ABC Oz has a brief for legal drama

Australian pubcaster ABC has commissioned an eight-part drama about a suburban solicitor who returns to the bar after a disgruntled client torches her office.

Newton’s Law comes from Every Cloud Productions’ Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the creative team behind Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and The Gods of Wheat Street.

The protagonist Josephine Newton finds her marriage is collapsing and motherhood is fast losing its charm when old friend and not-so-secret admirer Lewis Hughes suggests she resumes her career as a barrister.

The creators liken the series to the Upstairs, Downstairs of legal dramas. “We’re very happy to bring another strong female protagonist to the screen, this time in modern dress, with a modern woman’s dilemma of trying to do too much for too many,” Cox and Eagger said.

Screen Australia and state agency Film Victoria are supporting the production, while ABC Commercial has the international rights. “We’re excited about getting into Josephine’s world on Newton’s Law – it promises to be funny, complex and engaging,” said Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason.

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which starred Essie Davis as a private detective in 1920s Melbourne, ran for three seasons on the ABC until last year. The company was keen to commission a fourth series depending on the availability of Davis, who lives in the UK and has also appeared in Game of Thrones.