Rose Byrne Reveals the TV Role That Deserved More
Rose Byrne opens up about her overlooked performance in Damages, reflecting on its place in the early days of prestige TV and why it never quite got its due.
Australia’s got a knack for turning out top-notch talent, and Rose Byrne is right up there with the best of them. Hailing from Balmain in New South Wales, she’s built a career that’s as varied as it gets—horror flicks, comedies, superhero blockbusters, you name it. In 2025, she made waves with the psychological drama If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, but when she looks back, there’s one project she reckons never got the recognition it deserved.
In a recent chat with Slant, Byrne took a moment to reflect on her time in the TV series Damages. It’s not the first show that springs to mind for most punters, but for Byrne, it stands out.
“Damages is fascinating, because we came out the same year as Mad Men,”
she recalled.
“Shortly after that was Breaking Bad. HBO had set the bar with The Sopranos and Six Feet Under. It was the beginning of this ‘golden age of TV’ and prestige television. And I look back now and think, ‘Wow, what a time to be launching that show!’ People derive a lot from that show! A lot of shows after were Damages-lite, and it never got the credit.”
Breaking Ground in a Crowded Field
First airing on FX back in 2007, Damages cast Byrne as a young lawyer learning the ropes from the formidable Patty Hewes, played by Glenn Close. Each of the five seasons tackled a fresh, complex legal case, putting the main characters’ relationship through the wringer. The show pulled in strong reviews and managed to attract some big-name guest stars along the way. Still, as the seasons rolled on, ratings started to dip, and it never quite broke into the top tier of prestige telly.
There’s a handful of reasons why Damages didn’t end up in the same league as some of its contemporaries. One was the decision to focus on a single storyline for up to 13 episodes. If the first episode didn’t grab you, that was pretty much it—you were out for the season. Keeping viewers interested in one story for that long, only to switch it up the next year, was a tough ask. And let’s not forget the old chestnut of misogyny. While other shows Byrne mentioned were led by blokes, Damages put two women front and centre at a time when that wasn’t exactly the norm.
Legacy and Lasting Impact
Despite never quite hitting the heights Byrne hoped for, Damages has managed to hold onto a loyal cult following. More than a decade after it wrapped up, people are still talking about it, which says a fair bit. The show might not have been a ratings juggernaut, but it left its mark, influencing plenty of series that came after. Byrne’s performance, in particular, stands out as a highlight in a career full of them.
It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most interesting work doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves. But for those who watched, Damages remains a standout—one that’s still worth a yarn, even years down the track.