East West 101

East West 101
Logo of East West 101
Genre	Drama
Created by	Steve Knapman Kris Wyld
Directed by	Peter Andrikidis
Starring	Don Hany William McInnes Susie Porter Aaron Fa'aoso Gerald Lepkowski Daniela Farinacci Renee Lim
Composer(s)	Guy Gross
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	20 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Steve Knapman Kris Wyld
Release
Original network	SBS One
Picture format	576i (SDTV) 720p (HDTV)
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	6 December 2007 – 1 June 2011
External links
Website

East West 101 is a critically acclaimed and award-winning drama series airing on the SBS network. The series was produced and created by Steven Knapman & Kris Wyld, the team behind other drama series such as Wildside and White Collar Blue.

East West 101 is set around the Major Crime Squad in metropolitan Sydney. It is based upon the experiences of actual detectives in a crime unit in Sydney's western suburbs.^[1] It is filmed on location, in Sydney suburbs such as Auburn, Lidcombe, Redfern, Chinatown and Sefton.

The series was made by SBS with the Film Finance Corporation of Australia and the New South Wales Film and Television Office. It has been sold to Israel and other countries in the Middle East. The second season finished airing on 24 November 2009, and a third season was announced and filmed in 2010. It began airing on SBS One on 20 April 2011.^[1] The DVD of the third season was released on 4 May 2011.^[2]

The title is a double entendre, referring both to the clash of cultures between the Western world and the Eastern world, and the fact that in Sydney (and several other Australian cities) the eastern suburbs are largely affluent and Anglo-Saxon, while the western suburbs are of a lower socio-economic status and have large immigrant populations.

Cast

• Don Hany as Detective Zane Malik
• Susie Porter as Detective Superintendent Patricia Wright
• Aaron Fa'aoso as Detective Sonny Koa
• Daniela Farinacci as Detective Helen Callas
• Renee Lim as Constable Jung Lim
• Matthew Nable as Detective Neil Travis (season 3)

Supporting cast

• Tasneem Roc as Amina Malik
• Irini Pappas as Mariam Malik (season 1)
• Taffy Hany as Rahman Malik
• George Fayed as Amir Malik
• Lucy Abroon as Yasmeen Malik
• Gyton Grantley as Craig Deakin (season 2)
• Costa Ronin as Gregorovich (season 2)
• Richard Carter as Mick Deakin (season 2)
• Richard Cawthorne as Sterling (season 3)

Past cast

• William McInnes as Detective Sergeant Ray Crowley (season 1)
• Gerald Lepkowski as Agent Richard Skeritt (season 2)

Plot

See also List of East West 101 episodes

Season one

The first season centered around two detectives, Zane Malik (Don Hany), a Muslim and Ray Crowley (William McInnes), an Anglo-Australian, who are pitted against each other in a struggle for respect. They try to balance work with their own cultural and religious beliefs, which results in tension between cultures, egos and workmates.^[3] Recurring stories throughout the season include Malik's search for the man who shot his father and Crowley's struggle with his son's death. The cast also included Susie Porter as Inspector Patricia Wright, Aaron Fa'aoso as Detective Sonny Koa, Daniela Farinacci as Detective Helen Callas and Renee Lim as Jung Lim. Zane's father, Rahman Malik, is played by Taffy (Toffeek) Hany, the real life father of Don Hany.^[4]

Season two

In season two, detective Malik is caught up in the aftermath of a car bomb which has killed two men, and heralded the arrival of NSO Agent Richard Skeritt (Gerald Lepkowski). The attack seemingly has links to a Muslim terrorist threat that they work to uncover. Meanwhile, Patricia Wright navigates her tumultuous relationship with her family, including her unpredictable brother, Craig (Gyton Grantley) and father, Mick (Richard Carter). Helen Callas, heavily pregnant, Sonny Koa and Jung Lim also return, investigating crimes that cross cultural boundaries in Sydney's multicultural inner west.

Season three

Following a deadly armored bank transport robbery by a highly organized team, Malik's wife Amina and son Amir are involved in a seemingly unrelated car accident. After Amir dies of an undetected aortic dissection, Malik takes the accident investigation personally.

Reception

Australian ratings

Awards

AACTA Awards

Australian Directors Guild Awards

Australian Writers Guild Awards

APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards

Equity Awards

Logie Awards

References

External links

• East West 101 at the Internet Movie Database
• East West 101 at TV.com
• Knox, David (27 November 2007). First Review: East West 101; TV Tonight.
• Knox, David (15 July 2009). Returning: East West 101. TV Tonight.
• East West 101 at Australian Screen Online