One Lane Bridge

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]

One Lane Bridge
Genre
Created byPip Hall
Philip Smith
Written byPip Hall
Directed byPeter Burger
StarringDominic 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
Release
Original release20 April 2020 (2020-04-20)

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
  • Dominic Ona-Ariki as Ariki Davis
  • Joel Tobeck as Stephen Tremaine
  • Alison Bruce as Lois Tremaine
  • Alex Walker as Joe
  • Phoebe McKellar as Tilly
  • Michelle Langstone as Charlotte McCrae (Seasons 1–2)
  • Phil Brown as Mark 'Haggis' McCrae (Seasons 1–2)
  • Nathalie Morris as Emma Ryder (Seasons 1–2)
  • Jared Turner as Rob Ryder (Seasons 1–2)
  • Nicola Kānawa as Pounamu Edwards (Season 3)
  • Roxie Mohebbi as Frankie Azad (Season 3)

Episodes

Series overview
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1620 April 2020 (2020-04-20)26 May 2020 (2020-05-26)
2515 August 2021 (2021-08-15)27 August 2021 (2021-08-27)
357 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 BurgerPip Hall20 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.

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.
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