Taurus Rising

<h2 id="production">Production</h2>
The project originated in 1979 at Channel Nine by Michael Pate and Tony Morphett. It was originally envisioned as a short quality series about two rival family business dynasties. Morphett wrote the early drafts. Over 18 months of development the series evolved and was outsourced to Grundy Productions. Grundys made a pilot which was viewed by Channel 9 in January 1982.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1">1</a>
It cost $2 million to make.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2">2</a>

<h2 id="cast">Cast</h2>
Taurus Rising focuses on the rival Brent and Drysdale families.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a>

The Brents
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Annette_Andre/CcpWG6eY">Annette Andre</a> as Jennifer Brent: Long-lost daughter of Harry, mother of Mike.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Andrew_Clarke_(actor)/MkmtkAEo">Andrew Clarke</a> as Mike Brent: Son of Jennifer and Ben.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Gordon_Glenwright/d38EBIhu">Gordon Glenwright</a> as Harry Brent: Patriarch of the Brent family.</li></ul>
The Drysdales
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Georgie_Sterling/QDbuff8s">Georgie Sterling</a> as Isabella Drysdale: Matriarch of the Drysdale family, who was once engaged to Harry Brent.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Alan_Cassell/oLxdUuj9">Alan Cassell</a> as Ben Drysdale: Son of Isabella, married to Faith, head of the Drysdale construction business.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Betty_Lucas/4xoVfwNk">Betty Lucas</a> as Faith Drysdale: Wife of Ben.</li>
<li>Andrew Sharp as Keith Drysdale</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Damon_Herriman/1hIz7AhC">Damon Herriman</a> as Phil Drysdale: Son of Ben and Faith.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Marina_Finlay/8TUnTqaY">Marina Finlay</a> as Elizabeth Drysdale</li></ul>
Others
<ul><li>Linda Newton as Alice Blake: Daughter of Bert, teacher and nanny to Phil.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Maurie_Fields/DfXs5Npg">Maurie Fields</a> as Bert: Father of Alice, Drysdale construction foreman</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Michael_Long_(actor)/JD5bh3Kd">Michael Long</a> as Sam Farrer: Son of Marie, works for Ben.</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Diane_Craig/jEARFuoD">Diane Craig</a> as Libby Hilton: Journalist at the Sydney Observer, having an affair with Ben.</li>
<li>Vic Hawkins as Malcolm Adams</li>
<li>Jessica Noad as Marie: Mother of Sam, housekeeper for the Drysdale family.</li></ul>
<h2 id="reception">Reception</h2>
Richard Coleman of The Sydney Morning Herald placed Taurus Rising at the top of his worst of 1982 list, along with the similar Winner Take All miniseries on <a href="/facts/ABC_TV_(Australian_TV_channel)/LohxUkLh">ABC</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> Coleman quipped that "its untimely downfall a few weeks later was mourned only by a few accountants in Willoughby."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> He thought the "gloomy times, or the all too familiar feel of the stories" contributed to both shows' poor ratings and demise.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>
Robert Fidgeon of the <a href="/facts/Herald_Sun/38laIYur">Herald Sun</a> named Taurus Rising as one of "Australia's All-time Top 50 TV Turkeys" in 2002. He stated "Super-expensive Dallas-type drama series about the rivalry between two building-industry families. Diane Craig, Alan Cassell (SeaChange) and Maurie Fields headed a good cast."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> He also likened it to American soap Dynasty and said it was "boasting more Mercs, BMWs, Rollers and corporate Lear jets than you could poke a stick at".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>
In 2020, Fidgeon's colleague Fiona Byrne included Taurus Rising in her feature about "long forgotten Australian TV dramas that made viewers switch off."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> She described the show as "an ambitious, expensive but unsuccessful attempt by Channel 9 to create a super soap for Australia like the American hit Dynasty."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a> Byrne went onto write "The name of the show, which caused no end of confusion with many viewers thinking it was a series with zodiac links, referred to the Taurus building that the families were trying to build. The show launched to lower than expected ratings in July 1982 and it was all downhill from there. Its name and ratings made references such as 'Taurus flopping' irresistible."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a>

<ul><li>Mercado, Andrew (2004). Super Aussie Soaps. Pluto Press Australia. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-86403-191-1.</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083490/">Taurus Rising</a> at <a href="/facts/IMDb_(identifier)/uWrqVYVy">IMDb</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">Coleman, Richard (26 July 1982). "Taurus Rising has two jobs to do". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 36. Retrieved 30 January 2025 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-taurus-rising/164271791/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-taurus-rising/164271791/</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">"For 'Taurus Rising', success is in the stars". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 11 August 1982. p. 26. Retrieved 14 July 2013. <a href="http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43740516" target="_blank">http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article43740516</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">Coleman, Richard (26 July 1982). "Money biz". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 22 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-money-biz/170861535/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-money-biz/170861535/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Coleman, Richard (27 December 1982). "The best and worst of 1982". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Coleman, Richard (27 December 1982). "The best and worst of 1982". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">Coleman, Richard (27 December 1982). "The best and worst of 1982". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2025 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-the-best-and-w/170954217/</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Fidgeon, Robert (15 May 2002). "Top of the flops". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 April 2025 – via Gale. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A86198811/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=cb8576be" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A86198811/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=cb8576be</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Fidgeon, Robert (15 May 2002). "Top of the flops". Herald Sun. Retrieved 6 April 2025 – via Gale. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A86198811/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=cb8576be" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A86198811/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=cb8576be</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Byrne, Fiona (19 August 2020). "Truly terrible TV shows that flopped". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via Gale. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Byrne, Fiona (19 August 2020). "Truly terrible TV shows that flopped". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via Gale. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Byrne, Fiona (19 August 2020). "Truly terrible TV shows that flopped". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 October 2024 – via Gale. <a href="https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46" target="_blank">https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A632926541/STND?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-STND&xid=fde4ac46</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Taurus Rising open-in-new

Taurus Rising