Underbelly NZ Bows Today on DVD

The DVD of Underbelly NZ: Land of the Long Green Cloud went on sale today less than 12 hours after last night’s series finale.

The turnaround from primetime to shopfront is unprecedented — and partly why the HD series isn’t being released simultaneously on Blu-ray.

Roadshow Entertainment general manager John Davie says a Blu-ray was considered, but a tight production schedule made it impossible.

“We wanted to release the title as close as possible to the final television broadcast.”

However, it’s possible a Blu-ray of the series will be offered as part of an Underbelly box set under consideration for Christmas release.

Meanwhile, also out this week is the DVD of another local HD drama, Billy, and expect the last of this year’s NZ Sunday Theatre dramas, Rage, to bow on DVD next month or in November (Bliss and Tangiwai: A Love Story were released earlier this month).

The DVD of Wild Coasts With Craig Potton, which was shot in HD but broadcast in SD on Prime, comes out on October 5 and TV One’s HD drama, Nothing Trivial, is due on October 19, a week after its season finale.