Netflix’s Australian drama “My Brilliant Career” has made a strong start on the streamer, breaking into the global top five following its debut last week.
The series, adapted from Miles Franklin’s classic Australian novel, landed at No. 4 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 English TV list after recording 3.1 million views since its Thursday release. It also reached the Top 10 in 54 countries, including Australia, where it currently sits at No. 3. The series ranked No. 4 in New Zealand and No. 9 in the UK.
The international showing comes amid renewed discussion about the visibility of Australian stories on screen. As reported this week, new research from Screen Australia found that while 75% of Australians are interested in watching more local content, only 36% believe it is easy to find.
The report also pointed to an international appetite for Australian productions, with half of respondents across eight overseas markets saying Australian film and television had increased their interest in visiting the country. New Zealand and the UK – both markets where “My Brilliant Career” has entered Netflix’s Top 10 – were among those identified as particularly receptive to Australian stories.
Filmed across South Australia and at Adelaide Studios with support from the South Australian Film Corporation, “My Brilliant Career” stars Philippa Northeast as Sybylla Melvyn, an aspiring writer navigating expectations around marriage and womanhood in 1900 Australia.
Executive producer Chloe Rickard said bringing Franklin’s story back to the screen came with both an opportunity and a responsibility. “’My Brilliant Career’ is such an Australian classic, so it felt both a privilege and a big responsibility for Liz [Doran] and I to remake it,” she said. “Australian stories deserve to be told, and in this case, told again. Audiences will be able to reconnect to this much-loved work and, excitedly for us, many will be discovering it for the first time.”
Showrunner Liz Doran said the uncertainty contained within the story’s title remained central to Sybylla’s journey. “One of the things I’ve always really loved about the title of the book is that there’s no guarantee of ‘a brilliant career’ for anyone. Sybylla doesn’t know if her career is going to be brilliant or not. She just knows that she has this fire inside of her that has to be answered and if she doesn’t honour that, then she will have lost something in her own life.”
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Northeast stars alongside Christopher Chung as Harry Beecham, with the pair reuniting in Sydney over the weekend for the 2026 Logie Awards.
Netflix has also partnered with Substack on “My Brilliant Career: My Way,” an original essay series inspired by the themes of the show. Contributors include Samantha Wills, Zara Wong, Bri Lee, Anita Heiss, Hannah Ferguson, Rickard and Doran, with further essays set to roll out this week.