TVNZ to Unlock Kiwi Crime Drama

New Kiwi drama The Gone, which fuses Maori and Irish culture, is going to TVNZ+ the same month it premieres on TVNZ 1.

The network will air the NZ-Ireland co-pro, which stars Grey’s Anatomy’s Richard Flood, weekly while all six episodes will land May 7 on TVNZ+.

Filmed on the Hauraki Plains and in Ireland, it was made with support from Te Puna Kairangi, the New Zealand Government’s Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund and New Zealand’s Screen Production Grant, Screen Ireland/Fís Éireann, NZ on Air and the BAI Sound & Vision Fund.

Flood plays Theo Richter, an Irish detective who teams with Kiwi cop Diana Huia (Under the Vines’ Acushla-Tara Kupe) to find a young Irish couple who have vanished from an infamous rural North Island town.

Amidst the search and a race against time, the pair must contend with a community’s growing disquiet that the disappearances may be linked to a series of historical murders.

The series was written by Michael Bennett (In Dark Places, Better the Blood the novel) and Anna McPartlin (Striking Out, Holby City) while  Peter Meteherangi Tikao Burger (One Lane Bridge, Until Proven Innocent) and Hannah Quinn (Vikings Valhalla) directed.

“The Gone transports us to a picturesque small town with characters and storylines that reflect how culturally unique Aotearoa is,” producer Reikura Kahi says.

“Te reo Māori is weaved organically through the series, reflective of a nation which is on a journey towards embracing the Māori language.”