This series is edgy, gritty and above all real. There are no magic answers. Resolution doesn't happen in 48 short minutes. The plot, the character development, the acting - all are first rate. Perhaps the best comparison is something like "Hill St Blues". Although "Phoenix" is something unique, make no mistake. I saw this as it was first broadcast. The wait for each week's new episode was interminable. Simply outstanding! This is as good as Australian television - heck, television anywhere - gets!. I've not seen anything quite like it since. Save, perhaps, "Cracker". Lookout also for the follow up series "Janus".