It’s that time of year where the TV viewing schedules are looking jam-packed with everything gritty, dramatic and crime-related.
One of the upcoming series that has caught our eye is Riptide, the new Channel 5 drama exploring one woman’s mission to figure out the whereabouts of her missing husband.
As well as providing a first-look teaser that looks positively ominous, the new series joins together the forces behind Neighbours and Eastenders via producer Jason Herbison and star Jo Joyner.
The new series focuses on Alison (Joyner) who is enjoying newlywed life when her husband suddenly vanishes after going surfing one morning. Did he get pulled in by a riptide, making it a freak natural accident, or is there something more sinister at play here?
Read on for everything you need to know about the new Australian-set crime drama, including more about the plot, cast and release date.
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Riptide release date
The new Channel 5 series will premiere on Tuesday 27th December at 9pm and will air across four consecutive nights, with the series wrapping on Friday 30th December.
So, it’s another limited series that can be gleefully added to the Christmas 2022 schedule.
Riptide cast
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The cast is led by former Eastenders actor Jo Joyner, who recently starred in gripping thriller Stay Close on Netflix.
Speaking about her new role as Alison Weston, she said: “I am really excited to be working with the fantastic teams at Fremantle, Channel 5 and 10 in Australia, and playing Alison. She is such a warm and layered character whose world is turned upside down, just when it seemed like her life was finally coming together.
“I am also thrilled to be filming in the fabulous city of Melbourne and surrounding countryside, an area that I have always wanted to explore.”
Joining her in the Riptide cast are Peter O’Brien as Alison’s missing husband Sean, David Berry (Outlander) as Dan Burrell, Ciarán Griffiths (Shameless) as Michael Lane, Benny Turland as Ethan Weston, and Asher Yasbincek as Hannah Lane.
As previously mentioned, the new series has also been created by Fremantle Australia’s Jason Herbison, whose previous credits include executive producer of the much-loved soap Neighbours and acclaimed mini-series Lie With Me, one of Channel 5’s highest rating dramas of last year.
Riptide plot
Entirely filmed in Melbourne, the series focuses on the story of Alison whose life is upturned when her new Australian husband Sean suddenly vanishes one morning after going surfing.
Sean is older and wealthier, and together, the pair seem like the ultimate happy couple. They’ve recently moved into a luxury seaside home with Alison’s daughter Hannah, and Alison soon becomes best friends with their neighbour Dan, who is a widow.
But not everything is as rose-tinted as we think. The newlyweds soon have to face the tension that their relationship has caused. Sean’s son, Ethan, is against the marriage and ex-wife Rachel can’t conceal her resentment. Even Alison’s former husband Michael is a thorn in the couple’s side.
So it’s safe to say that when Sean doesn’t return after his morning surf, Alison’s thoughts are consumed by the possibility that something else could have happened to her husband, as opposed to the police’s presumption that he was drowned in a riptide.
What soon becomes apparent is the fact that Sean had amassed many adversaries, and it looks as though the answer to the question of “What happened to Sean?” could very well be close to home.
Riptide trailer
Channel 5 hasn’t yet released a trailer for its new series, Riptide, but we’ll be sure to update you here if that changes.
Riptide will premiere on Channel 5 on Tuesday 27th December at 9pm, airing across four consecutive nights. Visit our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features, or take a look at our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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