Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
30 Episodes 1988 - 1988
Episode 1
Michael wrestles with the concept of possession after the discovery of Aboriginal remains creates a conflict of ownership between the state and the Indigenous community. Flicker heads off on holiday, leaving the courthouse to deal with a string of less than adequate replacements, while Paulyne considers moving on to private practice when she begins to wonder if her work is really being appreciated.
Episode 2
Michael is caught between a rock and a hard place when he is forced to decide the fate of a young boy whose doctors believe is sick, but whose parents are refusing further tests on religious grounds. Paulyne finds herself under pressure when she defends an accused rapist. Gibson's personal life and professional life begin to collide after a visit from his wife throws him during a prosecution.
Episode 3
Fulvio learns that his teacher and idol isn't quite the perfect magistrate that he thought after he takes over when Michael falls ill. A woman finds herself before the court when she refuses to comply with regulations regarding the education of her daughter. Gibson comes into conflict with his wife when they debate whether or not to send their daughter to a private school.
Episode 4
The courthouse becomes the centre of the fallout from a Secret Intelligence Agency training exercise. Paulyne is followed by a woman working on a book about women in the legal system, but Michael quickly realises that there seems to be more to this writer than meets the eye. Fulvio is depressed after learning that he is being conscripted into the Italian Army, while a former colleague creates trouble for Gibson.
Episode 5
Gibson faces his past after a series of alcohol-related prosecutions force him to confront the reasons he gave up drinking. Barraclough goes on the warpath after his Mercedes is stolen and crashed by a drunken teenager. Michael is drawn to a woman at a party; however, he soon finds himself placed in a compromising position when she is arrested.
Episode 6
A series of sexual assaults has consequences for the courthouse when the police fit up suspects and Paulyne is attacked in her own home. A Filipino woman attempts to bring charges against her abusive husband; however, there may be more at stake than just her own safety. Meanwhile, Fulvio can't remember just how he and his cousin's wife ended up in bed together.
Episode 7
Paulyne finds that her personal life is mirroring her professional life when her former lover Gavin reappears and announces that he is getting married, just as she is defending a woman who refuses to accept that her marriage is over. Michael and Paulyne try to help a young man with a low IQ find a future with horses. The races are on and Michael is certain that his tip-off is going to serve him better than any of Fulvio or Paulyne's systems.
Episode 8
Paulyne accuses an insurance company of racism when they report a Lebanese man to the police after he claims his precious rings were stolen just days after taking out a policy. Michael finds himself discovering the complexities of insurance when his car is ransacked and he realises that his policy lapsed a week earlier. Gibson's attempt to buy his wife a birthday present from Fulvio's cousin goes awry after he accidentally leaves the gift in the back of a taxi.
Episode 9
Michael, Paulyne and Gibson find their ethics challenged when they deal with a man accused of raping his wife; however, it soon becomes apparent to all that the case is far more sinister than they ever could have imagined. Michael seeks the assistance of the others at the courthouse when he goes shopping for a birthday present for his daughter, while Gibson finds himself struggling to manage work and parenthood when his wife goes for a job interview.
Episode 10
What should have been a straightforward sentencing on a prison escapee becomes more complicated when Paulyne points out that there is a discrepancy in his file. Gibson's one-sided view of the law clashes with Michael and Paulyne's more liberal approaches. A man starts to consider desperate actions when his ex-wife denies him access to their son and Michael suspects that he is being harassed by a troubled teenage boy who has come before him in court.
Episode 11
The courthouse finds itself becoming caught up in the deadly web of a cult. Michael is shocked when he goes on an early morning run and discovers the body of a young woman washed up on the beach. Sergeant Flicker returns from his long service leave and is just as exhausted as he was before he went away; however, with Fulvio's help, he is determined to win a holiday on a TV quiz show.
Episode 12
Michael takes responsibility for a foreign woman after she shows up on his doorstep. Flicker prosecutes three girls accused of giving free groceries to elderly pensioners in the lead-up to Easter, but he soon begins to fear that the police are merely doing the supermarket's dirty work. Fulvio struggles after giving up sugar for Lent, while the department causes chaos by setting the painters on the courthouse.
Episode 13
A heatwave frays tempers at the courthouse when everyone arrives at work to find the air-conditioning broken. Michael and Paulyne go apartment-hunting, but Fulvio's cousin isn't finding them quite the great deals that they thought. Flicker fears that Michael has become compromised and is turning the court into a joke. A car accident reveals the tight-knit nature of the Turkish community.
Episode 14
The personal and the professional converge for Flicker when the anti-nuclear group his son is involved in begins protesting the arrival of nuclear warships. A woman finds herself before the court after attempting to run away to Glen Innes to get married following a whirlwind romance. Michael faces a never-ending saga of car trouble after his old combi van is impounded and he refuses to pay the fee to retrieve it.
Episode 15
Michael's weekend with his children has a tragic ending when his young son goes missing and all of the signs point toward abduction. Flicker and Fulvio try to encourage Michael to reunite with his estranged wife, Joanne, but Michael fails to recognise just how much their time apart has changed her or just how badly their relationship breakdown has affected their daughter.
Episode 16
The Bard comes into the courtroom when an elderly man reciting Shakespeare is arrested for busking without a licence. Fulvio makes a connection with a young female defendant after Flicker worries that she might be underage. A new Court Constable creates problems for Paulyne, while Michael can't hide his frustration when the department sends someone around to install a fax machine in his office.
Episode 17
Michael's hopes of reuniting with his estranged wife are dashed when Joanne reveals that she has come to visit to end their relationship, and then their son falls ill. Paulyne defends a woman who has been caught up in a surrogacy agreement gone wrong. Flicker's relationship with his son, Brad, becomes increasingly tense after he learns that Brad has gotten his girlfriend pregnant.
Episode 18
An unexpected tragedy forces Paulyne to re-evaluate her life; meanwhile she struggles to remain objective while defending a man accused of manslaughter over the death of a pedestrian. A man comes before the court accused of scamming the elderly, but Michael is certain that he recognises his face. As Fulvio has an existential crisis, Flicker begins to fear that he may be getting balder.
Episode 19
New Legal Aid solicitor Lisa Blake starts work at the courthouse; however, she soon finds herself coming into conflict with Michael when she grandstands in the courtroom, then fails to fully prepare a case in mitigation for a defendant. Michael can't help feeling uneasy after going through a health scare, while Flicker worries about his superannuation.
Episode 20
Maverick magistrate Michael Rafferty dispenses his own brand of courtroom justice with his own brand of humour - ironic and black respectively, coloured by a dislike of privilege and a suspicion of the police. This tough series portrays events from Rafferty's life both inside and outside the courtroom.
Episode 21
Lisa continues to have problems settling in, with her abrasive nature putting Michael offside. A group of teenage criminals are causing trouble for locals and the court, while an elderly woman is beside herself when she is told that she must get rid of some of her cats. Fulvio's family creates drama when he is left looking after his nephew during his cousin's divorce.
Episode 22
Lisa begins to wonder whether evil does exist when she defends a sociopath. Flicker is shaken when he loses self-control at his son's birthday party and accidentally breaks a gate-crasher's arm, but things quickly go from bad to worse when he is charged with assault. Fulvio questions his pacifist principles after he and his cousin are cornered by three men and bashed late at night.
Episode 23
The entire courthouse struggles to cope when Michael is forced to decide whether a man accused of murder has a case to answer. Lisa refuses Michael's suggestion that two heads may be better than one on a big case, while Flicker can't hide his frustration when he realises that a colleague may be sacrificing him to the media. Everyone feels the impact when a man arrives at the courthouse with a gun.
Episode 24
Lisa defends a young man who seems to be heading for the same life of crime as his father once did, but she refuses to believe Ray Brown's claims that the father's intentions are anything but honourable. A school teacher stands accused of assaulting one of his students. Lisa is determined to show Fulvio's work experience girl the benefits of getting an education, while Michael is asked to give a speech at a local boys' school.
Episode 25
Michael's world is turned upside down after learning that he has a twenty-two year old daughter from a previous relationship. Flicker and Lisa find themselves caught up in a long-running domestic struggle that should never have gotten to court. Flicker is hopeful of inheriting a fortune after being invited to the reading of his aunt's will, only to find himself trapped in a lift with a man who is certain that he recognises Flicker's face.
Episode 26
Flicker's prosecution against a young policeman who has broken the law is complicated when he begins to recognise that something even more suspicious is going on. Lisa's defence of a man accused of stealing from a video shop leads her to discover the murky world of pornographic films. Fulvio decides to film a documentary called "Rafferty's Day"; however, the reluctance of his colleagues to take part leads him to investigate other genres, with amusing results.
Episode 27
More than one life is on the line after a former children's television performer is charged with propositioning young boys for sex in the changing rooms of a local swimming pool. Lisa defends a young man who has been arrested for having sex with his thirteen year old girlfriend and who can't understand how he has committed a crime. Flicker is anxious about his upcoming medical exam.
Episode 28
A criminal nicknamed 'The Hairy Bandit' is causing havoc and the courthouse is feeling the impact. Michael is burgled and his apartment trashed, but he refuses to believe that his neighbour could be responsible. Fulvio falls in love with a woman named Sandra, but he soon finds himself falling afoul of her ex-boyfriend. Lisa's brother comes to stay; however, his behaviour goes from bad to worse after he falls in love with a religious girl.
Episode 29
Michael's divorce from Joanne officially comes through, just as former Public Solicitor Paulyne Gray reappears in his life after a six month absence. Michael is in the running for the Chief Magistrate's position, but his friendship with Paulyne is compromising his reputation. Fulvio and Sandra clash after he declares that he won't be put on a ball and chain.
Episode 30
Michael considers his attitudes towards both politics and rural life after his cousin comes to the city, having now been elected to Parliament and holding very different opinions to Michael. Fulvio struggles to go against his family when he decides to take the next step with Sandra. A troublesome goat causes mayhem, Paulyne worries that Lisa doesn't like her, and Flicker enjoys his newfound celebrity status after he predicts the winner of a horse race in a dream.