Cleverman (TV series)

Cleverman is an Australian television drama series created from an original idea by Ryan Griffen. It first aired on 1 June 2016 on SundanceTV in the United States, and the following day on ABC in Australia, due to the International Date Line. The six-episode first season places Aboriginal Dreaming stories into a modern superhero setting, addressing themes of racism, asylum seekers, and border protection. The plot follows two estranged Gumbaynggirr brothers who are forced to reunite for survival after one inherits the role of the "Cleverman." Creatures from the Dreaming appear within the show’s dystopian real-world environment.

The series was renewed for a second season on 2 June 2016, set six months after the first, with A$450,000 in funding from Screen NSW. This second season also consisted of six episodes, airing in 2017, and concluded the series with a total of twelve episodes.

The Cleverman is a significant figure in many Australian Aboriginal cultures. Griffen describes the character as "like the Pope of the Dreamtime ... the conduit between the present and the Dreaming." The television version blends Cleverman traditions from various Aboriginal clans to create a superheroic figure, with powers linked to the Dreaming’s connection across past, present, and future. The protagonist, Koen West, displays these powers throughout both seasons, either instinctively or through learned experience. He can heal instantly and cannot die by conventional means, but can be harmed or killed by spiritual beings like the Namorrodor, or by a dagger forged from tree sap from his childhood tree, used by his brother Waruu. Koen receives visions of future events by touching others, and can shape-shift into a bird for escape or stealth. He also wields a spiritual energy blast called the "Blue Blast," a ball of energy fired from his chest that separates a target from its soul, causing them to fade into nothingness upon death. Koen can swallow the soul to erase it, or return it to its body by killing the host and resurrecting them. As Cleverman, Koen uses the Nulla Nulla, a traditional Aboriginal war club also used by the Hairies.

The Hairypeople, or "Hairies," were designed by Jacob ("Jake") Nash, production designer for the Bangarra Dance Theatre, and realized by Weta Workshop, known for their work on *The Lord of the Rings* and other fantasy and science fiction films.