One Lane Bridge

Last updated

One Lane Bridge
One Lane Bridge titlecard.jpg
Genre
Created by Pip Hall
Philip Smith
Written byPip Hall
Directed byPeter Burger
Starring Dominic Ona-Ariki
Joel Tobeck
Alison Bruce
ComposerClaire Cowan
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes16
Production
Executive producers
  • Philip Smith
  • Kathleen Anderson
Production companies
Original release
Release20 April 2020 (2020-04-20)

One Lane Bridge is a New Zealand crime drama television series, premiering on TVNZ 1 in 2020. The series stars Dominic Ona-Ariki as Ariki Davis, a newcomer detective, Joel Tobeck as Stephen Tremaine, his superior, and Alison Bruce as Tremaine's wife, Lois. The show follows events around the latest in a mysterious chain of deaths which have occurred on a one-lane bridge near the town of Queenstown. [1] The series is also notable for its inclusion of aspects of Māori spirituality as a core part of the plot, such as the notion of matakite, roughly equivalent to divination. [2]

Contents

The series was filmed primarily in Queenstown and its surrounding area, with the eponymous bridge located over the Dart River / Te Awa Whakatipu near the township of Glenorchy, approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of Queenstown. Other filming locations include the Queenstown waterfront and areas around the nearby town of Arrowtown. [3]

One Lane Bridge premiered in April 2020 on TVNZ 1, in the middle of New Zealand's first lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic. The show was met with mixed reviews, with Stuff's Malcolm Hopwood describing the characters as "tight-lipped, charmless, one-dimensional people" [4] and the Spinoff's Catherine McGregor saying that the writing of the series "fails to live up to the drama of its breathtaking location". [5] Stuff's James Croot was more positive, describing season 1 as "an engrossing, evocative, supernatural-tinged detective drama, a Central Otago-set Kiwi answer to Scandi-Noir complete with terrific performances from a well-assembled ensemble." [6]

Cast

Episodes

Series overview

SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 620 April 2020 (2020-04-20)26 May 2020 (2020-05-26)
2 515 August 2021 (2021-08-15)27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)
3 57 November 2022 (2022-11-07)7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)

Series 1 (2020)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateN.Z. viewers
(thousand)
11"Arrival"Peter Burger Pip Hall 20 April 2020 (2020-04-20)N/A
When new arrival Detective Ariki Davis investigates a tragic death at Queenstown's treacherous one lane bridge, he inadvertently unleashes a mysterious gift.
22"Denial"Peter BurgerPip Hall27 April 2020 (2020-04-27)N/A
Ariki is in complete denial about the terrifying presence that is invading his life. Meanwhile, the Ryder family implodes under the strain of mourning their loved one and unsettling truths come to light.
33"Escape"Peter BurgerPip Hall4 May 2020 (2020-05-04)N/A
Ariki makes bad choices in an attempt to escape his demons. Meanwhile, frustrated with the investigation's lack of progress, the locals deal out some vigilante justice of their own.
44"Fall"Danny MulheronPip Hall11 May 2020 (2020-05-11)N/A
Stephen is put under pressure when Lois is brought in for official questioning. Meanwhile, Ariki's inappropriate behaviour jeopardises both his professional career and the case.
55"Acceptance"Danny MulheronPip Hall18 May 2020 (2020-05-18)N/A
When Ariki accepts his gift, things finally start fitting into place.
66"Answers"Danny MulheronPip Hall25 May 2020 (2020-05-25)N/A
Ariki uncovers the answers, but not the truth, as his gift helps him solve the final piece of the puzzle.

Series 2 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateN.Z. viewers
(thousand)
71"Consequences"Peter BurgerPip Hall15 August 2021 (2021-08-15)N/A
Ariki embraces his gift and saves a life on One Lane Bridge, but soon after, another body is found.
82"Vigil"Peter BurgerPip Hall22 August 2021 (2021-08-22)N/A
Blaming his visions for letting him down, Ariki fails to take heed when he's warned of another disaster.
93"Faith"Peter BurgerPip Hall27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)N/A
Ariki gets too close to the prime suspects and jeopardises the case.
104"Betrayal"Peter BurgerPip Hall27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)N/A
Ariki is thrown off guard when a long-held secret about the young murdered man comes to the surface.
115"Bombshell"Peter BurgerPip Hall27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)N/A
Ariki makes an arrest, only to discover a new clue and a betrayal.

Series 3 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
series
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateN.Z. viewers
(thousand)
121"Shake Up"Robert SarkiesPip Hall7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)N/A
With the arrival of a staunch new boss, and his integrity as a cop brought into question, Ariki's life gets a massive shake up.
132"No Distractions"Robert SarkiesPip Hall7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)N/A
Tricky work politics and personal secrets make it difficult for Ariki to focus on the murder investigation.
143"Crash & Burn"Robert SarkiesPip Hall7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)N/A
Pressure explodes as Ariki’s personal and professional lives collide.
154"Buckle Up"Caroline Bell-BoothPip Hall7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)N/A
Things get bumpy for Ariki and Tilly as locals throw their weight and privilege around.
165"Lost & Found"Caroline Bell-BoothPip Hall7 November 2022 (2022-11-07)N/A
Ariki closes in on all the answers, but did he turn his back on One Lane Bridge too soon?

Production

Season 1 of One Lane Bridge was filmed over three months in late 2019 by Great Southern Television, entirely on location in the Queenstown area. The series initially had a budget of NZ$7 million, which was supported through funding from NZ on Air, Australia's Seven Network, and All3Media. [7] [8] Filming for season 2 took place over 10 weeks in February 2021, on a slightly smaller budget of $6 million. Queenstown mayor Jim Boult has been vocally supportive of the series, having written a letter of support to help secure funding for the production of the show's second season. [9]

In September 2021, TVNZ announced that One Lane Bridge had been renewed for a third season and pledged up to $5,945,400 for this, which it said would "build on the previous season's talent development opportunities across directing, production, and script writing for local and emerging practitioners." [10] Season three premiered on TVNZ1 on 7 November 2022, with all episodes in the series available for streaming on TVNZ's online platform TVNZ+ at the same point.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenstown, New Zealand</span> Resort town in New Zealands South Island

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It has an urban population of 29,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highlanders (rugby union)</span> New Zealand professional rugby union team

The Highlanders is a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Dunedin that compete in Super Rugby. The team was formed in 1996 to represent the lower South Island in the newly formed Super 12 competition, and includes the Otago, North Otago and Southland unions. The Highlanders take their name from the Scottish immigrants that founded the Otago, North Otago, and Southland regions in the 1840s and 1850s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arrowtown</span> Town in Otago, New Zealand

Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River approximately 7.5 km from State Highway 6. Arrowtown is located 19.5 kilometres to the east of Queenstown. As well as the route via State Highway 6 at Arrow Junction, there is also road access directly to Queenstown via Arthurs Point and a third route via the picturesque Lake Hayes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Wakatipu</span> Lake in the South Island of New Zealand

Lake Wakatipu is an inland lake in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. Lake Wakatipu comes from the original Māori name Whakatipu wai-māori.

Leigh Hart is a New Zealand comedian, radio announcer and performance artist who is also known as "That Guy". He has made various appearances on New Zealand television, including SportsCafe and his own show, Moon TV.

Jason Hoyte is a New Zealand screen and voice actor and radio DJ. He has at least 25 television shows to his credit and is best known for his roles as Steve Mudgeway in Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby and Malcolm "Smudge" in Nothing Trivial. He is also known for starring in the film The Insatiable Moon, and starred as Franklin Corke in the New Zealand Comedy/Drama Outrageous Fortune.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenstown Events Centre</span> Sports complex

Queenstown Events Centre, John Davies Oval, or Davies Park is a multi-purpose sports complex and stadium in Queenstown, Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand.

Jacob Duffy is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Otago. Duffy made his senior debut in an HRV Cup match against Northern Districts in January 2012. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in December 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamish Dodd</span> New Zealand interior designer and television and radio presenter

Hamish Morley Dodd is a New Zealand celebrity interior designer, television and radio presenter. He is most notable for appearing on the New Zealand television show My House My Castle, as the interior designer. The show aired for ten years, from 1999 until the final season in 2009.

Cole McConchie is a New Zealand cricketer who plays for Canterbury as an all-rounder. He made his international debut for the New Zealand cricket team in September 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Smith (producer)</span>

Philip Smith is a New Zealand film and television writer and producer. He is the founder and owner of Australasian media company, Great Southern Television, with offices in Sydney, Auckland and Queenstown.

Joel Tobeck is an actor known for his roles in the television series Tangle, The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Xena Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, and Young Hercules and Sons of Anarchy. In 2016 Tobeck began performing as the demon Baal on the show Ash vs Evil Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamish McDouall</span> New Zealand politician

Hamish McDouall is a New Zealand local government politician and a former mayor of Whanganui. He is a member of the New Zealand Labour Party.

Filthy Rich is a New Zealand comedy drama television series created by Rachel Lang and Gavin Strawhan. It premiered on 15 February 2016 on TVNZ 2. The show revolves around three illegitimate half siblings who discover they have a claim to a fortune to one of the wealthiest men in New Zealand, John Truebridge. When he dies these unwanted heirs stand to share in his legacy but not if his legitimate family has anything to do with it.

<i>Grand Designs New Zealand</i> New Zealand TV series or programme

Grand Designs New Zealand is a New Zealand television series. It is based on the British television series Grand Designs and it was originally presented by the architect Chris Moller and aired on TV3. It began airing in New Zealand on 4 October 2015.

<i>The Luminaries</i> (miniseries) New Zealand television series

The Luminaries is a 2020 drama television miniseries written by Eleanor Catton and directed by Claire McCarthy. The series is centred on a young adventurer named Anna Wetherell, who has travelled from the United Kingdom to start a new life in New Zealand during the 1860s West Coast Gold Rush.

<i>Taskmaster</i> (New Zealand TV series) New Zealand comedy panel game show

Taskmaster New Zealand is a New Zealand comedy panel game show, first broadcast in 2020 on TVNZ 2. The format for the show was created by British comedian Alex Horne during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and was subsequently developed into a successful UK television show in 2015.

The Panthers is a New Zealand drama television miniseries created and executive produced by Halaifonua Finau and Tom Hern in association with Four Knights Film studio. Set during the 1970s, the series focuses on the emergence of the Polynesian Panthers against the backdrop of the controversial dawn raids. The series was released by public broadcaster TVNZ on 15 August on TVNZ 1 and TVNZ On Demand. The series starred Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as Polynesian Panthers leader Will Ilolahia, and was written by Tom Hern and Halaifonua Finau.

Creamerie is a black comedy web series from New Zealand that launched in 2021 on TVNZ OnDemand. It explores a world in which nearly all men have died from a virus, and three friends, played by Perlina Lau, J.J. Fong, and Ally Xue, run a dairy farm under the watchful eye of Wellness, the local governing body. The series was created by Lau, Fong, Xue, and director Roseanne Liang.

The 2023 southern New Zealand floods were caused by heavy rain that struck the southern part of New Zealand's South Island on 21 September 2023. This storm caused flooding in several places across the Southland and Otago regions including Gore and Queenstown. 100 homes were evacuated in Queenstown and Tuatapere's water treatment plant was damaged. A state of emergency was declared in the Southland Region. In addition, a state of emergency was declared in Queenstown on 22 September, which recorded its wettest day in 24 years.

References

  1. "About One Lane Bridge". www.tvnz.co.nz. TVNZ. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  2. Best, Edison. Maori Religion and Mythology, Part 1. Wellington: A R Shearer. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  3. Downes, Siobhan (12 August 2021). "The stars of One Lane Bridge share their favourite Queenstown finds". Stuff. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  4. Hopwood, Malcolm (23 April 2020). "A home for charmless people at least has decent scenery". Stuff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. McGregor, Catherine (28 April 2020). "Review: New Zealand murder mystery One Lane Bridge is beautiful but blank". The Spinoff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  6. Croot, James (15 August 2021). "One Lane Bridge: After 2020's finale fumble, TVNZ's Central Otago mystery is back". Stuff.co.nz. Stuff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  7. Chandler, Philip (15 August 2019). "$7m crime drama to be shot in Queenstown". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  8. Chandler, Philip (14 April 2020). "Queenstown's starring role in crime drama". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  9. Chandler, Philip (17 September 2020). "'One Lane Bridge' 2.0". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
  10. "One Lane Bridge to Span Another Season | ScreenScribe". 24 September 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2021.