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Nell Buchanan, a detective played by Australian non-binary actor Liv Hewson, in the show Treasure and Dirt. They are standing outdoors, looking to the side. They are light-skinned with long, ginger, wavy hair and a freckled face. They are wearing a grey singlet. A vast, blue sky with fluffy white clouds can be seen in the background.

Treasure & Dirt

Show
2026
Australia
Nell Buchanan, a detective played by Australian non-binary actor Liv Hewson, returns to a dying opal town to investigate a beheading. Nell is attracted to men.

Trailer.

Watch on ABC Australia iview.


Available Summary:

When a headless torso is found deep inside an opal mine, Ivan Lucic and Nell Buchanan are seconded to the desolate outback mining town of Nullah where law and order is optional.

-ABC.


Jack's Summary:

I am a bit conflicted about including this entry due to the lack of clarity about Nell's gender identity, but it might be compelling for non-binary people and trans/gender-diverse Australians who don't have much Australian representation, so it's worthwhile. I also felt that the show was intending to characterise Nell as non-binary or somehow gender-diverse, and was surprised when it didn't get there.

Nell Buchanan, a detective played by Australian non-binary actor Liv Hewson, in the show Treasure and Dirt. They are walking outdoors, beside a man. They are wearing a green jacket over a black singlet, the singlet tucked into black trousers. They have long, wavy ginger hair and freckled light skin. They are smiling slightly. The man beside them is tan-skinned with short, dark brown hair, wearing a grey suit and tie over a collared blue shirt. A dilapidated shed, tree, blue sky, and orange dirt are visible in the background.
Nell and Ivan.

Nell, now a detective, trained as an officer in a fictional outback town called Nullah. Nell returns to investigate a murder, accompanied by detective Ivan Lucic, much to the ire of locals. It is revealed that, while in training, Nell became aware of corruption and drug-dealing in Nullah's police force, and refused to feign ignorance. Nullah being a corrupt and violent town, Nell was threatened and cast out.

The locals, particularly corrupt policewoman Patricia Richter, address Nell as Narelle, which is a female-typical name which Nell never personally uses. It is made very obvious that Nell hates being referred to this way. In episode three, Richter pointedly says to Nell, "We have to be better... us women," prompting intense discomfort and anger in Nell. This could be interpreted in several different ways, given the context, but a gender-diverse reading of this interaction is absolutely legitimate, even alongside other potential meanings.

Overall, any gendered language relevant to Nell is applied by others, rather than being stated by Nell directly.

Nell Buchanan, a detective played by Australian non-binary actor Liv Hewson, in the show Treasure and Dirt. They are lying on their back in a hotel room, wearing a white singlet and grey shorts. They are light-skinned and freckled, with long, wavy ginger hair. They are looking up at the ceiling with a neutral expression.
Nell in a hotel room.

What this show does offer, regardless of Nell's gender ambiguity, is the steadfast normalisation of a non-binary body. Hewson has been open about having top surgery, and how affirming this has been for them, and I quite like the fact that the show does not explain or hide the fact that Nell's chest is completely flat.

Nell Buchanan, a detective played by Australian non-binary actor Liv Hewson, in the show Treasure and Dirt. They are sitting indoors, wearing an oversized white shirt with green hems. They have long, wavy ginger hair and light skin, with freckles on their arms and face. They are smiling at a man who is sitting near them. The man, Jonas "The Irishman" McGee, is light-skinned with bleach blond short hair and a black beard.
Nell and the Irishman (Jonas McGee).

The only local that Nell is close to, Jonas McGee, rekindles their relationship when Nell returns to Nullah. Prior to having sex, when the pair are both shirtless, Nell's flat chest is shown without being explained, and the show skips over any predictable, long-overdone drama of Jonas reacting to Nell's body or identity with surprise or negativity. Jonas accepted Nell a long time ago.

Interpret Nell in any way that you want; what Treasure & Dirt offers, regardless, is a post-top surgery protagonist, played by a non-binary actor, who is intimate with a man and commands a significant portion of the show's runtime. That is fantastic. Even if Nell is interpreted as a woman who has had a mastectomy for cancer-related reasons, that also offers incredible value and audience relatability.

Entry last updated:

23 July 2026

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