Big Debut for Small Town Scandal
December 17, 2025 
9 Comments
Sky will use its newly revamped Comedy channel to launch its first Kiwi Originals of 2026, Small Town Scandal.
It will premiere 8.30 February 9 on both Sky Comedy and Sky’s streaming platform Neon.
Tom Sainsbury’s true-crime parody boasts a cast that includes Morgana O’Reilly, Felicity Kendal and Rose Matafeo.
You can view the teaser here.
And here’s the media release:
Murder, mystery and mowers – welcome to the quirky world of Tom Sainsbury! Sky reveals the premiere date for Sky NZ Originals comedy Small Town Scandal, coming to NEON & Sky Comedy this February
Journey to the fictional town of Te Hōiho this February with Sky New Zealand Originals’ highly- anticipated Tom Sainsbury television series Small Town Scandal, premiering on NEON and Sky Comedy from Monday, 9 February at 8.30pm.
A screen adaptation of Sainsbury’s hit iHeartRadio true-crime parody podcast, made with the support of NZ On Air and the New Zealand Government’s Screen Production Rebate, Small Town Scandal dives into the eccentricities of rural life and our obsession with true crime.
The series follows Toby (Sainsbury), a disgraced journalist turned podcast host, who returns to his hometown of Te Hōiho only to discover the bizarre death of his millionaire uncle who was killed, suspiciously, by an automatic lawnmower.
As Toby digs deeper, he uncovers a web of secrets among the town’s quirky residents.
Sainsbury is joined by an all-star cast, including, Morgana O’Reilly (The White Lotus, Playing Gracie Darling), Felicity Kendal (The Good Life, Rosemary and Thyme), Alexander England (Offspring, How to Please a Woman), Loren Taylor (Eagle vs Shark), Peter Hambleton (Happiness), Tanea Heke (After the Party), with a guest appearance from Rose Matafeo (Starstruck).
Directed by Ghazaleh Gol and Calvin Sang, produced by Georgina Conder, (Red, White and Brass, Cousins), with executive producers Carthew Neal (Jojo Rabbit, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and Sainsbury (Loop Track), Small Town Scandal gives true crime a knowing makeover, blending mystery with mayhem at every turn.
Small Town Scandal will be available to stream on NEON and watch on Sky Comedy from 9 February 2026, with two episodes dropping weekly, and will air weekly on Sky Open from 24 March.
Interesting that a show part-funded by NZ on Air is running first on two pay-TV platforms (although I note that the FTA Sky Open channel gets to play it ~6 weeks later). — Dave.
Is that even legal? I thought NZ on Air content had to premiere on free to air before going behind a paywall? They need to tighten up the rules otherwise we end up subsidising paid platforms with taxpayers’ money. — Leo.
Exactly my concerns, Leo. NZ on Air has been on a slow but steady slippery slope for a few years of funding projects across FTA TV and digital which are not always freely accessible to the public from launch. — Dave.
I don’t believe that is the case any longer Leo – NZ On Air has moved with the times and sought out digital-first strategies with TV (with a mandated linear second window). You could probably argue even though it’s a paid platform, Neon has a bigger reach at this point than Sky Open, too. So it’s not a case of “needing to tighten up the rules”, it’s actually that the rules have been specifically created for cases like this. — Clint.
Hey, everyone, thanks for the excellent debate on this issue. Here’s NZOA’s response for you to ponder: “Sometimes multiplatform releases are not simultaneous due to platforms’ scheduling requirements and to avoid clashes with other NZ On Air-funded programmes. We do require NZ On Air-funded programmes to be available free for local audiences as soon as possible. Extremely rarely, on a case-by-case basis, we will consider a brief window on pay channels but this will depend on the strength of the business case and marketing plan the platform provides.”
Thanks for sourcing that response Philip. I can accept that provided they retain the requirement for govt-funded content to be freely available within a short period afterwards. (There are still some avid TV watchers like myself who largely fill their viewing schedules with FTA content :-) ) — Dave.
Cheers for clarifying this Philip, a part of me still reckons it should be free to air first before any paid platform but as you’ve pointed out this isn’t always practical. While we’re on Sky, is there any news Philip on Sky making Sky Open content available on the ThreeNow streaming platform? — Leo.
Nothing official yet re Sky Open content on ThreeNow, Leo, but don’t be surprised if there are moves toward this next year.
The waiting game begins. — Leo.