Ben Lewin
Director
Rafferty's Rules (1987)
Season 4
Rafferty's Rules was an Australian television drama series which ran from 1987 to 1990 on the Seven Network. Rafferty's Rules was one of the first programs undertaken by the Seven Network's then new in-house drama unit, going into production in May 1985 as "a 15-part courtroom drama". The program had started out as a pilot episode, recorded in early 1984 with the actor Chris Haywood in the lead role. When the pilot episode was remounted later in 1984, Chris Haywood wasn't available and the lead role was re-cast to John Wood. This second recording was eventually broadcast as the program's first episode.
Released Feb. 11, 1987
Episode 46 min
None+
Keywords: imdb.character-name-in-series-title, imdb.magistrate, imdb.two-word-series-title, imdb.apostrophe-in-title, imdb.punctuation-in-title, imdb.cat, imdb.character-name-as-title + 10 more, imdb.law, imdb.courtroom, imdb.police, tmdb.cat, tmdb.police, tmdb.courtroom, tmdb.law, tmdb.magistrate, imdb.two-word-title, imdb.character-name-in-title
Production Companies: Seven Network, Amalgamated Television Services
Network: Seven
S4E1 - Security
Michael sees the law from another perspective after he becomes the key witness in Flicker's prosecution against an arsonist.
Feb. 9, 1990, midnight
S4E2 - That Old Black Magic
Michael begins to wonder if someone is trying to put a spell on him after a number of suspicious run-ins with a member of a religious commune.
Feb. 16, 1990, midnight
S4E3 - The Plague
Lisa confronts the prejudices of society when she defends a man with AIDS who has committed an armed robbery in order to ensure his wife's future following his death.
Feb. 23, 1990, midnight
S4E4 - In For a Penny
Michael is drawn into the world of a struggling young family after he witnesses a woman being hit by a car.
March 2, 1990, midnight
S4E5 - Out of Line
Lisa finds herself at odds with her colleagues when she defends an anti-nuclear activist whose family and the police are determined to have detained for his own safety.
March 9, 1990, midnight
S4E6 - One for Us
Rafferty decides to expose a Chilean military attaché following charges for torturing political dissidents in Chile.
March 16, 1990, midnight
S4E7 - Politburo
Flicker is horrified after he discovers just what conditions are faced by those in the police cells awaiting trial.
March 23, 1990, midnight
S4E8 - One Consideration With Another
Racial tensions erupt when two Asian men are accused of murder, while Michael questions his capacity as a magistrate after an act of leniency has dire consequences.
March 30, 1990, midnight
S4E9 - Home
Flicker and Lisa find themselves dealing with a particularly challenging court case when a girl alleges that she was raped by her father four years earlier.
April 6, 1990, midnight
S4E10 - The Book of Love
Lisa defends a singer who has beaten his wife, but her personal involvement in the case is made more difficult when he brings a gun into the courthouse.
April 13, 1990, midnight
S4E11 - On the Barricades
Michael revisits his past as a university radical and conscientious objector when he is forced to decide the fate of a man who he once protested alongside.
April 20, 1990, midnight
S4E12 - Funny Peculiar
Flicker confronts his own prejudices when he prosecutes a case involving the assault of a female impersonator; however, it is Michael who finds himself at the centre of a controversy after the verdict is given.
April 27, 1990, midnight
S4E13 - Whatever Gets You Through the Night
Lisa is drawn into an organisation known as Life Force after a man is arrested for break and enter and assault.
May 4, 1990, midnight
S4E14 - Whistling in the Dark
Flicker finds himself wandering into a murky world of corruption when he prosecutes a case against a police officer who has broken the law and where the key witness is a serial whistleblower.
May 11, 1990, midnight
S4E15 - Blood, Sweat and Paycheques
Fulvio and Sandra's marriage comes close to breaking point after Sandra is arrested for shoplifting.
May 18, 1990, midnight
S4E16 - Home Again Kathleen
Michael, Flicker and Lisa are dragged into a murky political world when they discover that the conflict between the British and the Irish is alive and well in Sydney.
May 25, 1990, midnight
S4E17 - Driven to It
An act of vandalism by the member of an animal rights group leaves Michael becoming emotionally involved with the accused's mother.
June 1, 1990, midnight
S4E18 - A Fair Day's Work
A man seeks Lisa's help when he is sacked after complaining about the work conditions; however, she soon finds herself defending him when he assaults his former boss.
June 8, 1990, midnight
S4E19 - Lies
Lisa is drawn to an attractive young lawyer; however, she is forced into an ethical dilemma when his personal life unravels.
June 15, 1990, midnight
S4E20 - Consciousness Raising
The feminist movement comes to the courthouse when a prominent feminist runs a group of pigs through the shop of a man accused of sexual harassment.
June 22, 1990, midnight
S4E21 - Free of Passion
Flicker finds himself at the crossroads of a major life decision after he falls in love with a young female Constable, but his excitement at finding new love may see him lose it all.
June 29, 1990, midnight
S4E22 - Many Happy Returns
A convicted criminal whose ex-wife is about to marry a police officer comes before the court accused of assault.
July 6, 1990, midnight
S4E23 - In Custody
Lisa assists a young woman whose boyfriend has been arrested; however, she is horrified when she learns that he has been detained without charge and suspects that the police are fitting him up because he is Aboriginal.
July 13, 1990, midnight
S4E24 - Lost Empires
Lisa fights to save an Indian couple who are facing deportation, only to discover that the collapse of the British Empire means that they have no real home to go back to.
July 20, 1990, midnight
S4E25 - The Sea, the Sea
Michael and Flicker befriend the beachcomber and poet, Snowy White; however, their admiration is crushed when it begins to appear that Snowy may be guilty of murder.
July 27, 1990, midnight
S4E26 - Up, Up and Away
Lisa is charmed by a client accused of appropriating money from elderly women; however, Michael and Flicker cause conflict when they question her judgement.
Aug. 3, 1990, midnight
S4E27 - Punch Ups
A prominent radio host has been charged with brawling. Michael is faced with the consequences of his judgements when he sentences a man accused of assault, only to later learn that the man's employer has sacked him.
Aug. 10, 1990, midnight
S4E28 - Best and Brightest
Michael is reunited with an old classmate in the lead-up to a school reunion; however, he is left wondering if they've come very far at all since the schoolyard.
Aug. 17, 1990, midnight
S4E29 - Unaccompanied Bark
An elderly journalist is arrested for shoplifting.
Aug. 24, 1990, midnight
S4E30 - Guilty
Michael is consumed by guilt after he hits a man with his car; however he starts to wonder if maybe there are deeper issues at play when he seeks guidance on how to deal with his feelings.
Aug. 31, 1990, midnight
Network: Seven
Episode Runtime: 46 min.
Season Runtime: 46 min.
Released: Feb. 11, 1987
Last Air Date: Aug. 31, 1990, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
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