My Brilliant Career on Netflix is, as the name suggests, truly brilliant

Netflix has another costume drama with a feminist heroine who shows the world that she won't let anyone tell her how to live. Marrying a rich man? No, thank you. In My Brilliant Career we follow Sybylla Melvyn. She wants to write, explore the world, and make her own choices. Even when the whole world thinks there is only one option. If you Kleine Vrouw and Bridgerton miss, this is the perfect combination. Why? Well, we’re going to tell you.

What is My Brilliant Career about?

My Brilliant Career is about Sybylla Melvyn. She is a smart, headstrong, and quite chaotic young woman growing up in a poor family in the Australian countryside. Her family has little money and even less understanding of her dream to become a writer. While Sybylla already sees herself sitting behind a desk with her first masterpiece, her parents see only one solution for her future: she must find a suitable man. Therefore, her family sends Sybylla to the estate of wealthy relatives, hoping she can make a better impression on the ‘marriage market’ there.

Where Sybylla initially just wants to escape, her ‘I don't need a man’ plan is thrown into disarray when she meets Harry Beecham. He is handsome, rich, and thus the option to save her family. And then there’s Frank, the estate manager with whom she secretly develops a very special bond. Before our writer knows it, she suddenly finds herself in a love triangle she never wanted to be in. Is she willing to give up her freedom for love? And if so: who does she choose? Or does she decide to run away once and for all?

In what time period does My Brilliant Career it take place?

The series is set around 1900 in Australia. At this time, women were only allowed to follow one life path: find a good husband, have children, and not loudly proclaim that they had other dreams. Fortunately for us, Sybylla pays no heed to that. She does not want to be saved by a man. Just like Penelope in Bridgerton she wants to write and earn her own money. Thus, she is exactly the kind of feminist woman we love to see in a costume drama. She may not literally fight on a battlefield, but she fights against all expectations.

Although the series is set a century ago, our main character feels remarkably modern. Just like her ideas, not everything is historically perfect. The cast is more diverse than we actually saw in that world, and their stories now also have space. There is also a background storyline about the secret relationship between two men.

This is the actress who plays Sybylla in My Brilliant Career the series.

Sybylla is played by Philippa Northeast. The chances are that name doesn’t mean much to you yet, but that will likely change after this series. Not only because she plays wonderfully, but also because she feels a bit like the Australian version of Zoey Deutch. She has the same big eyes, mischievous facial expressions, and that chaotic energy that makes you want to keep watching her.

The Melbourne actress broke through as Evelyn MacGuire in the soap Home and Away. On Netflix, we know her as Susie from Territory and from a number of other productions, such as The Newsreader and Paper Dolls. As Sybylla, she now has her first major international lead role. And rightly so. She portrays Sybylla as a real person you will love. It’s her impulsiveness and humor that make the series so good.

Besides Philippa, the cast includes more faces you might recognize. Christopher Chung plays Harry and Jake Dunn is Frank. Additionally, we see Genevieve O’Reilly not as Mon Mothma from Andor, but as Sybylla’s aunt Helen. Furthermore, we see Anna Chancellor as Mrs. Bossier and Kate Mulvany as Augusta.

Is My Brilliant Career based on a book?

Yes. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Australian author Miles Franklin. She wrote the book when she was only sixteen years old. Now, that’s quite a feat, especially when you live in 1901. The story is inspired by her own youth in the Australian countryside and her frustrations about women's rights. When we talk about feminism, she is a true example. The book was already adapted into a film in 1979. In that version, Judy Davis, whom you might know from A Passage to India and Husbands and Wives, played the role of Sybylla. Although this has become a true classic, Netflix has refreshed the story quite a bit. The new version is faster, funnier, and a lot sexier.

With six episodes, you can dive into this miniseries to forget the rain from last week. But remember: we are not responsible for the hole you fall into when this miniseries is over. A season two could theoretically happen, as the book exists. We’re already starting to spam Netflix, because we definitely can’t get enough of this girl.