Thou Shalt Not Steal (TV series)

Thou Shalt Not Steal
Genre	Black comedy Crime
Created by	Dylan River Tanith Glynn-Maloney
Starring	Sherry-Lee Watson Will McDonald Miranda Otto Noah Taylor Darren Gilshenan Shari Sebbens Natasha Wanganeen Warren H. Williams Justin Rosniak
Composer	Vincent Goodyer
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Daley Pearson Charlie Aspinwall Tanith Glynn-Maloney Sophie Miller
Producers	Lauren Brown Sam Moor
Cinematography	Tyson Perkins
Editor	Chris Plummer
Camera setup	Single-camera
Production companies	Ludo Studios Since1788 Productions Stan
Original release
Network	Stan
Release	October 17, 2024 (2024-10-17)

Thou Shalt Not Steal is an Australian crime comedy drama television series created by Dylan River & Tanith Glynn-Maloney that premiered on October 17, 2024, on Stan. The series follows a pair of teenagers as they are chased across the desert by a sex worker and fraudulent preacher. It stars Sherry-Lee Watson, Will McDonald, Miranda Otto, Noah Taylor, Darren Gilshenan, Shari Sebbens, Natasha Wanganeen, and Warren H. Williams.

Premise

Thou Shalt Not Steal is a 1980s-set road drama that follows young Aboriginal delinquent Robyn, who escapes juvenile detention and visits her terminally ill Grandfather, Ringer, in the hospital. Ringer demands to be taken back home, where he claims to have an important errand.

After being unable to pay for a taxi, Robyn is confronted by the driver, Maxine, a madam who tries to recruit her as payment. After a scuffle, Robyn steals the taxi and flees with her Grandfather. Ringer's condition worsens during the drive and he tells Robyn her father is still alive and that he wants her to return a trophy to him. He passes away shortly before they reach the town.

Meanwhile, a fraudulent Preacher, Robert, and his son, Gidge, hold court throughout the town, conducting sermons and secretly selling booze. Gidge desperately wants to leave his father and return to his mother in Adelaide.

Shortly after finding the trophy, Robyn discovers that police have come looking for her and she makes a plan to escape in the stolen taxi and pursue her father in Coober Pedy. Sensing a chance to get home, Gidge hides, stowed away under the backseat.

The next day, Maxine arrives in the town and begins making enquiries about the whereabouts of her Taxi. Robert offers her the use of his car to track them down and they set off in pursuit of the teenagers.

Cast and characters

• Sherry-Lee Watson as Robyn, a young Aboriginal delinquent who has recently escaped Juvenile Detention. She is headstrong and good at improvising under pressure.
• Will McDonald as Gidge, an awkward son of a fraudulent preacher who travels the outback. He's uncomfortable with his position and desperately wants to return to his mother in Adelaide.
• Noah Taylor as Robert Snr. a fraudulent preacher on the run from his past and desperate to make easy money, peddling booze and soliciting donations.
• Miranda Otto as Maxine, a cunning madam who manages sex workers around the outback from her taxi. She preys upon passengers who cannot afford their fares and tries to recruit them into her ranks.
• Darren Gilshenan as Mick a maladroit Australian Federal Police (AFP) Officer who pursues Robyn and Gidge with his partner, Tracey.
• Shari Sebbens as Tracey, an AFP Officer who is in pursuit of Robyn and Gidge with her partner, Mick.
• Natasha Wanganeen as Mary, Robyn's mother.
• Warren H. Williams as Ringer, Robyn's terminally ill grandfather
• Justin Rosniak as Steve, Robyn's father who has left a series of abandoned children in his wake.

Episodes

No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original Air Date
1	"Chapter one: All This For A Cup"	Dylan River	Dylan River	October 17, 2024
2	"Chapter Two: Stealin' Donkeys"		Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maloney, Sophie Miller
3	"Chapter Three: Coober Pedy's A Long Way"
4	"Chapter Four: Bullet To The Head..."
5	"Chapter Five: There Will Be Murder"		Dylan River, Sophie Miller
6	"Chapter Six: Biggest Disappointment"		Dylan River, Sophie Miller & Samuel Nuggin-Paynter
7	"Chapter Seven: Ball Bags"
8	"Chapter Eight: Happy Endings"		Dylan River, Tanith Glynn-Maloney, Sophie Miller, Benedict Paxton-Crick

Production

Development

In 2023, Australian streaming platform Stan announced they were partnering with Ludo Studio to commission an eight-episode road series set in Central and South Australia. Dylan River & Tanith Glynn-Maloney were announced as the series creators, with River to direct all eight episodes. The series received financial investment from Screen Australia, production support from South Australian Film Corporation, Screen Territory and post production incentives from Screen Queensland.

River wrote a 300-page treatment for the project over the COVID-19 lockdowns. The series was intended to build on the themes and tone explored by River in his 2019 series Robbie Hood. River explained he wanted to look at Aboriginal political issues "but through comedy . . . sort of like bent, twisted ways of looking at some dire situations,". Part of River's motivation was to make a series which could reach a more mainstream audience, as he felt like he had been "preaching to the converted" with previous projects and that "Indigenous filmmaking, for the most part, hasn’t quite reached more of a commercial audience."

The decision to set the series in the 1980s was based on River's love for the mechanical aesthetics of the era, stories he had heard from his family and the challenge of storytelling without mobile phones. “I love mechanical stuff" said River, "I own a couple of 1970s Fords... And storytelling before mobile phones, it’s harder but more rewarding. Also, I grew up with a father who was a teenager in the ’80s and I’d always hear stories and wish I was around at that time.” River also spoke about the "wild" nature of Alice Springs during the period and how petty crimes often became the basis of recreational activities.

In September 2023, Sherry-Lee Watson, Will McDonald, Miranda Otto and Noah Taylor were cast in the series.

Shooting

The production began Principal photography in Alice Springs during September 2023.

The series was largely shot on the road in locations between Alice Springs and Adelaide, while interiors were shot in Adelaide. River was determined to film in real world locations that aligned with the character's journey through the story as much as possible.

Release

The series had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival, with a screening of the first three episodes All eight episodes would later screen at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs and SXSW Sydney.

The series was released on Stan on the 17th of October, 2024.

International rights for the series were handled by DCD Rights.

External links

• Thou Shalt Not Steal at IMDb
• Thou Shalt Not Steal at Letterboxd