Underbelly: Badness

Underbelly: Badness

Company type	Television series season
Industry	Television
Founded	2012
Headquarters	Sydney , Australia
Products	Crime drama television series

Underbelly: Badness, the fifth installment of the Nine Network crime drama Underbelly, was broadcast from 13 August to 1 October 2012. This eight-episode series portrays true events that unfolded in Sydney between 2001 and 2012. Production commenced in early 2012, with principal photography beginning mid-year. A promotional teaser introduced the main cast, while Caroline Craig reprised her role as narrator for the fifth consecutive time. Significantly, this season featured only eight episodes, a departure from the usual thirteen.

Premise

This series centers on the criminal activities of Australian kidnapper, murderer, and drug trafficker Anthony Perish ("Rooster") operating in Sydney’s Lindfield region. It narrates how the New South Wales Police's 'Strike Force Tuno' ultimately captured him after nearly ten years of surveillance and intelligence gathered from informants.

The apprehension of Anthony "Rooster" Perish is attributed to the relentless efforts of Det. Insp. Gary Jubelin. The storyline delves into a wide range of crimes including homicide, kidnapping, firearms offenses, and drug distribution orchestrated by Perish, his brother Andrew, their associates, and several Australian outlaw motorcycle gangs.

Main cast

• Matt Nable portrays Detective Gary Jubelin, leader of Strike Force Tuno
• Jonathan LaPaglia plays Anthony Perish, a merciless underworld figure and murderer of Terry Falconer
• Ben Winspear as Detective Tim Browne, deputy head of Strike Force Tuno
• Josh Quong Tart as Andrew 'Undies' Perish, Anthony’s sibling
• Jason Montgomery as Brett 'Decker' Simpson, Anthony's enforcer and assassin
• Ella Scott Lynch as Senior Constable Camille Alavoine, police analyst for Strike Force Tuno
• Justin Smith as Matthew 'Muzz' Lawton, Anthony’s chief lieutenant
• Aaron Jeffery as Frank 'Tink' O'Rourke, informant for Strike Force Tuno

Recurring and guest cast

• Goran D. Kleut as Jasper Pengilly, leader of the Living Dead Motorcycle Club
• Jodi Gordon as Kylie Keogh, police media liaison supporting Strike Force Tuno
• P.J. Lane as Michael Christiansen, steroid-using associate connected to Decker
• Leeanna Walsman as Detective Pam Young
• Steven Vidler as Police Commander Howard
• Luke Bovino as Vito Russo, Decker's associate
• Geordie Robinson as Craig 'Schiz' Bottin, drug manufacturer allied with Decker
• Sophie Webb as Lauren Perish, spouse of Andrew Perish
• Hollie Andrew as Tracy Shepperd, psychologist and partner to Gary Jubelin
• Zara Michales as Pippa, girlfriend of Frank O'Rourke
• Luke Pegler as Detective Luke Rankin
• Abby Earl as Karina
• Tiriel Mora as Australian Taxation Office Officer

Production

Filming for the fifth chapter of the Underbelly saga began in Sydney on 17 April 2012. Underbelly: Badness spans events from 2001 to 2012 and chronicles underworld figure Anthony Perish alongside the police unit responsible for his capture. Jo Rooney, drama executive at Nine Network, described the series as a gripping narrative spotlighting a contemporary criminal who operated covertly. The eight-episode production was directed by Tony Tilse, David Caesar, and Ian Watson.

Episodes

Notes

• On 17 September, an episode of Person of Interest was substituted with episode seven of Underbelly: Badness in southern regions due to the Brownlow Medal broadcast scheduled for 24 September in Melbourne. Meanwhile, the northern states aired the episode concurrently with the Brownlow Medal coverage in the south.

Reception

Giles Hardie from The Sydney Morning Herald assigned an A grade to the premiere episode, praising it for its "awesome glaring goodness." He highlighted that, despite having the franchise's least appealing title so far, the series represented a significant and positive transformation focused on a captivating criminal figure. He suggested this episode as a suitable entry point for viewers who favor narratives about heroes rather than solely focusing on psychopaths.