| Warren's Vortex | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Nick Ward Paul Yates |
| Written by | Rosie Howells Dana Leaming Jamie McCaskill Tom Sainsbury Nick Ward Paul Yates |
| Directed by | Tim Van Dammen Jason Stutter |
| Starring | Maaka Pohatu Milo Cawthorne Louise Jiang Millen Baird |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Paul Yates |
| Production locations | Lower Hutt, Wellington, NZ |
| Cinematography | Simon Tutty |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 6 x 23 minutes |
| Production company | Kitchen Table Productions (WV) Limited |
| Original release | |
| Network | TVNZ 2 |
| Release | 24 August 2025 |
| Related | |
| Wellington Paranormal What We Do in the Shadows | |
Warren's Vortex is a New Zealand science fiction comedy television series which is due to begin screening on 24 August 2025 on TVNZ 2. The series is in the same vein as the 2018 television series Wellington Paranormal , which itself is a spin-off of the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows . Unlike either of those productions, this series is a single camera narrative comedy.
The actor Maaka Pohatu, who has the title role of Warren, previously appeared as Police Sergeant Ruawai Maaka in Wellington Paranormal.
Warren Harrison is a husband and father, living in suburban New Zealand, who happens to have an interdimensional vortex in his shed. For the past twenty years, Warren has used it mainly to get rid of his garden rubbish. [1]
Lucy, his 18-year-old daughter, is sucked into the vortex and Warren follows her. The pair travel to a series of different future realities. [1] Several of the supporting cast play variations of their same character in different timelines. [2]
The series was created by Nick Ward and Paul Yates, both of whom were involved with Wellington Paranormal as directors and writers. [2] In July 2024, NZ On Air was announced that the production would receive $1,227,000 of funding, though the New Zealand Listener later gave the amount as $1,465.000. [2] [3] Filming of the main characters' house took place in the Lower Hutt suburb of Fairfield. [2]
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Desolation of Smugg" | Tim van Dammen | TBA | 24 August 2025 | |
Everyman Warren and his daughter Lucy are hurled through time to a world where intelligent refrigerators have taken over. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Detached from Reality" | Jason Stutter | TBA | 31 August 2025 | |
Warren and Lucy land in a world where every Kiwi backyard has been turned into a reality TV competition and the stakes are high: you lose, you die! | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Unreal Estate" | TBA | TBA | 7 September 2025 | |
| 4 | 4 | "Mombified" | Jason Stutter | Jamie McCaskill | 14 September 2025 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Mystery at Schrodinger Hall" | TBA | TBA | 21 September 2025 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Lost Forward" | Jason Stutter | TBA | 28 September 2025 | |
The series is due begin broadcasting on TVNZ 2 on 24 August 2025, with catch-up availability on TVNZ's streaming service TVNZ+. [4]