Netflix’sTerritorysurroundsthe Lawsons, a notable and wealthy family in the show’s fictional cattle industry. The neo-Western series begins with the death of Daniel Lawson, the owner of Marianne Station, resulting in a conflict of succession over the world’s largest cattle ranch. Throughout season 1, audiences are introduced to several key members of the Lawson family and their friends and romantic interests, making up a majority ofTerritory’scast. With the show’s quick pacing, it can be hard to keep track of who’s who and what their relation is to everyone else.
As events build towardTerritory’sending, the specifics of various relationships start to matter more and more. For example,Graham Lawson is the elder son of Daniel Lawson, but he wasn’t the one to take ownership of the Marianne Cattle Station. Not to mention, the family patriarch, Colin Lawson, is still alive, yet he’s passed down ownership of the ranch to the younger generation, with the show noting that he’s out of touch with the current industry norms. Rather than Marianne being run like a traditional monarchy, the relationships are more nuanced and can be harder to follow.
Graham Lawson (Michael Dorman)
Graham Is The Centerpiece Of The Lawson Family
Graham Lawson may not officially be the main character inTerritory, as the show benefits from having a more balanced ensemble cast. However, he’s the easiest point of reference as the sort of centerpiece of the family.Graham Lawson is the eldest son of Colin Lawson, which would hypothetically make him the ideal heirto a patriarchal institution, which is how Marianne Station is run. However, Graham is perceived as being weak by his father due to his more sentimental personality. He suffered physical and emotional abuse from Colin growing up and experiences subsequent alcoholism throughout the series.
Graham and Emily’s marriage has lost much of its romantic spark, and Graham is barely on speaking terms with Marshall, who’s left the station for several years.
Because of his on-and-off struggles with drinking,Graham has lost the respect of many of his family members. He had his son Marshall in his first marriage. His first wife passed away roughly 20 years before the events of the series, and he married Emily Hodge soon after, and the two had Susie together. Graham and Emily’s marriage has lost much of its romantic spark, and Graham is barely on speaking terms with Marshall, who’s left the station for several years. The only one he seems to get along well with consistently is Susie, for whom he has a clear soft spot.
Emily Lawson (Anna Torv)
Graham’s Wife
Emily Lawson is arguably the main character ofTerritory, and it’scrucial to the narrative that she married into the Lawson family. This creates an aspect of dual identity for her character, as her family, the Hodges, are notably lower class than the Lawsons. Because of this, she’s still treated like an outsider by the likes of Colin despite technically being a Lawson for multiple decades and having a fully grown Lawson child. Emily becomes the target for antagonists like Campbell Miller and Sandra Kirby, who hope to turn her against Colin.
Emily is shown immediately to be incredibly competent around the station as a character the ranch hands show genuine respect and admiration for. However,the question of her loyalty becomes a consistent through-line for the series, especially as her marriage with Graham suffers. It’s unclear whether Emily can be trusted, and she’s covering some inflammatory secrets, which makes her such an appealing central protagonist.
Colin Lawson (Robert Taylor)
Graham’s Father
Colin Lawson is the patriarch of the family who, at some point before the series began, passed down the leadership of Marianne Station to his son Daniel.Colin is the representation of the multi-generational toxicity that’s brought the station to be as disjointed as it isat the start of the series. He brought up his sons with archaic ideas of masculinity, forcing them to fight each other as children to make them strong, and his repulsive behavior toward Graham has remained abusive well into adulthood.
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Colin isperceived by a majority of the characters inTerritoryto be an awful person. Sandra Kirby has her eyes set on the station, much of which seems to stem from a vendetta against Colin, believing that he deserves to lose what he has. When Daniel dies, the Lawson family is left in shambles due to the atmosphere Colin has cultivated. He’s abused Graham to the point where he suffers too much to lead, he doesn’t trust Emily, and the children are cautious of him.
Marshall Lawson (Sam Corlett)
Graham’s Son
Marshall is Graham’s son from his first marriage, and he’s introduced as a renegade member of the family. In episode 1, he returns to Marianne Station for Daniel’s funeral, and it’s revealed thathe’s spent years away from the family, believing it to be a hostile environment and not liking the perception people have of him as a Lawson. He’s instead turned to a life of crime through his friends Rich and Sharnie, who offer him a sense of freedom that contrasts the restrictive nature of being a Lawson.
Susie Lawson (Philippa Northeast)
Graham’s Daughter
Susie is Graham and Emily’s son who’s been away for some time studying in school. She returns to Marianne Station for Daniel’s funeral and states that she’s uninterested in pursuing her education further, feeling she’s too intelligent for the program she’s in.Susie’s goal is to get directly involved in the station business, which she quickly demonstrates an adept skill in. This worries Emily, who initially believes she should remain away from Marianne.
Daniel Lawson (Jake Ryan)
Graham’s Younger Brother
Daniel Lawson was Graham’s younger brother and Colin’s son, who ultimately seems to have made a decent life for himself despite the horrible parenting he received.Daniel fully embraced Colin’s ideals, turning the abuse he suffered into the exterior strengthneeded to lead the Marianne Station. However, he left the station with numerous problems and seems to have lacked the ingenuity necessary to guide it into the modern age. If Daniel Lawson had continued on, the Lawson dynasty likely would have crumbled.
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Hank Hodge (Dan Wyllie)
Graham’s Brother-In-Law
Hank Hodge is Emily’s brother, a lower-class man who operates a lesser organization in the region around Marianne. InTerritory’spremiere episode, he arrives at Daniel Lawson’s funeral and gets into a fistfight with Colin, reminding him that he’s getting old. Hank is a proud member of the Hodge family, who constantly reminds Emily about where she came from and tries to steer her toward playing her marriage to her own advantage.
Territory
Set against the backdrop of the world’s largest cattle station, this drama follows the intense generational conflict that ensues when a clear heir is absent. As rival factions compete for control, the series examines themes of legacy, power, and the struggle for dominance over the land’s future.
