The Story
Tony Piccolo is an underworld enforcer; a veteran stand-over man, the best in the business. His wife and kids have no idea – they think he’s a carpet cleaner!

Tony’s problems begin when he accidentally kills a friend from his criminal family. He suffers a major crisis. Tony becomes an enforcer with a conscience.  He’s lost his bottle – and if word hits the street, he’s a dead man.

Tony decides – he wants to get out. He needs to get out. But it’s not that easy…  In this line of work, when you literally know where the bodies are buried, upper management doesn’t take kindly to early retirement, they favour a redundancy package that’s more…permanent. And his wife Cathy won’t be too happy either!

Tony is going to have to be very careful. He’s gotta pick the kids up from school – and get milk – and he’s gonna need more bullets.

Written by Gareth Calverley and Joss King

Produced by Andrew McInally and Gareth Calverley

Directed by Jeffrey Walker

Starring
Steve Le Marquand as Tony Fletcher Humphrys as Steve
Sacha Horler as Cathy Gia Carides as Darlene
Jared Daperis as Charlie Geoff Morrell as Les
Sean Rees-Wemyss as Matt Jacek Koman as Artie
Nicole Gulasekharam as Mel Gary Sweet as Barry

The Crew

Executive Producers Ewan Burnett and Emma Moroney

Producers Andrew McInally and Gareth Calverley

Line Producer Richard Clendinnen

Director Jeffrey Walker

Production Designer Otello Stolfo

Director of Photography Craig Barden

Costume Designer Katie Graham

Make-up / Hair Designer Heather Ross

Editor Stephen Evans

Composer Harry Angus

Sound Recordist John McKerrow

Synopsis
‘Little’ Tony Piccolo is an average Aussie bloke. Late 30s. Affable. Hard working. He’s a family man.

Tony keeps his day job a secret from his family – with very good reason.

Tony is an underworld enforcer, a thumb-breaker.

Gripped by a sudden mid-life crisis, he decides he wants out. But in the gangster business, an enforcer with a conscience is a dead man – and a family is a dangerous thing to have.

Episodes

Distributed by Digital Rights Group

Awards and Nominations
An AWGIE Award won by Joss King and Gareth Calverley in 2011 for Best Original
Mini-series

Press Clippings
The Age, Green Guide, Pay TV
'Now we can add Small Time Gangster to the list of home-grown series that well and truly hold their own against the imports. From the fabulous opening sequence to the perfect final scene, this is a beautifully structures piece of telly that gets pretty much everything right'.

'Herald Sun, Tuesday April 19, 2011
'This seems strange – an Australian TV show that’s really, really good.  Tremendous work from Steve Le Marquand as Tony.’

The Age, Green Guide, Pay TV, May 3, 2011‘
Sometimes all an actor needs is a chance and this is clearly Steve Le Marquand’s. But just about everything about this cracking local comedy-drama is a joy.  The rest of the cast, for a start.  And they shine thanks to impeccable direction and a wonderful script that careers effortlessly from comedy to drama to pathos and back again.’

Media Week, Inside Subscription TV,25th April 2011‘
It’s clever, quirky and compelling – three important factors that go a long way to getting viewers to come back week after week’.

Weekend Australian, Saturday 14th April 2011
Small Time Gangster is special TV, too, written with mischievous wit by Gareth Calverley and Andrew McInally and directed with a kind of Tony Scott cutting-edge sheen of Jeffrey Walker. It’s grim but very funny comedy built around the clear boundaries that exist between criminality and respectability, and the way that the transgressive energies of life at the margins are so segregated from mainstream Australian society.’

Courier Mail, Wednesday 13th April 2011'
''Small Time Gangster is a work of rare creative synergy. Scripting is sold and direction, photography and editing, are too. Also critical to its success is that producers have kicked goals in the casting process’.

The Age, Green Guide, Pay TV, Tuesday May 10, 2011‘
This brilliant Australian crime-dynasty series with a corker cast has all of the pace and titillation of Underbelly and the dramatic weight of Animal Kingdom. Yet it goes where neither really has – into the terrain of the crim trying to go straight. Complex, unpredictable characters and an enticing premise give this suburban drama an exciting edge’.
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