Naman Shrestha
Created by Kitty Flanagan and Vincent Sheehan, ‘Fisk’ is an Australian workplace comedy series that follows the story of a high-end contracts lawyer named Helen Tudor-Fisk, who works at a well-reputed law firm. However, things turn around for her for the worse when her personal as well as professional life takes a fall from grace. She is then forced to take a job at a shabby, suburban law firm that specializes in wills and probate.
Featuring hilarious onscreen performances from a group of talented actors, including Kitty Flanagan, Marty Sheargold, Julia Zemiro, Aaron Chen, and Debra Lawrance, the sitcom also delves into the everyday world of inheritances and complaining relatives. A majority of the drama unfolds in and around the office of the shabby law firm as the protagonist deals with all kinds of clients.
Fisk Filming Locations
‘Fisk’ is filmed in its entirety in Australia, specifically in the state of Victoria. The shooting for the inaugural iteration of the comedy series began in October 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with several strict safety protocols in place. As for the principal photography of the sophomore season, it reportedly commenced in late May 2022 and wrapped up in July of the same year. Now, without wasting any time, let’s traverse through all the specific locations that make an appearance in the Australian show!
Victoria, Australia
Bordered by New South Wales to the north and South Australia to the west, Victoria serves as the primary production location for ‘Fisk.’ In particular, the filming unit sets up camp in and around the capital of Victoria, that is, Melbourne, to lens several pivotal sequences of the show. The locales of North Melbourne, which is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, feature heavily through each episode. For instance, the cast and crew members are spotted taping a number of key portions around 44-48 Erroll Street in North Melbourne during the shooting schedule.
Situated in the southeastern part of Australia, Victoria is home to a number of major landmarks and attractions, including Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium, the National Gallery of Victoria, Yarra Valley, Melbourne Docklands, and the Eureka Tower, some of which you might be able to spot in the backdrop of some scenes. Moreover, the Garden State has been featured in a number of movies and TV shows other than ‘Fisk.’ Some of the notable ones are ‘The Dressmaker,’ ‘The Very Excellent Mr. Dundee,’ ‘The Castle,’ and ‘Gold Diggers.’
Fisk is Inspired by Real-Life Experiences
‘Fisk’ is somewhat based on true events. The idea behind the show was originally conceived by executive producer Vincent Sheehan, who was the one to begin exploring the setting of a wills and probate office as a drama. What got him really interested in the idea was the fact that there was an instant conflict in all of the cases that he started reading, apart from the drama. He found out that people tend to go to extreme lengths, not just for some monetary gain but also due to the skeletons in their closets and conflict between the siblings.
In an October 2021 interview with Drama Quarterly, Sheehan expanded further, saying, “What was at the root of those was always just so fascinating and full of human nature, but also so bizarre. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations and the more I got into it, I found that kept rising to the surface.” He took this idea to Kitty Flanagan, whom he had known for many years, as he had confidence in her ability as a storyteller and considered her the best writer to bring the story to life in the form of a series. Kitty chose to involve her sister, Penny Flanagan, in the writing process as well.
As the two worked on the script and character sketches, they found themselves inspired by the sweet and wholesome moments of ‘The Office‘ and ‘After Life,’ both of which were created by Ricky Gervais. During a conversation with TV Tonight in March 2021, Kitty Flanagan stated, “Everybody has a story about wills & inheritance: being left out of a will, going to court to fight to get it back. It’s such a rich vein, and every storyline within the series has been taken from an anecdote or headline. It’s all real life, with some adjustment.” Therefore, we infer that ‘Fisk’ might not be based on a particular real-life incident, but it is inspired by true events that take place on a regular basis.
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