Characters / Crownies

L-R: Tracey, Tatum, Richard, Erin, Ben, Lina, David, Janet, Tony

Characters that appear across Crownies. For characters that appear in Janet King, see here.

Spoilers ahead.

The Department of Public Prosecutions

Crown Prosecutors

Janet King

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King

Portrayed by: Marta Dusseldorp

A senior prosecutor at the DPP. Later on she becomes the head of the National Crimes Commission.

• Defrosting Ice Queen: Over the course of her own series, Janet becomes more and more open. This is in no part because the increased threates towards herself and the people she cares about teaches her to not take them for granted.
• Iron Lady: Calm, proper and well-respected.
• Mama Bear: While Janet can handle being disliked at work, having her children be caught in the crossfire is one thing she'll never tolerate.
• A Mother to Her Men: She takes Erin, Lina and Richard under her wing and brings out the best in all three of them.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Tony. He becomes an Honorary Uncle to her children.
• The Spock: She's the Superego to Tony's Id and David's Ego.
• The Stoic: Always maintains her cool.
  • Not So Stoic: It took blowing up Janet's car in front of her family to finally break her.
• Straight Gay: Up until Ash was introduced, there was no hint that Janet was a lesbian.
• Token Minority: Outside of her partner Ashleigh, she was the only homosexual character until Bianca was introduced.
• Tranquil Fury: Once told Tracey to fuck off while smiling warmly.

Tony Gillies

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King

Portrayed by: Peter Kowitz

A senior prosecutor at the DPP.

• The Alcoholic: Tony keeps at least one bottle behind his desk.
• Broken Ace: He used to be a highly respected prosecutor, but one case hit him so hard he developed a drinking problem in order to cope.
• The Cynic: He's usually the one to convince the more idealistic lawyers that they're in over their heads.
• The McCoy: He's the Id to Janet's Superego and David's Ego. He lacks basic tact and is often kept out of the public eye for the sake of image, but Tony knows his stuff.
• Platonic Life-Partners: With Janet. He becomes an Honorary Uncle to her children.

David Sinclair

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1)

Portrayed by: Lewis Fitz-Gerald

Director of the DPP.

• Demoted to Extra: His role in Janet King isn't nearly as prominent as it was in Crownies. When Series 2 switches to the NCC, he's completely absent.
• The Kirk: He's the Ego to Janet's Superego and Tony's Id. David is more prominent as a public figure with a temperament to match, but behind closed doors he's constantly finding himself at odds whenever he wants to do justice.

Rhys Kowalski

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Jerome Ehlers

A defense barrister in charge of a case involving matricide.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Disappears after Crownies. Since his wife was expecting and they were undergoing marriage counselling, it's possible he willingly stepped down to spend more time with his family.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: It was his idea to transfer Erin to the "bolt-cutter babes" case. This took its toll on Erin's psyche and almost compelled her to quit her job. Adding to this were rumours that the two of them were having an affair, which put his own marriage under strain.

Julie Rousseau

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Chantelle Jamieson

A judge's associate. She has a discreet relationship with Ben.

• Betty and Veronica: The Veronica to Erin's Betty.
• Hidden Depths: Introduced as a sexually liberated young woman, then we find out her sister was raped and Julie's out for revenge.
• Love-Interest Traitor: She doesn't give Ben a thought when she colludes with Jimmy Butcher to drag Nicholas Quinn's name through the dirt.
• Professionals Do It on Desks: Ben and Julie sneak into the office after the Christmas party to have office sex.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: It's revealed that she gave Jimmy Butcher information on the Nicholas Quinn case that could have cost Ben his job. Her reason for doing so was to avenge her sister, who had been sexually abused.
• Small Role, Big Impact: Despite not being part of the main cast, she was single-highhandedly responsible for leaking information to the press that kick-started the main plot and put the 5 protagonists on thin ice.
• Token Minority: The only non-white member of the Crown.

Solicitors

Richard Stirling

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King

Portrayed by: Hamish Michael

A solicitor both for the DPP and later the NCC. He eventually becomes a barrister.

• Allegedly Dateless: Conrad tells Richard he needs to get laid on a few occasions, but over the space of a few months Richard manages to sleep with one woman and has a steady relationship with another. He kisses Tatum in the series finale and has flings with both Keisha and Lucy.
• Apologises a Lot: Richard is constantly apologising "profusely" to Judge Walker, usually because he's brought in uncooperative witnesses. She lampshades it in one episode, while she's forcing him to copy by hand a list of prior convictions that he'd given her without a chance to properly format them, while dealing with a sprained wrist. He then informs her that his wrist was sprained in a bike accident on the way to her lecture two nights ago. She reveals that the ambulance that picked him up also dented her Prius. He apologises. Profusely.
• Beware the Nice Ones: When push comes to shove, Richard proves himself to be an extremely dependable lawyer.
  • After having to defend an annoying climate-change skeptic, Richard flat-out tells him to "bugger off".
  • He even openly disrespects Judge Walker in order to bring about justice.
• Butt-Monkey: Gets a lot of undeserved misfortune. The worst was when his flat was destroyed. Even when he's having sex, something has to go wrong for him. In Janet King this gets downplayed considerably.
• Character Development: He gradually becomes more confident.
• Characterisation Marches On: His growing independence and desire for justice leads him to take a case against Janet. By Series 3 he's now a lawyer for high-profile sports stars.
• Conflicting Loyalty: Has this between Janet and Heather. Keisha pressuring him into stepping out of Janet's shadow didn't help.
• Mistaken for Gay: Tatum assumes he is at first and tells Conrad, who insists on taking Richard to gay bars anytime he feels down. Lisa also suspects he's gay, ironically when they're having sex.
• Nice Guy: He goes above and beyond for a lot of his clients. Given how often he's had to defend unsympathetic hooligans, it's a clear indicator of how patient he is.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The Sensitive Guy to Ben and Conrad's Manly Men.
• Will They or Won't They?: Has this with Tatum. They do, but it's brief.

Erin O'Shaughnessy

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1)

Portrayed by: Ella-Scott Lynch

A solicitor who specialises in cases of domestic abuse.

• Afraid of Blood: If her daytime terrors are anything to go by.
• Ambiguously Bi: After the press accuses her of sleeping with Janet for a promotion, Erin says little to convince anyone that she's not into women. She then tries to steal a kiss form Janet in a moment of vulnerability.
• Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Julie's Veronica.
• Break the Cutie:
  • This one case involving a woman and her sister killing her abusive husband takes an emotional toll on Erin.
  • In Janet King, Erin's client is shot dead right in front of her. Erin herself is scarred even further.
• But Liquor Is Quicker: Anytime Erin gets drunk, someone takes advantage of her. She gets drunk a lot.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Does not reappear in the second or third series of Janet King, likely because she's trying to escape circulating rumours.
• Fiery Redhead: Averted. Erin's actually quite meek.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Lina.
• Lady Drunk: Even before the stress of the job settles in, Erin had a habit of drinking too much.
• Mistaken for Pregnant: Janet was keeping her pregnancy secret from the office. When Tracey found Janet's sonagram picture on Erin's desk (the picture having gotten caught up in some files Erin collected from Janet), Tracey leaps to the wrong conclusion regarding Erin.
• Really Gets Around: In Crownies Erin repeatedly slept with Jimmy and Ben. Deconstructed, as whenever she works too closely with someone above her, everyone suspects she's using sex to get ahead.

Lina Badir

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King

Portrayed by: Andrea Demetriades

A solicitor who specialises in sex crimes. She's also the wife of Andy Campbell.

• Beware the Nice Ones: She's fiercely protective of children and underage teens, going so far as to attempt vigilante justice on a suspected paedophile.
• Break the Cutie:
  • Working solely on sex-crimes convinces Lina that she's totally powerless. She then starts stalking a rape suspect and assaults him in broad daylight.
• Characterisation Marches On: In Series 3 of Janet King, Lina beings to feel's she's falling behind by remaining a lawyer and decides to take the bar exam in the hopes of keeping up with her contemporaries.
• Good Lawyers, Good Clients: Being in the sex crimes unit means that all of Lina's clients are in all likelihood innocent.
• Happily Married: Lina and Andy's relationship has outlasted every other couple's over both series and after nearly 7 years of marriage and high-pressure work they're as solid as ever.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Erin.
• Law of Inverse Fertility: Lina struggles with conception, but only after putting the matter aside does she get pregnant.
• Official Couple: With Andy.
• Pædo Hunt: Her character arc in Janet King.
• Token Minority: Among the solicitors.

Ben Mc Mahon

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 3)

Portrayed by: Todd Lasance

A solicitor whose whole family have been law enforcers. He eventually becomes a barrister.

• The Bus Came Back: Started out as a junior solicitor in Crownies, disappeared during the first two series of Janet King, then came back in the third as a barrister.
• The Casanova: He's slept with Julie, Erin and flirted with hotel staff.
• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: In the first two series of Janet King.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Underneath his larrakin exterior, Ben genuinely cares about the people in his life.
• Loveable Rogue: He's a shameless flirt and a lover of pranks.
• Happily Married: At some point after parting ways with the other solicitors, he settled down with a wife and baby.
• Professionals Do It on Desks: Ben and Julie sneak into the office after the Christmas party to have office sex.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: In a series where everyone dresses to impress, Ben tends to wear especially stylish suits.
• Shoo Out the Clowns: Absent from the first two series of Janet King, which took the series down a darker route.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: After becoming a barrister he's noticeably more ruthless and willing to play the man over the ball. When trying to make a defendant look bad he uses some round-about language to suggest the man might be gay, prompting an angry outburst.

Tatum Novak

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1)

Portrayed by: Indiana Evans

A solicitor who just so happens to be the daughter of an organised crime boss.

• Demoted to Extra: Tatum's role is diluted in Janet King. Justified, as she's gained a new job in Canberra.
• Give Geeks a Chance: With Richard. Apparently he blew that chance, as Tatum dumped him before Janet King.
• Mafia Princess: She claims her father went straight when he married her mother, but the connection is still enough to attract the attention of the police
• Morality Pet: To her father.
• Put on a Bus: She's phased out of Janet King due to taking a job in Canberra.
• Secret-Keeper: Regarding Richard's heterosexuality. Downplayed, as pretty much everyone besides Conrad knows that.
• Shameless Fanservice Girl: From the very first episode, where she's wearing a skimpy 1920s costume. Tatum also changes clothes in front of Richard and is shown to have a very active sex life with Conrad.
• UST: With Richard. Even after their offscreen fling, the tension is still there.

Judges & Other Law Enforcers

Judge Victoria Walker

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1 & 3)

Portrayed by: Heather Mitchell

• The Dreaded: Richard sees her as this, due to making a terrible first impression.
• Iron Lady: Even moreso than Janet.
• Jerkass: Often goes out of her way to make Richard look stupid, even on cases he could possibly win with a less finicky judge.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Refuses to hear the testimonial of a woman in a burqa. Given that facial recognition is a crucial asset in law (i.e. the defendant could easily deny knowing her), it's not unreasonable for Walker to demand a witness keep their face uncovered.
• Pet the Dog: After Richard stands up to her, she starts to respect him and even helps Richard pick out flowers so he can reconcile with an ex-girlfriend.

Judge Rosenberg

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Ritchie Singer

• Know When to Fold 'Em: When a rumour gets out that he's guilty of perverting justice, Rosenberg resigns in order to avoid a conviction and starts over in another state.
• Token Good Teammate: Pretty much the only judge shown that is actually nice.

Police Force

Andy Campbell

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King

Portrayed by: Christopher Morris

A detective sergeant and Lina's eventual husband. He starts working for the NCC.

• Friend on the Force: Out of all the police officers in the first season, Andy is the most friendly and helpful to the Crownies. Even when he gets enraged at the Crownies lack of cooperation, he's quick to apologize for his own unreasonableness later.
• Nice Guy: When he's not stressed out from his line of work, he's one of the friendliest characters.
• Official Couple: With Lina.
• Shell-Shocked Veteran: After accidentally shooting a woman, Andy becomes a lot more unhinged.

Plaintiffs

Bintu Sesay & Nadia Tesla

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Aisha Kamara (Bintu), Sophie Hensser (Nadia)

• Bunker Woman: Both were imprisoned by Nicholas Quinn in his holiday house and forced to do depraved sexual acts.
• "Not If They Enjoyed It" Rationalization: Lampshaded. As Bintu had previously had consensual sex with Nicholas and convinced Nadia to join her, their case is left with an exploitable weakness, meaning they couldn't as easily convince the court that they were raped.
• Sex Slave: Their case against Nicholas.

Defendants

Nicholas Quinn

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Andrew Doyle

• Arc Villain: Of Crownies.
• Diplomatic Impunity: This is why the Crown are so reluctant to challenge him.
• Karma Houdini: In the end, Nicholas gets away with everything. His terminal illness even makes him a martyr.
• Villain with Good Publicity: His political standing and family-man image puts the DPP in a difficult spot.

Max Gardiner

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke

• Big Brother Bully: Taken to the extreme as he killed his half-brother and repeats his crime on his newborn half-sibling.
• Creepy Child: There's something not quite there about him. Even when he's acting innocent, he seems sinister.
• Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: His obsession with dominating other kids.

Other Characters

Tracey Samuels

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1)

Portrayed by: Jeanette Cronin

Briefing and HR manager at the DPP.

• Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Like a lot of the Crownies cast, she doesn't reappear in the 2nd and 3rd series of Janet King
• Companion Cube: Her whiteboard, despite several characters pointing out it would be more practical to organise everything on Excel.
• Holier Than Thou: A devout Christian, which puts her at odds with the more liberal solicitors.
• The Internet Is for Porn: Tracey unwisely clicks on a link Tatum sends her. She ends up opening a porn site that she can't close down and which reappears every time she starts up her computer. She ends up smashing her computer so she can get a new one.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Signs Lina up for mandatory counselling against her will. This causes Lina to vent all of her pent-up tension, convincing herself to take the law into her own hands, leading to her infamous assault and jeopardising her career.
• Perpetual Frowner: Never laughs or smiles and gives the evil eye to anyone who does.

Conrad De Groot

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Daniel Lissing

Tatum's fiancee.

• Berserk Button: If you're straight and male, stay away from Tatum.
• Comically Missing the Point: Richie walks in on Conrad doing cocaine at the Christmas party, and reminds him that there are numerous cops and lawyers just outside the room. Conrad protests that he doesn't have enough for all of them.
• Crazy Jealous Guy: Tatum has to lie to him about Richard's sexuality for this very reason.
• Disposable Fiancé: After getting busted for assaulting a police officer, Tatum dumps him for not thinking how this could hurt her career.
• Hunk: Tall, muscular and great in bed (according to Tatum). Despite this, he's secretly insecure about his lack of intellect compared to Tatum and Richard.
• Mr. Fanservice: Very buff and often hangs around Tatum's place without a shirt.
  • Fan Disservice: Richard has a very vivid nightmare where Conrad tries to seduce him.
• Put on a Bus: After assaulting a police officer, Tatum breaks up with him and he's never seen again.
• Useless Boyfriend: He does drugs at a party full of lawyers and cops, then beats up one of each in a fit of jealousy. This reflects badly on Tatum, who already has the stigma of being Danny Novak's daughter.

Danny Novak

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1)

Portrayed by: Marcus Graham

Tatum's father.

• Affably Evil: For all we've been told about his unsavoury background, Danny is shown to be nothing but courteous. Tatum remarks that he was a very devoted father.
• The Dreaded: Apparently he's this for the criminal underworld. When Tatum is groped by a prisoner, she drops his name and said prisoner does a complete 180.
• Evil Parents Want Good Kids: His sketchy background doesn't stop him from supporting Tatum's career in law.

Ashleigh Larsson

Appearances: Crownies, Janet King (Series 1 & 2)

Portrayed by: Aimee Pedersen

Janet's partner.

• Housewife: Stays at home with the kids.
• The Lost Lenore: Between Series 1 and 2 of Janet King, she was tragically murdered.
• Official Couple: With Janet.

Jimmy Butcher

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Martin Crewes

A tabloid journalist who manipulates members of the DPP for a story.

• Abhorrent Admirer: To Erin, though she still sleeps with him. When he tries to have sex with her in the back of a car just after Erin had gone over a sex crime case, Erin finally decides she can't stand him.
• Jerkass: Any time he appears, he's shown manipulating someone for his own gain.
• Love-Interest Traitor: There's a bit of back-and-forth between him and Erin before it's revealed that he helped leak classified information which jeopardised her career.
• Manipulative Bastard: The overarching conflict in Crownies was due to him playing various characters in an attempt to defame Janet.
• Slap-Slap-Kiss: A regular occurrence with Erin.
• Slimeball: Repeatedly sleeps with Erin, usually after she's been drinking.

Lisa

Appearances: Crownies

Portrayed by: Sarah Wiseman

Richard's new girlfriend.

• Romantic False Lead: For Richard.

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