As most of the action seemed to involve cell phones, SIM cards and computers, this series should have been called Cell CIty. I found the plot very confusing and was not really sure who was who by the end reveal. I also found the inclusion of the ex husband who had turned into a woman very odd. There was simply no reason for the transgender character who was so obviously a man that I found him distracting. I lived and worked for the Commonwealth Government in Canberra for many years, which is why I watched the series, but the Canberra I knew was nothing like the one shown in the series. Either the times have changed greatly or I was totally blind. As for the main character played by Anna Torv, she wrecked the life of everyone she came in contact with and left a trail of destruction behind her I felt like saying 'run, run - get away fast' whenever she asked someone to do something illegal. Overall, I found the technological thriller aspect with the constant use of cell phones and computers rather annoying, and they sure got through a lot of cell phones dunking them in the lake, bathtub, sink, toilet or anywhere handy!

This is a pretty good spy thriller and Anna Torv is excellent in it. I do wish they had cast a transgendered woman as the transgendered character and not made her story quite so cliched. I know this is a few years old so the memo about Trans casting hadn't arrived down under, but someone like Jamie Clayton would have nailed the character of Kim. Still, I will probably watch the second season on the strength of Anna Torv's work here. It's also fun as an American to watch a spy thriller that centers around Austrailia and China rather than the UK or Russia and the US.

A while back, the Australian Prime Minister went for a swim in the sea and was never seen again. No one much seemed to notice, although amusingly they did name a municipal swimming pool after him. True story.I mention this because after struggling through four episodes of "Secret City" I've only just figured out which of the bland, nondescript characters in it represents their PM, so I guess the producers of this show were aiming for realism, at least in regard to the general lack of charisma in its civil servants. Unfortunately that is where the realism ends. This show, which I earnestly wanted to enjoy, tries way too hard to be like Homeland, 24, The West Wing, Madam Secretary, House of Cards, and many other American political thrillers, and fails in almost every regard, other than its reasonably slick (though unimaginative) visual style and the fact that it is laced with realistically strong language that the superior American shows can't get past the network censors.It's a shame that the Aussies couldn't make this show work, as there was a lot of potential here. There is always a need to shine light on the corrupt nature of politics and national "security", and to keep emphasising through intelligent (and entertaining) drama how badly run most countries are, and how their governments continue to act against the best interests of their citizens.But sadly this show was poorly conceived, sloppily written, lazily directed, and mostly miscast. There are one or two good actors in it, but they are wasted due to bad dialogue and direction.The most interesting character - by a country mile - whose presence could have added multiple layers of extra depth, not to mention countless opportunities for good drama and chances to shine a light on particular areas of governmental abuse, gets killed off way too soon, and that untimely exit struck a fatal blow to my already strained ability to endure.I eventually gave up, having not quite reached the finale.

An above average conspiracy series, with a good plot and genuine characters. Good to see a main female role that neither requires super powers or martial arts to undercover secrets and lies. Looking forward to the second series.