Netflix’s six-part adaptation of Miles Franklin’s 1901 novel “My Brilliant Career” updates the Australian period drama with a more contemporary style while retaining its focus on Sybylla Melvyn’s resistance to conventional marriage and desire to become a writer. The review judges the series to be energetic and faithful in spirit to both the novel and Gillian Armstrong’s 1979 film, while broadening its perspective on women and Indigenous Australians.

Sybylla, played by Philippa Northeast, leaves her debt-ridden family farm to stay with her wealthy grandmother at Caddagat, where relatives try to make her socially presentable and steer her towards marriage. Her outspoken behaviour attracts both disapproval and support, including from suffragist Augusta Beecham, who wants to help her publish, and Harry, a wealthy landowner with romantic interest. The adaptation was written by Liz Doran and directed by Alyssa McClelland and Anne Renton, using a modern soundtrack and more explicit scenes.