New to TVNZ OnDemand in 2022

Here are the TVNZ blurbs for some of the series destined for TVNZ OnDemand in 2022:

Bel-Air

Set in modern-day America, highly anticipated drama series Bel-Air is a contemporary retelling of the beloved and culture defining 90’s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Starring newcomer Jabari Banks as Will, Bel-Air leans into the original premise – Will’s complicated journey from the streets of West Philadelphia to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. With a reimagined vision, Bel-Air will dive deeper into the inherent conflicts, emotions and biases that were impossible to fully explore in a 30-minute sitcom format, while still delivering swagger and nods to the original show.

Produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television, Bel-Air also stars Adrian Holmes, (At That Age), Cassandra Freeman (The Enemy Within), Olly Sholotan (Run Hide Fight), Coco Jones (Let it Shine), Akira Akbar (We Can Be Heroes), Jimmy Akingbola (Most Dangerous Game), Jordan L. Jones (Rel), and Simone Joy Jones (The Chair).

Joe Exotic (working title)

Hotly anticipated drama series Joe Exotic (w/t), stars John Cameron Mitchell as its eponymous character, and Saturday Day Night Live’s Kate McKinnon as Carole Baskin.

Based on the Wondery podcast ‘Joe Exotic’, hosted and reported by Robert Moor, the limited drama series centres on Carole Baskin, a big cat enthusiast, who learns that fellow exotic animal lover Joe “Exotic” Schreibvogel is breeding and using his big cats for profit. She sets out to shut down his venture, inciting a quickly escalating rivalry. But Carole has a checkered past of her own and when the claws come out, Joe will stop at nothing to expose what he sees as her hypocrisy. The results prove dangerous. 

In addition to McKinnon and Mitchell, the show stars: William Fichtner (Mom), Brian Van Holt (Deputy), Sam Keeley (Misfits), Natt Wolff (Palo Alto), Dean Winters (Oz), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Marlo Kelly (Dare Me), Joel Marsh Garland (Orange Is the New Black), and Lex Mayson (Batwoman).

Kid Sister 

A spinster at 29? Meet Lulu. 

Lulu is a young Kiwi woman in her prime, but in the Jewish world she is careening towards ‘spinster’. As her 29^th birthday inches closer, Lulu’s parents’ attempts at pushing her off the shelf into the arms of a nice Jewish boy leave her clinging on for dear life. But in a city like Auckland, at the far end of the diaspora, this isn’t so simple and in fact Lulu has just found out she’s pregnant to her on-again off-again very non-Jewish boyfriend, Ollie. 

Faced with a brother and sister-in-law desperate to be parents but struggling to conceive – she needs to make some big calls and fast. As Lulu digs herself deeper and deeper into a ‘shituation’, she is forced to face the question she’s been avoiding her entire adult life: how can she do what she wants while also making everyone happy?

Kid Sister is a personal comedy about the joys and troubles that arise when old-world meets new.

Made with the support of NZ On Air.

O’Town Dreaming 

Ōtara, home to the world’s largest Polynesian population. Comprised of Māori and Pasifika families, many of whom arrived in the suburb in the 1970s seeking affordable housing as Auckland’s inner-city gentrified.

O’Town Dreaming is an eight-part series that profiles Ōtara youth trying to play music, sing, and rap  their way to a better future. Youth trying to live their artistic dreams as they aspire to big stages and to use their talents to uplift and support their community one performance, one song, one  lyric at a time. 

The series will powerfully distill the lives of our talented artists against the backdrop of their urban backyard. Learning about their home lives, the challenges of the streets, the inevitable temptations that come their way as they try to gig, write, record, dance and preach their way to their respective dreams.

Made with the support of NZ On Air.

Shortland Street: Retribution

This year, Shortland Street’s gritty TVNZ OnDemand series Shortland Street: Retribution follows a pregnant Esther as she heads to Christchurch to surprise the love of her life – Curtis.

On arrival, she is shocked to discover that he is firmly entrenched in the dark and criminal world of the Iron Dogs gang.

The story of Esther and Curtis has been much loved by Shortland Street fans for years. Now, with a baby on the way – will the couple finally have their happy ending?

Or at what point does an undercover officer stop being a cop, and become a criminal himself?

Starring Ngahuia Piripi (Esther), Jayden Daniels (Curtis) and Reuben Milner (Jack Hannah), alongside well-known New Zealand faces Tammy Davis (Outrageous Fortune), Turia Schmidt-Peke (Ahikaroa) and Pana Hema-Taylor (Westside).

Shortland Street: Retribution will screen exclusively on TVNZ OnDemand over summer.

The Social Media Virgin

How hard is it to get a million (real) followers on social media? The team behind TVNZ OnDemand’s Who Killed Lucy the Poodle? are about to find out.  

Social media nobody Kent Briggs is on a mission to get an online following of a million people, then, delete it all. But, if he’s successful will he be able to delete his new empire? And, after years of being social media free – how will he cope with the tweets, DMs, likes, and constant hours spent scrolling?

With the help of famous Kiwi faces on the social media scene, Kent is hoping they’ll get him savvy in no time to what audiences want. Plus – a little cross-sharing on their pages wouldn’t hurt his following, right?

Willing to try anything for followers, this social media virgin is about to find out how hard it is to become InstaFamous in 2022. 

The Tourist

In the glowing red heart of the Australian outback, a British man (Jamie Dornan) is pursued by a vast tank truck trying to drive him off the road. 

An epic cat-and-mouse chase unfolds and the man later wakes in hospital, hurt, but somehow alive. Except he has no idea who he is. With merciless figures from his past pursuing him, The Man’s search for answers propels him through the vast and unforgiving outback. 

Will he unlock the secrets of his identify before those who are trying to kill him catch up with him?

TVNZ Dating Show 

New Zealand’s hottest new dating show is brand-new, in 2022! 

A group of sexy singles will head to a tropical island getaway in the search of love, or like, and a massive cash prize! But who will have the strategy to make it in this competition? 

Actress and television presenter Shavaughn Ruakere will turn up the heat as the show’s host. 

Since her television debut as an 18-year-old on What Now, Shavaughn has starred in many local and international productions including Shortland Street, River Queen and Sione’s Wedding.

Shavaughn’s brash sense of humour and quick wit has also been a hit on 7 Days and will be put to good use in this cheeky and humorous entertainment format.

Further information on this new series’ title and format will be revealed at a later date.

When Bob Came

Change can happen in a moment. Sometimes it’s something big: A war, a pandemic, or a leap in technology – but sometimes it’s as simple as a gig in a muddy field that changes everything. When Bob Marley played his first and only New Zealand concert on Monday, 16th April 1979 at Auckland’s Western Springs, the reverberations continued across generations. Marley didn’t just perform; he spoke to the nation in interviews that addressed social inequity and rallied for change.

When Bob Came is a six-part factual series that explores Bob’s enduring social and musical impact on Aotearoa and the seismic changes Aotearoa went through in the 70s and 80s through the eyes of those that were impacted by Bob’s philosophies, music and existence. With Bob’s message of anti-colonial self-determination as relevant today as ever, this series links the past to the present, and celebrates Bob’s enduring importance over a half dozen funny and compelling episodes.

Made with the support of NZ On Air.

Returning next year will be:

RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under 

Start your engines Aotearoa, your queen is back and looking to add to the royal family. 

The Emmy® Award winning series RuPaul’s Drag Race is returning Down Under for a second season, hosted by executive producer RuPaul Charles. 

Following the popular format, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under will see queens serving high fashion realness, mini and maxi challenges, shady and heartfelt moments in the workroom, and of course, the all-important lip-sync for your life battles.

Will another Kiwi follow in our reigning queen, Kita Mean’s footsteps, or will it be Australia’s time to Shantay and stay? 

Kura S3: Billy-John and his best mate Hotene continue to navigate the life and times of Papakura, South Auckland. Made with the support of NZ on Air.

Killing Eve 4: The multiple award-winning drama following an epic cat-and-mouse chase and mutual obsession between a stylish but psychopathic assassin and the MI5 agent tasked with tracking her down.

Alex Rider 2: Based on the popular book series, season two sees Alex Rider is adjusting to life in a shadowy offshoot of MI6 known as The Department. 

The Capture 2: Can we really believe what we see? The tenacious DI Rachel Carey returns to tackle a new case where the truth is a matter of perspective.

Smother 2: The Ahern family return, but a new arrival in Lahinch will shake things up for Val and her family. As the newcomer uncovers deeply hidden family secrets, will this finally break up the family Val has fought so hard to protect? 

The Secrets She Keeps 2: Season two kicks off from where we left. After kidnapping baby Ben and passing him off as her own, Agatha was arrested after Meghan bravely confronted her to retrieve her newborn. But what about Meghan’s own secret? Who is Ben’s father? And what of Jack’s infidelity? This story is only beginning.

Roswell, New Mexico 4: Ten years after leaving her hometown, Liz Ortecho returns to Roswell, New Mexico, where she discovers aliens have been living undetected, trying to keep their unearthly abilities hidden from the world.

Transplant 2: Dr. Bashir ‘Bash’ Hamed lands a coveted residency in the Emergency Department of one of the best hospitals in Toronto after fleeing Syria with his younger sister Amira. Together they must rebuild their lives and relationships in their new home.

Girls5eva 2: When a one-hit-wonder girl group from the 90s is sampled by a young rapper, its members reunite to give their pop star dreams one more shot. They may be grown women, but can’t they also be Girls5eva?

The Orville 3: From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane, The Orville Is a live-action, one-hour space adventure series set 400 years in the future that follows The Orville, a mid-level exploratory spaceship. Its crew, both human and alien, face the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of everyday life.