Rake is an Australian television program, produced by Essential Media and Entertainment, that first aired on the ABC TV in 2010. It stars Richard Roxburgh as the rakish Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive Sydney barrister, defending a usually guilty client. The show airs in the United States on DirecTV's Audience Network and was previously available on Netflix in the UK, Ireland, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Czech Republic, Poland, and Thailand. The fifth and final series went into production in October 2017 and premiered on 19 August 2018. Cast Main cast Richard Roxburgh as Cleaver Greene, a brilliant but self-destructive criminal defence barrister. The character is loosely based on colourful Sydney barristers Mervyn Ward and Charles Waterstreet, and was named after Cleaver Bunton. At the end of the fourth series, he is elected to a seat as an independent senator. At the end of the fifth series, he is appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia. Russell Dykstra as Barney "Barnyard" Meagher, one of Cleaver's instructing solicitors and his best friend. After Cleaver sleeps with his wife Scarlet, Barney feels betrayed and his relationships with both Cleaver and Scarlet are disrupted. In the second series, Barney begins an affair with Cleaver's secretary, Nicole. At the start of the third series, it is revealed that Barney and Nicole are having a child together, and that Barney is receiving treatment for testicular cancer. Danielle Cormack as Scarlet "Red" Engles SC, Barney's wife, a criminal prosecutions barrister. In the second series, she works part-time for Cal McGregor, the Attorney General, before returning to the bar as a criminal defence barrister in the third series. In addition to this, during the third series she has a short-lived affair with David Potter, another barrister with political ambitions, who is prosecuting Cleaver for non-payment of taxes. Scarlet succeeds in being promoted to Senior Counsel. Matt Day as David "Harry-Sorry, David" Potter, a tax lawyer prosecuting Cleaver Greene and attempting to get into politics with the help of Attorney General Joe Sandilands. In series 2, Potter is a member of the Parliament of New South Wales and of the Australian Labor Party and is Shadow Attorney General. In the third series, he has become the Leader of the NSW Australian Labor Party, and is having a secret affair with Scarlet. In the fourth series, he runs as a