Tasmania’s west coast will once again be the backdrop for hit crime-mystery series Bay of Fires, with filming for season two starting this week.
Star Marta Dusseldorp, who also co-created and executive produced the show, has revealed she is hoping for a warmer reception from locals this time around after facing criticism about the series’ portrayal of Tasmania in season one.
“I was getting quite a lot of flack. ‘Are you representing Tassie in a bad light?’” Dusseldorp revealed to TV Tonight.
“I’m going, ‘They’re not Tasmanians!’” Dusseldorp said, referring to the show’s characters. “But I couldn’t reveal it because I didn’t want to spoil it.”
Bay of Fires was the ABC’s top Australian drama in 2023 and enjoyed a strong showing on iview, becoming the platform’s most-watched non-children’s program and attracting a younger, male demographic.
Dusseldorp told Tonight there were initial discussions about releasing all episodes at once on iview, but ultimately a weekly format following the TV schedule was chosen.
“I rang ABC at one point and said, ‘Maybe we should drop them all!’, but the pick up the next day was 75% or something on the streaming and catch-up was unprecedented on this show, which was really lovely,” she said.
While season two plot details remain under wraps, Dusseldorp hinted at the challenges Stella Heikkinen, played by Dusseldorp herself, will face as the newly appointed leader of the town.
“In season two obviously Stella’s the boss of the town and she’s trying to run it ethically and morally, but it’s very difficult because of course, when you’re in a town of criminals, that’s not the way they necessarily work,” she said.
“Everyone’s made a lot of money because she’s very good at playing in the margins, dipping into the Russian income source, which she does with Sammy, which we allude to at the end of season one.”
The show will again air on ABC TV and ABC iview in 2025.
