Season 1
Underbelly is an Australian television drama series based on the book Leadbelly: Inside Australia's Underworld, by John Silvester and Andrew Rule, which retells the real events of the 1995–2004 gangland war in Melbourne.
The series premiered in Australia on 13 February 2008 on the Nine Network in all states and territories except Victoria, due to a court injunction.
Underbelly premiered in South Africa on DStv's M-Net Action channel on Friday 12 February 2010, at 19h00. It later aired on TopTV's Fox FX and Fox Entertainment channels. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Underbelly premiered on Fox FX on Monday 3 May 2010, at 20h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 13 hour-long episodes in the first season.
M-Net Action Repeats
Fridays: 23h00
Fox FX Repeats
Tuesdays: 03h25, 22h10
Wednesdays: 05h05
Season 1
Underbelly, based on the factual book Leadbelly by Melbourne Age journalists John Silvester and Andrew Rule, is the compelling dramatisation of Melbourne’s infamous gangland killings that started in 1998 with the murder of Alphonse Gangitano.
Underbelly boasts a large ensemble cast. Rodger Corser and Caroline Craig star as Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Owen and Detective Constable Jacqui James, who embody the police officers who strove to stem the bloodshed of Melbourne’s internal crime wars.
Portraying real-life characters who have become part of Melbourne folklore are Vince Colosimo (Alphonse Gangitano), Gyton Grantley (Carl Williams), Kat Stewart (Roberta Williams), Simon Westaway (Mick Gatto), Martin Sacks (Mario Condello), Gerard Kennedy (Graham Kinninburgh), Kevin Harrington (Lewis Moran), Callan Mulvey (Mark Moran), Les Hill (Jason Moran), Robert Mammone (Tony Mokbel), George Kapiniaris(George Defteros) and Caroline Gillmer as matriarch Judy Moran.
Underbelly follows the rise and fall of notorious career criminal Carl Williams - widely recognised as Australia’s worst ever serial killer - who sought to be king of Melbourne’s underworld and now languishes in prison.
As the events depicted in Underbelly had taken place in Melbourne, the series was shot entirely on location in and around the city. Over 82 days of filming, 150 inner urban locations were utilised and 450 locations surveyed making the series as close to life as possible.
Underbelly is produced by the Australian Film Finance Corporation, in association with Film Victoria. The executive producers are Des Monaghan and Jo Horsburgh.
Seasons
Each season consists of 13 hour-long episodes
Season 1
Channel: M-Net Action | Premiere: 12 Feb 2010 | Finale: 7 May 2010 | Fridays, 19h00
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 3 May 2010 | Finale: 26 Jul 2010 | Mondays, 20h30
Season 2
Channel: Fox Entertainment | Premiere: 21 Apr 2010 | Finale: 14 Jul 2010 | Wed, 21h45
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 29 Mar 2011 | Finale: 21 Jun 2011 | Tuesdays, 20h30
Season 3
Channel: Fox Entertainment | Premiere: 21 Jul 2010 | Finale: 13 Oct 2010 | Wed, 21h45