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Mailman's Alex Irving has the numbers, the enemies, and the prime ministership within reach, and the show is ruthless about what each one costs.

The year's best shows were about confinement, isolation, and people stuck in places they could not leave, which felt about right.

Mailman plays an Indigenous senator thrown into federal politics, and the show is smart enough to make the Canberra corridors feel as dangerous as any outback.