My Brilliant Career (2026) Review

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I adored this series, the cast of characters and the tone in which the story was told

There’s a longevity to the narrative in My Brilliant Career, which is based upon the 1901 novel by Miles Franklin and was previously adapted into a 1979 film starring Judy Davis and Sam Neill. Our lead fights against gender roles, domestication, and society’s expectation that women be independent. Over a hundred years later, the sentiment still rings true in this Netflix series adaptation of the story, which includes some modernisation.

Sybylla (Philippa Northeast) is a creative at heart, a writer at heart, and the series quickly establishes Sybylla as a true creative at heart. She yearns for adventure, and sees the world like none other around her. She ends her nights with scribbling of her day, describing what some would see as mundane sunrises as beautiful rips in the beautiful sky above her, creating art, but not one to turn down some thatrics and could shine on stage. But when her Father makes too many loans to keep their farm afloat amidst a drought, Sybella is sent to live with her Grandmother (Anna Chancellor) and Aunt Helen (Genevieve O’Reilly) on her estate, Caddagat. Here she is expected to be trained to be a proper lady and find marriage, and hopefully, land a rich enough husband to help clear her family of debt. The main problem here, of course, is that Sybylla has no interest in being married off to anyone, and values her own independence over a rich and lavish lifestyle. She stands out as an odd-duck amongst society because of her actions, and is seen as less ladylike because of the way she talks, acts, and her defiance of playing the part of a would-be housewife.

My Brilliant Career. Christopher Chung and Phillipa Northeast in My Brilliant Career. Cr. Ian Routledge/Netflix © 2026.

As her adventures at Caddagat begin, she’s willing to play ball for the experience, all a ruse to help her grow and get more to write about for a potential book. Her dream is to be a published author. But with the overhanging fall of her family and sisters at home expecting her to save them by marrying someone, she struggles to find the balance. But there are, of course, some suitable suitors quickly established. Harry Beecham (Christopher Chung) lives with his Aunt (Kate Mulvany). Although at first he is abrasive, he soon begins to see the sparkle and unique qualities of Sybylla as desirable, but he too hides a secret about what women he’s expected to marry. And then there’s Frank Hawdon (Jake Dunn), sent over from England and expected to return with a wife; he lives with Sybylla’s Grandmother, and much like Harry, soon begins to see the initial “negatives” about Sybylla as what he likes about her. And so something of a love triangle begins, but one in which, although Sybylla is playing ball with all of the involved parties, she doesn’t want to marry any of them.

Although some might have wished for a more dour version of this story, this Netflix series instead has chosen a more uplifting, spirited story, though there’s still plenty of the book’s thematic elements intact. Philippa Northeast is sensational as Sybylla and elevates the series entirely with her energy, charisma, and optimistic, creative spirit, bringing this series to life. She’s an utter joy to watch on-screen and her boundless presence in every scene is the heart of My Brilliant Career and why this version works as well as it does.

Sybylla being pushed to fulfil societal standards, and the push-and-pull of trying to lead a creative life in the face of life’s mundane labour pulling you into depression are core discussion points throughout the series. There are some other characters and elements thrown in that aren’t as deeply explored, disappointingly, including short-handed treatment of Aboriginal characters in the face of 1901 and the start of the Commonwealth of Australia, and how gay romances would be treated and handled in the 1900s.

One choice that might annoy some is the choice of music, which is not in-period at all. There’s a mix of pop music, and an adaptation of other songs that sounds like they’re from the 1900s as well, but there’s little-to-no care about having period-accurate music. It matches the show vibe entirely and works; certain moments I think are elevated because of them, with more recognisable songs backing emotional scenes.

This adaptation gives Sybylla a more hopeful and inspiring ending than the original novel did. Still, there’s always room to continue Sybylla’s story with an adaptation of Miles Franklin’s follow-up novel, My Career Goes Bung, which I would be happy to see. From my quick Google search, that one is primed for an adaptation because of its history (it was shelved for over forty years and unpublished for many reasons, including rejections for being too overly feminist), and it was never adapted, unlike My Brilliant Career.

(Screener provided to Explosion Network.
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