Detective Senior Sergeant Stanley Wolfe is a fictional character from the Australian crime series City Homicide. He is portrayed by Shane Bourne. He appeared in the pilot episode and was considered to be the main character of the series throughout the first two seasons, as shown through Bourne's top billing in the show's credits. However, early in season three, the character of Wolfe went on extended leave from Homicide and thus Bourne only appeared in six episodes of the 18-episode third season. He would later return to the show in the season four premiere, albeit in a slightly reduced role that only required him to appear in 22 of the fourth season's 24 episodes. It is revealed in episode one that Detective Senior Sergeant Wolfe is a religious man, strongly upholding the beliefs of a practicing Catholic. This particularly causes a fear amongst one of Stanley's team members, Simon Joyner, who is busted having an affair with another Senior Sergeant's wife, and is concerned that his boss will punish him for his 'ungodly' behaviour. Stanley appears to be friends with Bernice Waverley. His team includes Senior Detectives Duncan Freeman, Jennifer Mapplethorpe, Matt Ryan, Allie Kingston, Nick Buchanan and Rhys Levitt. From what we have seen, it appears that Stanley prefers to be called 'Stanley' as opposed to the shortened 'Stan', in accordance with his perceived 'proper' nature. Even those close to him, i.e. his wife call him Stanley. His team refer to him as both 'Sarge' and 'Wolfey'. Stanley's wife, Linda, has appeared to date in a few episodes, and it has been revealed that he has two girls. Stanley's goddaughter was recently murdered and Stanley went to great lengths to find her killer, which he succeeded in doing. In the first season it was revealed that Stanley and his wife had a son who died while stillborn. This appears to be a traumatic thing for Stanley as he avoided the topic when his wife tried to talk about it. From here we learn it is not in Stanley's nature to overtly discuss his feelings with those around him, as he acts reserved regarding his feelings even towards his wife. Early in the second season, it is suggested that Linda is having an affair with another man, and after keeping a close eye on his wife's movements, Stanley's suspicions are found to be true, when he discovers her to be in the company of another man. He responds to his findings by burying himself in his work, and staying late at the office more frequently as a means of avoiding contact with his wife. However, when Linda visits him at a homicide one evening, the two leave the building to talk, and a conflict erupts between the two regarding the troubled marriage. At this point, Stanley yells at her and exclaims his disgust at her affair, and how it goes against their religious beliefs. Here, in the street, Linda tells him that she is leaving and taking the children – his family have not been mentioned any further thus far, but it is assumed that at some point Stanley's separation and children will be brought back into the picture. To date, these unfortunate events haven't appeared to be affecting his work. It is posited by Stanley's wife that the reason for her affair was as a result of Stanley never being home, primarily because of the nature of his work.
Reception
Farah Farouque from The Age called Stanley "one of the show's triumvirate of standout characters". The Sunshine Coast Daily's Nathanael Cooper praised Bourne's performance, saying he was "surprisingly powerful in a dramatic role – far from the comedy parts we are familiar seeing him in."
