrays Kal and Dru's dadi: the matriarch of the Sharma household, dedicated to preserving Indian customs.
• Avishma Lohith appears as Vidya Sharma: the elder sibling of Dru and Kal.
• Annabel Wolfe plays Regan Holcroft: a peer of the Sharma brothers who is also implanted.
• Aria Ferris acts as Chloe: a neighbour and friend who is implanted as well.
• Otis Dhanji features as Tim Hale: Kal Sharma’s friend and the first individual to reject implantation.
• Virginie Laverdure takes on the role of Anousha Sharma: mother to Dru and Kal.
• Nicholas Brown is Rahul Sharma: father and proprietor of a bakery.
• Zenia Starr embodies Dr. Maya Sharma: Kal and Dru’s bua (aunt).

Episodes

Season 1 (2019)

Episode NO.	Title	Airdate
1	Episode 1	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)
Dru dodges a dental appointment by persuading Kal to go instead. Unusual occurrences take place during the family's Diwali festivities.
2	Episode 2	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)
After failing a fitness challenge, Dru hacks into the school system and discovers a shocking secret.
3	Episode 3	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)
Dadi volunteers at the school; Kal struggles to hide his enhanced strength while Vidya becomes suspicious of her brothers' behavior.
4	Episode 4	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)
Dru and Kal team up with runaway youths who escaped from the Infinity Group amid a crisis that risks exposure.
5	Episode 5	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)
The discovery of a hidden tunnel forces the unlisted to flee, and the twins reconnect with a friend displaying unusual conduct.
6	Episode 6	15 September 2019 (2019-09-15)

Critical response

The inaugural season was met with largely favorable critiques, receiving commendations for its direction, brisk narrative flow, visual presentation, and thematic depth. Ruth Prarthana from Deccan Chronicle awarded The Unlisted a 4 out of 5 rating, highlighting that it "succeeds by delivering just 15 episodes that maintain a rapid pace without unnecessary melodrama." Ayize Everett of Common Sense Media characterized the Australian series as "relatively lighthearted and enjoyable, despite underlying hints of threat."

John Serba of Decider complimented the opening theme but pointed out issues with tonal inconsistency and acting quality, commenting, "Attempts at humor are largely ineffective, while the serious scenes suffer from rigid dialogue and performances."

Accolades

Year	Organization	Award Category	Nominee(s)	Outcome	Ref.
2019	AACTA Awards	Best Children's Television Series	The Unlisted	Template:Nom
		Best Original Music Score in Television	Diego Baldenweg Nora Baldenweg Lionel Baldenweg	Template:Nom
		Best Editing in Television	Mat Evans	Template:Nom
	Casting Guild of Australia	Achievement in Casting	Gemma Brown and Kirsty McGregor	Template:Won
2020	Australian Directors' Guild	Best Direction of a Children's TV or SVOD Drama Program	Rebecca O'Brien and Lucy Gaffy	Template:Nom
	International Youth Jury Prize	World's best fiction program for 11-15-year-olds	The Unlisted	Template:Won
	TBI Content Innovation Awards	Best Live Action Kids Programme	Aquarius Films	Template:Nom