Luke McDonald as a confidence-lacking ginger wimp and Celia Paquola as his determinedly cheerful 'best friend' in the only estate agents (his mother's) in the tiny town of Rosehaven, Tasmania.
They've cleverly maintained the 'why don't these two get together' tension over three seasons (a fourth coming), as Emma (Celia) and Daniel (Luke) get used to their possibly permanent relocation to a town where you can count the number of eligible singles on one hand.
A definite theme of affection for one's fellow human beings makes Rosehaven soft-centered, but it's never over sweet, and there's enough character-driven plot to prevent it getting stale.
One wrong note, I feel, is the characterisation of Daniel's domineering mother Barbara (Kris McQuade). They seem to rely on the character as a source of comfort, wisdom and security, not conflict; she doesn't do or say anything funny at all, just goes around smiling inscrutably and being a smart*ss. On the other hand, Mrs. Marsh (Noela Foxcroft), as the elderly receptionist who goes in unpaid just for something to do, and occasionally gets to cut everybody off at the knees, is the best minimal comedy character in years.
Far more rooted in reality than, say, 'Father Ted', and never satirical, but the same sense of a small rural community is of what makes Rosehaven tick.
They've cleverly maintained the 'why don't these two get together' tension over three seasons (a fourth coming), as Emma (Celia) and Daniel (Luke) get used to their possibly permanent relocation to a town where you can count the number of eligible singles on one hand.
A definite theme of affection for one's fellow human beings makes Rosehaven soft-centered, but it's never over sweet, and there's enough character-driven plot to prevent it getting stale.
One wrong note, I feel, is the characterisation of Daniel's domineering mother Barbara (Kris McQuade). They seem to rely on the character as a source of comfort, wisdom and security, not conflict; she doesn't do or say anything funny at all, just goes around smiling inscrutably and being a smart*ss. On the other hand, Mrs. Marsh (Noela Foxcroft), as the elderly receptionist who goes in unpaid just for something to do, and occasionally gets to cut everybody off at the knees, is the best minimal comedy character in years.
Far more rooted in reality than, say, 'Father Ted', and never satirical, but the same sense of a small rural community is of what makes Rosehaven tick.