When Does Rafferty's Rules Season 5 Come Out? Is It Renewed?
Rafferty's Rules ended after Season 4.
IMDb
7.1/10
Seasons
4
Episodes
86
Diagnostics
- Network
- Seven Network
- First aired
- 1987-02-12
- Last aired
- 1990-08-31
- Runtime
- 50 min
Awards 3 wins
Predictive Logic Analysis
Rafferty's Rules has concluded its run. Production records list the series as ended, meaning the story has been brought to a planned close rather than left open. Barring a revival, there is no Season 5 in development.
What is Rafferty's Rules about?
Rafferty's Rules was an Australian drama that blended courtroom intrigue with dark comedy, following the professional and personal entanglements of a defense lawyer navigating the justice system with equal parts cynicism and humanity. The show's central appeal lay in its refusal to treat the legal world as a clean arena of right and wrong—instead, it examined the messy compromises, procedural absurdities, and moral gray zones that define real criminal law. John Wood's portrayal of the titular Michael Rafferty grounded the series as a character study of a man trying to do right within a fundamentally flawed system, making viewers invested not just in case outcomes but in his evolving worldview.
What distinguished Rafferty's Rules from more straightforward legal dramas was its tonal dexterity. The show pivoted fluidly between genuine tension and sardonic humor, using comedy as a pressure valve that made the darker moments resonate more powerfully. Rather than relying on spectacular trial theatrics, it found drama in small scenes of negotiation, bureaucratic frustration, and the personal costs of the profession. The supporting cast, particularly Arky Michael as the colorful Fulvio Frangellomini, brought ensemble chemistry that gave the show texture beyond its lead character, creating a workplace dynamic that felt lived-in and specific to its Australian setting.
Rafferty's Rules arrived at a significant moment for Australian television drama, as one of the Seven Network's first productions from its newly established in-house drama unit. The show ran four seasons and 86 episodes from 1987 to 1990, building a respectable following and earning respect for its craft despite operating outside the prestige infrastructure surrounding contemporary American legal dramas. Though its cultural footprint has faded in the decades since, the series remains a curiosity for those tracking the evolution of Australian television—a proof-of-concept that local audiences would embrace complex, character-driven legal storytelling told with wit and intelligence.
Created by Ben Lewin
Themes
Is Rafferty's Rules renewed or cancelled?
Working against it
The series is listed as ended
Rafferty's Rules Season 5 Release Date
No new season is expected. Rafferty's Rules has ended, so there is no upcoming release to anticipate unless a revival is announced.
Rafferty's Rules seasons
Season 11987 · 15 ep
- 1. Pilot1987-02-12
- 2. Win Some, Lose Some1987-02-19
- 3. Truth to Tell1987-02-26
- 4. The Free Life1987-03-05
- 5. The Women1987-03-12
- 6. Rafferty and the Srangers Among Us1987-03-19
- 7. Sin with Gold1987-03-26
- 8. Looking Good1987-04-02
- 9. Reason to Believe1987-04-09
- 10. Mates and Brothers1987-04-16
- 11. Sticks1987-04-23
- 12. Stray Cat1987-04-30
- 13. Invasion of Privacy1987-05-07
- 14. Rafferty and the Rough Diamond1987-05-14
- 15. Public Image1987-05-21
Season 21988 · 11 ep
- 1. Time Out1988-03-12
- 2. To the Whistle1988-03-19
- 3. Make My Day1988-03-26
- 4. Kids1988-04-02
- 5. Dark Side of the Moon1988-04-09
- 6. Suspicious Minds1988-04-16
- 7. Solidarity1988-04-23
- 8. Prejudice and Pride1988-04-30
- 9. Out of the Past1988-05-07
- 10. The Hit1988-05-14
- 11. Freedom of Choice1988-05-21
Season 31989 · 30 ep
- 1. Nine Tenths of the Law1989-02-04
- 2. Freedom1989-02-11
- 3. Those Who Can1989-02-18
- 4. Sense of Duty1989-02-25
- 5. One for the Road1989-03-10
- 6. Confessions1989-03-17
- 7. Horse Play1989-03-24
- 8. Truth's a Dog1989-03-31
- 9. The Great Divide1989-04-07
- 10. Quanity of Mercy1989-04-14
- 11. Peace of Mind1989-04-21
- 12. Thursday the Twelfth1989-04-28
- 13. Friends and Neighbours1989-05-05
- 14. The Fleet's In1989-05-12
- 15. Family1989-05-19
- 16. Crispin's Day1989-05-26
- 17. Mum's the Word1989-06-02
- 18. Brief Candles1989-06-09
- 19. The Deep End1989-06-16
- 20. A Matter of Circumstances1989-06-23
- 21. Waifs and Strays1989-06-30
- 22. The Beast1989-07-07
- 23. Systems1989-07-14
- 24. Those Who Can't1989-07-21
- 25. Blood Relations1989-07-28
- 26. Star Quality1989-08-04
- 27. Private Lives1989-08-11
- 28. You Can Never Tell1989-08-18
- 29. The Affair That Never Was1989-08-25
- 30. Curtains for Ringo1989-09-01
Season 41990 · 30 ep
- 1. Security1990-02-09
- 2. That Old Black Magic1990-02-16
- 3. The Plague1990-02-23
- 4. In For a Penny1990-03-02
- 5. Out of Line1990-03-09
- 6. One for Us1990-03-16
- 7. Politburo1990-03-23
- 8. One Consideration With Another1990-03-30
- 9. Home1990-04-06
- 10. The Book of Love1990-04-13
- 11. On the Barricades1990-04-20
- 12. Funny Peculiar1990-04-27
- 13. Whatever Gets You Through the Night1990-05-04
- 14. Whistling in the Dark1990-05-11
- 15. Blood, Sweat and Paycheques1990-05-18
- 16. Home Again Kathleen1990-05-25
- 17. Driven to It1990-06-01
- 18. A Fair Day's Work1990-06-08
- 19. Lies1990-06-15
- 20. Consciousness Raising1990-06-22
- 21. Free of Passion1990-06-29
- 22. Many Happy Returns1990-07-06
- 23. In Custody1990-07-13
- 24. Lost Empires1990-07-20
- 25. The Sea, the Sea1990-07-27
- 26. Up, Up and Away1990-08-03
- 27. Punch Ups1990-08-10
- 28. Best and Brightest1990-08-17
- 29. Unaccompanied Bark1990-08-24
- 30. Guilty1990-08-31
Rafferty's Rules trailer
Rafferty's Rules cast
View all cast →
John Wood
Michael Rafferty
Arky Michael
Fulvio Frangellomini
Simon Chilvers
Sgt. Julian Flicker
Katy Brinson
Lisa Blake
AI Verdict
Rafferty's Rules has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
Verdict updated 1 month ago
Updated 2026-05-17 · AI-generated analysis
How we predict →Our verdicts have proved right for 59 of 82 decided shows →Rafferty's Rules latest news
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Frequently asked
- When does Rafferty's Rules Season 5 come out?
- Rafferty's Rules ended after Season 4.
- Is Rafferty's Rules renewed or cancelled?
- Rafferty's Rules has ended. Its final season has already aired and no further seasons are expected.
- How many seasons of Rafferty's Rules are there?
- Rafferty's Rules has aired 4 seasons so far.
- How many episodes of Rafferty's Rules are there?
- There are 86 episodes of Rafferty's Rules across 4 seasons.
- Who created Rafferty's Rules?
- Rafferty's Rules was created by Ben Lewin.
- What is Rafferty's Rules's IMDb rating?
- Rafferty's Rules holds an IMDb rating of 7.1/10 from 64 votes.