One Lane Bridge
| One Lane Bridge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre |
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| Created by | Pip Hall Philip Smith |
| Written by | Pip Hall |
| Directed by | Peter Burger |
| Starring | Joel Tobeck Alison Bruce |
| Composer | Claire Cowan |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 11 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Production companies | |
| Release | |
| Original release | April 20, 2020 |
One Lane Bridge is a New Zealand crime drama television series, premiering on TVNZ 1 in 2020. The series stars 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]
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[]
- as Ariki Davis
- Joel Tobeck as Stephen Tremaine
- Alison Bruce as Lois Tremaine
- Michelle Langstone as Charlotte McCrae
- Phil Brown as Mark 'Haggis' McCrae
- Nathalie Morris as Emma Ryder
- Alex Walker as Joe
- Phoebe McKellar as Tilly
- Jared Turner as Rob Ryder
Episodes[]
Series overview[]
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 20 April 2020 | 26 May 2020 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 15 August 2021 | 27 August 2021 | ||
Series 1 (2020)[]
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | N.Z. viewers (thousand) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Arrival" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 20 April 2020 | 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. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Denial" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 27 April 2020 | 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. | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Escape" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 4 May 2020 | 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. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Fall" | Danny Mulheron | Pip Hall | 11 May 2020 | 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. | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Acceptance" | Danny Mulheron | Pip Hall | 18 May 2020 | N/A | |
| When Ariki accepts his gift, things finally start fitting into place. | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Answers" | Danny Mulheron | Pip Hall | 25 May 2020 | 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 | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | N.Z. viewers (thousand) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Consequences" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 15 August 2021 | N/A | |
| Ariki embraces his gift and saves a life on One Lane Bridge, but soon after, another body is found. | |||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Vigil" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 22 August 2021 | N/A | |
| Blaming his visions for letting him down, Ariki fails to take heed when he's warned of another disaster. | |||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Faith" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 27 August 2021 | N/A | |
| Ariki gets too close to the prime suspects and jeopardises the case. | |||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Betrayal" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 27 August 2021 | N/A | |
| Ariki is thrown off guard when a long-held secret about the young murdered man comes to the surface. | |||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Bombshell" | Peter Burger | Pip Hall | 27 August 2021 | N/A | |
| Ariki makes an arrest, only to discover a new clue and a betrayal. | |||||||
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]
References[]
- ^ "About One Lane Bridge". www.tvnz.co.nz. TVNZ. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Best, Edison. Maori Religion and Mythology, Part 1. Wellington: A R Shearer. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Downes, Siobhan (12 August 2021). "The stars of One Lane Bridge share their favourite Queenstown finds". Stuff. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ Hopwood, Malcolm (23 April 2020). "A home for charmless people at least has decent scenery". Stuff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ McGregor, Catherine (28 April 2020). "Review: New Zealand murder mystery One Lane Bridge is beautiful but blank". The Spinoff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Croot, James. "One Lane Bridge: After 2020's finale fumble, TVNZ's Central Otago mystery is back". Stuff.co.nz. Stuff. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
- ^ Chandler, Philip (15 August 2019). "$7m crime drama to be shot in Queenstown". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ Chandler, Philip (14 April 2020). "Queenstown's starring role in crime drama". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ Chandler, Philip (17 September 2020). "'One Lane Bridge' 2.0". Mountain Scene. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "One Lane Bridge to Span Another Season | ScreenScribe". Retrieved 10 December 2021.
External links[]
- 2020 New Zealand television series debuts
- Television shows set in New Zealand