Soul Mates (TV series)

Last updated

Soul Mates
GenreComedy
Created by Christiaan Van Vuuren
Connor Van Vuuren
Nicholas Boshier
Written by Christiaan Van Vuuren
Connor Van Vuuren
Directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren
Connor Van Vuuren
Starring Christiaan Van Vuuren
Nicholas Boshier
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producersRick Kalowski
Greg Waters
Abe Forsythe
ProducerChloe Rickard
Running time29 mins
Production companiesVan Vuuren Bros and Ludo Production
Soul HQ
Release
Original network ABC2
Original release23 October 2014 (2014-10-23) 
7 September 2016 (2016-09-07)

Soul Mates is a 2014 Australian comedy series created by and starring Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nicholas Boshier, co-written by Van Vuuren's brother Connor Van Vuuren, screened on ABC2. It features the same characters, as friends who met in a different era, as Bondi Hipsters (2011). [1] [2]

Contents

Soul Mates follows the story of a couple of friends who are continually drawn together across the course of human history. In 2014, they are fashion-obsessed hipsters from Bondi Beach. In prehistoric times, they experience all of life's firsts as a couple of cavemen. In 1981 they are two New Zealand secret agents known as the Kiwi Assassins. In the year 2093 they are working in a time travel agency called Ticky Time Tours, tackling time travel conundrums. [3]

Previous online projects by Van Vuuren and Boshier include Bondi Hipsters , Beached Az , Trent from Punchy and The Fully Sick Rapper. [4]

Plot summary

Cavemen

Sticks (Boshier) and Rocky (Van Vuuren) are two cavemen, who tackle the new questions of prehistoric life. How do you find a woman? Is it alright to eat babies, or gods? They also tackle Rocky's self-destructive addictions to staring at the sun and spinning.

In the second series, Rocky returns and introduces the tribe to the concepts of capitalism, management, currency, banking and democracy.

Kiwi Assassins

Possum exterminator Terry Thinge (Boshier) is recruited by Mum (Rachel House), the head of New Zealand's Munustry of Dufinse, and paired with disgraced rugby player Roger Blade (Van Vuuren). Their first mission as the Kiwi Assassins is to convince a young actor named Russell Crowe to forsake Australia and return to his native New Zealand. Their next task is to restore New Zealand's dairy supremacy by infiltrating a farm where the Aussies claim to have invented "Fizzy Milk".

In the second series, Roger and Thinge go undercover at an Australian school whose rugby team has beaten the New Zealand Under-16s for several years in a row. Using an extract from the heart of Phar Lap, the school is enhancing and brainwashing Kiwi students into thinking they are Australian. Thinge's relationship with Mum and his step-son Roger is under strain, making Roger susceptible to Australian brainwashing.

Bondi Hipsters

Adrian "Aids" Archer (Boshier) and Dom Nader (Van Vuuren) are hipsters living together in Bondi. They are setting up a fashion label and seek yoga master Phoenix as their brand ambassador. Dom secretly works as a vacuum cleaner salesman at 'The Vacuum Guys', and their friendship and label are put in peril when Adrian finds out.

In the second series, Adrian has sworn off ever using "the fashion" again. When his and Dom's "closed cafe" concept fails, Adrian is tempted by a charismatic yoga teacher to exploit a shocking secret from Dom's past.

Time Travel Agency (Series 1)

Best mates Rob (Boshier) and Dave (Van Vuuren) work at a time travel agency called Travel Time Time Travel, and are planning to 'pitch' Time Tiki tours, an epic party across all the best parties in human history. Rob is given a promotion and promises it won't change him, but he returns upgraded to the terrifying cyborg Roboss 2000. A resentful Dave fetches himself from another timeline to be his new best mate, and their ensuing adventures result in the deaths of Hitler, Jesus and eventually Dave himself.

Ancient Egypt (Series 2)

Seti (Boshier) is the bastard son of Egyptian queen Hatshepsut, and the brother of the psychotic half-bird Thutmose. Assigned to construct a tomb for Thutmose, Seti works with a slave named Amram (Van Vuuren), who teaches him a thing or two and whom he comes to admire.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 623 October 2014 (2014-10-23)27 November 2014 (2014-11-27)
2 63 August 2016 (2016-08-03)7 September 2016 (2016-09-07)

Episodes

(Episode information retrieved from Australian Television Information Archive). [5] [6]

Series 1 (2014)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Death and Rebirth"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren23 October 2014 (2014-10-23)
22"Creation"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren30 October 2014 (2014-10-30)
33"Above and Beyond"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren6 November 2014 (2014-11-06)
44"Self Destruction"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren13 November 2014 (2014-11-13)
55"Father Time"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren20 November 2014 (2014-11-20)
66"Becoming"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren27 November 2014 (2014-11-27)

Series 2 (2016)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
71"Episode 1"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren3 August 2016 (2016-08-03)
82"Episode 2"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren10 August 2016 (2016-08-10)
93"Episode 3"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren17 August 2016 (2016-08-17)
104"Episode 4"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren24 August 2016 (2016-08-24)
115"Episode 5"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren31 August 2016 (2016-08-31)
126"Episode 6"Connor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van VuurenConnor Van Vuuren & Christiaan Van Vuuren7 September 2016 (2016-09-07)

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.

YearNominee / workAwardResultRef.
2015 "Fuhck the Bahnks" (by Bondi Hipsters) Best Comedy Release Nominated [7]

Related Research Articles

The 1985–1988 Rugby League World Cup was the ninth Rugby League World Cup tournament held and saw yet another change of format with competition stretched to cover almost three years. The national rugby league teams of Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea played each other on a home and away basis. These matches were fitted into the normal international programme of three-match test series between the nations, with a pre-designated match from each series counting as the world cup fixture. The tournament culminated in the 1988 Rugby League World Cup final.

Maxwell James Merritt was a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who was renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B. As leader of Max Merritt & The Meteors, his best known hits are "Slippin' Away", which reached No. 2 on the 1976 Australian singles charts, and "Hey, Western Union Man" which reached No. 13. Merritt rose to prominence in New Zealand from 1958 and relocated to Sydney, Australia, in December 1964. Merritt was acknowledged as one of the best local performers of the 1960s and 1970s and his influence did much to popularise soul music / R&B and rock in New Zealand and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punchbowl, New South Wales</span> Suburb of City of Canterbury-Bankstown, New South Wales, Australia

Punchbowl is a suburb south west of Sydney, 17 kilometres (11 mi) west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canterbury-Bankstown, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, Punchbowl had a population of 20,236.

Matthew John Ridge is a New Zealand television presenter, and a former rugby union and rugby league footballer.

Jarrod McCracken is a New Zealand former rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He is a former captain of the New Zealand national rugby league team and is the son of New Zealand rugby league international, Ken McCracken. McCracken played club football in Australia, captaining both the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers during his career which ended with a spear tackle which he successfully sued for. During his time in the game, McCracken was regarded as one of the hardest running and most damaging centres in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Blair</span> NZ international rugby league footballer

Adam Ngawati Blair is a New Zealand rugby league coach and former professional rugby league footballer who played as a prop, second-row forward and lock in the National Rugby League (NRL), and the New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori international teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Summertime (Thirsty Merc song)</span> 2005 single by Thirsty Merc

"In the Summertime" is a song by Australian rock group Thirsty Merc, released on 11 April 2005 as the third single from the band's self-titled debut album (2004). The track is a tribute to the Australian summer and is a reflection of the laidback Aussie lifestyle. The song reached number 43 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and is used as the theme song for the Australian television program Bondi Rescue. It was the band's first song to chart in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Issac Luke</span> New Zealand international rugby league footballer

Issac Luke is a former New Zealand professional rugby league footballer

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Sheridan</span> Australian actor and singer

Hugh Sheridan is an Australian actor, singer, and television presenter who is known for his role as Ben Rafter in the television series Packed to the Rafters. Sheridan is a four-time Logie Award winner, in the Logie Award for Most Popular Actor category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kieran Foran</span> New Zealand rugby league footballer

Kieran Foran is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who plays as a five-eighth or halfback for the Gold Coast Titans in the National Rugby League (NRL) and New Zealand at international level.

Beached Az is an animated cartoon series broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It is shown on both ABC1 and ABC2.

Christiaan Van Vuuren, known as The Fully Sick Rapper in his first video series, is an actor, writer, director and video blogger from Sydney, Australia. He often collaborates with his brother, Connor Van Vuuren, and their YouTube channel is called Van Vuuren Bros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reece Mastin</span> English-Australian singer-songwriter

Reece Mastin is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of The X Factor Australia in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single "Good Night" reached number one in Australia and New Zealand, and became Sony Music Australia's fastest-selling digital single. Mastin's self-titled debut album debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified double platinum. His second studio album Beautiful Nightmare (2012) included the hit singles "Shut Up & Kiss Me" and "Shout It Out", the latter became Mastin's second number-one single in Australia. "Good Night" and "Shout It Out" earned him two ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards. In 2015, Mastin parted ways with Sony and signed with independent label Social Family Records. His third studio album Change Colours was released in October 2015, and debuted at number 12. In 2018, Reece released a new EP titled Suitcase of Stories under the name MASTIN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Tuivasa-Sheck</span> New Zealand rugby union player

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is a New Zealand dual-code rugby international footballer who currently plays for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League. In 2018, Tuivasa-Sheck became the first Warriors player to win the Dally M Medal.

The 2013 Rugby League World Cup final was the conclusive game of the 2013 Rugby League World Cup tournament and was played between New Zealand and Australia on 30 November 2013 at Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Australia won the final by 34 points to 2 in front of a sell-out crowd, finishing the tournament undefeated. They reclaimed the cup from New Zealand, who had defeated them in the 2008 final. The Kangaroos won the Rugby League World Cup for the tenth time, and the first time since 2000. Their five-eighth, Johnathan Thurston was named man-of-the-match.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peta Hiku</span> NZ international rugby league footballer

Peta Hiku is a New Zealand rugby league footballer who plays as a centre, winger and fullback for Hull KR in the Betfred Super League, and New Zealand and the New Zealand Māori at international level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trent from Punchy</span> Fictional character

Trent from Punchy is a fictional YouTube celebrity. Trent first appeared in a YouTube video entitled Trent from Punchy, in a reference to the Western Sydney suburb of Punchbowl on 1 February 2008. The video purported Trent to be a real character, who was found by filmmakers at Punchbowl railway station and offered $20 in order to be interviewed on camera. Trent's antics and language gained notoriety, enabling the video to become a viral sensation.

Nicholas Boshier is an Australian actor. Boshier gained fame after he was revealed to be the actor portraying YouTube celebrity Trent from Punchy, a character whom the film's director Anthony MacFarlane had previously lied about and insisted was genuine. Boshier went on to develop the cartoon Beached Az along with Macfarlane and Jarod Green, with Boshier voicing the main character of the whale. In 2014 he starred alongside Christiaan Van Vuuren in the series Soul Mates; Boshier and Van Vuuren had previously collaborated on the web series Bondi Hipsters.

Connor Van Vuuren is an Australian stuntman, writer, actor, and director. He co-wrote and co-directed the TV mini-series Bondi Hipsters with his brother Christiaan Van Vuuren. He has created, written, directed and starred in two seasons of ABC's Soul Mates series in 2014 and 2016 as Phoenix with his brother and Nicholas Boshier, and as a stunt actor in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), and The Wolverine (2013).

References

  1. "ABC-TV unveils 2014 slate". If.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  2. Dale, David (19 October 2014). "Bondi Hipsters become Soul Mates in new time-travel show". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  3. "You'll be loving every minute of ABC TV in 2014". About.abc.net.au. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  4. "ABC2: 2014 highlights". Tvtonight.com. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  5. "Episode Guide: Soul Mates - season 1". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  6. "Episode Guide: Soul Mates - season 2". australiantelevision.net. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  7. "ARIA Awards Best Comedy Release". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 17 April 2022.