Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Miniseries

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a savagely beautiful five-part series charting the life of Dorrigo Evans (played by Jacob Elordi as a young man, with Ciarán Hinds as the older Dorrigo), through his passionate love affair with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young), his time held captive in a POW camp, and his later years spent as a revered surgeon & reluctant war hero. 

The Australian drama is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Flanagan. 

It was written by Shaun Grant, directed by Justin Kurzel and stars Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young, and Ciarán Hinds. 

The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three periods: before his deployment to the Second World War, during his time as a Far East prisoner of war, and several decades after the war. Each period reveals different parts of Dorrigo's love affair with his uncle’s new young wife, Amy. 

This was Amazon Prime's first of two local (Aussie - the brilliant Top End Bub was the other) series from 2025. Released mid-April, this series received critical acclaim.

Euphoria's Elordi/Hinds, Young, are joined by Olivia DeJonge, Heather Mitchell, Thomas Weatherall, Show Kasamatsu, Charles An, & E-Street's own Simon Baker.

An all-star Aussie cast, with Elordi's star continuing to rise. This year, he will star as Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell's upcoming adaptation of Wuthering Heights; the film is due to be released next month. He will also star in Ridley Scott's science fiction film The Dog Stars, which is currently scheduled to be released late August. Not to mention returning to Euphoria in April.

The miniseries is also one of the most nominated local series at the15th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards (generally known as the AACTA Awards).

The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three alternating timelines. In one, he is a young medical student in Australia who is preparing to ship out to war. He asks his girlfriend Ella to marry him. Meanwhile, he becomes close to his aunt, Amy. 

In the second timeline, Dorrigo is shown as a prisoner of war in a Japanese labor camp. In the third, he is an old man, and a respected surgeon. He is interviewed by a journalist who asks him about his time in the war. 

In the earlier timeline, Dorrigo is entertained by Amy at his uncle's suggestion when the uncle cannot meet. They get drunk and share an embrace and have an affair.

Episode four is a rough watch, however I can see why this show was loved by the critics. It tells a rough story of survival and and resilience.

This will not be for everyone, however it is well worth a look. I await Amazon's release of Deadloch's second run in late March. 

Gosh there is some good Aussie content to come. Not to mention the gems like this already out there!