Season 1
Rake is an American legal comedy-drama television series developed for US television by Peter Duncan and Peter Toland as an adaptation of the Australian series of the same name created by Duncan which follows Keegan Deane, a criminal defence lawyer whose personal problems and self-destructive behaviour has him battling wits and/or owing money to everyone around him including his ex-wife, judges, an assistant district attorney, his bookie, a brothel owner and the IRS.
Rake, a legal drama based on the Australian Film Institute Award nominee for Best Television Drama series of the same name, follows the comedic and chaotic life of criminal defense lawyer Keegan Deane (Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Greg Kinnear, Little Miss Sunshine, The Kennedys).
On a single day, Keegan Deane is described as many things – most of which are far from flattering. His ex-wife calls him unreliable; to his fellow lawyers he's an obstruction; judges think he's an outrage; the IRS calls him a defendant; his bookie says he's a pain in the ass; and to his former dealer, he's simply a tragic loss.
Brilliant and frustratingly charming, Keegan is one of life's great addicts. His staggering lack of discretion and inability to self-censor land him the cases that nobody else will touch, but behind that lies a resolute optimism and belief in justice that fuel his dogged determination to defend those who seem beyond redemption.
He always tries to do the right thing, but at the same time struggles to save himself from the many self-destructive elements that plague his own life, such as his overindulgence in women, gambling and other excesses.
Keegan gets a majority of his cases from Ben Leon (John Ortiz, Silver Linings Playbook, Luck), his best friend since law school. Ben is married to Scarlet (Necar Zadegan, 24, The Event), another of Keegan's old friends and, as Assistant District Attorney for the city of Los Angeles, quite often his opponent in court.
In addition to Keegan's cases within the justice system, the series follows his personal trials and tribulations, including his mounting debt to his bookie and his overlapping liaisons with various women, including Melissa "Mikki" Partridge (Bojana Novakovic, Edge of Darkness, Drag Me To Hell), Keegan's favourite prostitute and de-facto love interest.
Also among his predicaments is his ongoing battle with the IRS, especially as prosecuted by David Potter (David Harbour, The Newsroom, End of Watch), an IRS tax attorney who looks ten years younger than he is, earning him the nickname (bestowed by Keegan) Harry – as in Harry Potter.
But always there to help Keegan clean up his mess is Leanne Zander (Tara Summers, Ringer, Damages), his extremely put-upon, no-nonsense assistant.
Meanwhile, Keegan's ex-wife, Maddy (Miranda Otto, The Starter Wife, War of the Worlds), a psychologist by profession, begrudgingly acts as his therapist. She also is the mother of their hormonal son, Finn (Ian Colletti, Phoebe In Wonderland), who displays many of the same proclivities as his father.
Each morning, Keegan tends to wake up bruised – physically, emotionally, spiritually. Usually, it's a combination of them all. Then it's out into the world – onto the battleground of Keegan's day.
Rake is produced by Fedora Entertainment and Essential Media & Entertainment Pty Ltd., in association with Sony Pictures Television. Based on the Australian television series created by Peter Duncan, Richard Roxburgh and Charles Waterstreet, the series is created and written by Duncan.
The series is executive-produced by Duncan, Peter Tolan (Rescue Me, Analyze This), Michael Wimer (2012), Richard Roxburgh (Rake, Mission: Impossible II, Moulin Rouge) and Ian Collie (Saving Mr. Banks, Rake). Greg Kinnear, Sara Goodman and George W. Perkins are co-executive producers.
Sam Raimi (Oz the Great and Powerful, The Spider-Man franchise) directed and served as an executive producer on the pilot.