Outrageous Fortune (TV series)

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Outrageous Fortune

Season 1 and 2 cast of Outrageous Fortune: from left, Jethro, Tracy, Munter, Van, Eric, Wolf, Cheryl, Loretta, Ted, Pascalle, Judd.
Format Drama, Comedy
Created by James Griffin
Rachel Lang
Developed by South Pacific Pictures
Starring See Cast and characters below
Opening theme Gutter Black, Hello Sailor
Ending theme Gutter Black, Hello Sailor
Country of origin Flag of New Zealand New Zealand
No. of episodes 52 (including 2-hour movie, as of 11 December 2007)
Production
Executive
producer(s)		 James Griffin
Rachel Lang
Simon Bennett
Running time 42 mins. (approx)
Broadcast
Original channel TV3
Picture format 576i (SDTV),
720p (HDTV)
Audio format Stereo
Original run 2005-03-12 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Outrageous Fortune is a New Zealand television comedy/drama series, produced by South Pacific Pictures in 2005 and shown by TV3 on Tuesday nights. The show has currently finished airing its third season.

The Nine Network in Australia previously screened Season 1 during the summer of 2006. In 2007, rival, Network Ten picked up the second season and began airing it on the 16 November 2007 at 10:30, however Channel Nine resumed screening the remaining unaired episodes from Season One during December 2007. No Australian Free To Air network is airing Outrageous Fortune at the present time. Foxtel channel Arena are going to air Season 3 for the first time on Australian TV.

The central plot is that a family of criminals decide to go straight after the father is jailed. Like the show itself, episodes take their names from Shakespeare quotations. The main characters each walk a fine line between right and wrong according to their respective values - the law, the criminal code of honour, loyalty to family, and respectability.

Contents

[edit] Cast and Characters

[edit] Main Characters

nb. - Grant Bowler left the show as a main cast member in the season two finale (and was in fact absent from much of season two despite being credited in the opening titles), and was absent for most of season three, appearing at the tail-end and subsequently being re-introduced into the opening credits.

[edit] Current Recurring Characters

  • Tyler-Jane Mitchel as Sheree (Season 3 - )
  • Tammy Davis as Munter (Season 1 -)
  • Kirk Torrance as Detective Sergeant Wayne Judd (Season 1 -)
  • David Fane as Falani (Season 1 -)
  • Nicole Whippy as Kasey (Season 1 -)
  • Aaron Jeffrey as Gary Savage (Season 3 -)

[edit] Former Recurring Characters

  • Shane Cortese as Hayden Peters (Season 2 - 3)
  • Claire Chitham as Aurora Bay (Season 2 - 3)
  • Brian Sergent as Eric (Season 1 - 2)
  • Trevor Sai Louie as Mr Hong (Season 1 - 2)
  • Michelle Ang as Tracy Hong (Season 1 - 2)
  • Katrina Browne as Caroline Darling (Season 1 - 2)
  • Josephine Davison as Suzy Hong (Season 1 - 2)

[edit] Season Synopses

[edit] Season One (2005)

When career criminal Wolf West is jailed for four years for assorted criminal acts, wife Cheryl makes the decision that the family will move out of the crime business and get honest employment. Wolf is not pleased about this, but there's not much he can do from jail. Cheryl is initially disillusioned by her attempts at earning a legal living, but she and a couple of her friends start a business called "Hoochie Mama" making and selling sexy underwear.

Cheryl and Wolf have four children. Jethro has already set himself up with an honest career: he's just graduated law school and has a job with a law firm, although he wasn't entirely upfront with his employers about his ethnic background (he claims he is half-Maori at the end of his job interview). His identical twin brother Van (who was trapped in a freezer as a child, and is somewhat slower than Jethro) severely offends the Hong family who might be linked to the Triads, and works as their pool boy to repay his debt. Both the mother and daughter (Tracy) of the Hong family had designs on Van. The mother may be carrying Van's child, it is later revealed that the child is his and is a girl named Jasmine.

Pascalle, the eldest daughter, wants to become a model, and is trying to raise money to pay for the shots that an unscrupulous photographer has taken of her. At the opening of the series, she is forcibly removed from the offices of Work and Income New Zealand, after her attempt at applying for an advance on her unemployment benefit to finance further modelling shots was rejected. Male staff tried to keep the raunchy photos she presented in support of her application, and she reacted explosively.

Loretta is the younger daughter. She is bored by school and blackmailing the deputy principal, who she caught having an affair with Jethro some years earlier when he was her student. Loretta has a significant entrepreneurial talent and shares her family's lack of respect for the law. She is interested in film and spends most of her time at a video shop, although she doesn't officially work there.

The final member of the family is Ted West, Wolf's father, who has Alzheimer's disease, but also has significant periods of lucidity. When he was young, he was a safe cracker, and had unconventional relationships with his late wife Rita (for whom he frequently mistakes Loretta), and others. He has a good heart but only Loretta can see it, besides Wolf, Loretta is the only one in family that can relate to him.

Over the course of the season, Detective Sergeant Judd, who is responsible for Wolf's imprisonment, develops an attraction to Cheryl, who is torn between her determination to live the straight life and her love for her family and Wolf.

[edit] Season Two (2006)

In series two, Wolf has been released on home detention. He has no intention of keeping to Cheryl's new rules on life. Judd is determined to tear him away from Cheryl, and attempts to entice Wolf to break his parole so that he is returned to prison.

Pascalle's dream of modelling has faded, and her plans revolve around the proposal that she is sure her boyfriend Hayden is just about to make. Hayden is the son of a former associate of Wolf's, and offers Wolf a job as a "future planner" in Hayden's company. Wolf's parole officer approves, but the enterprise may not be strictly legitimate.

Jethro has his own law practice. Tracy Hong has become Jethro's girlfriend and an investor in Hoochie Mama. Van is reunited with Aurora Bay; they were briefly together as teenagers before Aurora lost her virginity to Jethro in a case of mistaken identity (She thought he was Van). She now lives with a motorcycle gang, the Horsemen. Jethro is increasingly drawn into Wolf and Hayden's business, and represents many of Wolf's former associates. Van volunteers to help when he hears that the Horsemen are the target of their future plans.

After her blackmail fails, Loretta arranges to be expelled from school, but Wolf insists she attend a Catholic school. Loretta is paying someone else to attend as her.

As the season progresses, Judd and Cheryl rekindle their affair and Wolf goes missing after learning of the affair and robbing the Horsemen. Aurora convinces her boyfriend (the leader of the Horsemen) to let her go so she can be with Van and she moves in with the Wests. Pascalle and Hayden break up and Hayden goes after the true object of his desire, Loretta and the two begin a secret affair.

Pascalle eventually finds herself a new calling when she begins working at a retirement home. Much to everyone's surprise; she enjoys the experience, not to mention the attentions of the Retirement home's resident doctor, Bruce Khan. Only one problem remains: Bruce is a virgin so Pascalle lies and says that she is a virgin too in order so that Bruce won't be turned off by her past. Pascalle decides to get a Hymenorrhaphy but needs $5000 for the procedure.

The season ends with Judd resigning from the New Zealand Police and shortly after Wolf turns himself in but sets up Judd in the process. The final episode sees Judd finding a large bundle of cash on the seat of his car with the police turning up at the moment Judd picks up the cash, Judd is then arrested.

[edit] Outrageous Fortune: The Movie (2006 telemovie)

This one off two hour TV Movie followed on from season 2.

The family, Aurora, Eric and Munter go camping at Tutaekuri Bay, a magical place up north where they have gone camping every year at Christmas. We learn that Wolf and Cheryl stumbled upon the bay late one night after Cheryl had fought with her sister, and slept in their car. This sparked the tradition that the family now know and love.

However, as with all episodes of Outrageous Fortune, luck is not quite on their side. The Doslics have gone to Tutaekuri Bay as well! This was in no small part due to Van uttering the holiday location whilst in the shower with Draska, as seen by flashback.

Another unwelcome visitor appears as well. This is Cheryl's sister, Jeanette, who has been estranged from the family for many years she makes her entrance by flattening their letter box and parking the big green tractor on their front lawn. She has escaped from the Exclusive Brethren in the Wairarapa. Pascelle learns of a secret Cheryl had hidden from the family over all the years.

Loretta after torturing the Department of Conservation ranger Graeme over the years changes her mind about this year because she starts to feel herself attracted to him while her boyfriend Hayden is in Australia. She stands guard over an area of sand on the beach to protect the camouflage birds behind the red tape, in the hope that he will forgive her for the years of torture. He later finds her still guarding the stand and tells her how the birds had emigrated to the neighbouring bay and it was payback for the torture over the years. She asks whether anything was going to happen between them, he answers 'why break tradition?'. Later at the camp fire they change their mind and run off into the bushes to have sex.

Cheryl is hoping Judd will be released from jail in time to join them for Christmas.

[edit] Season Three (2007)

The third series sees Cheryl still battling to keep her family (and herself) on the straight and narrow. Both the men in her life are inside – Wolf after turning himself into the cops as part of his master plan to frame Judd; Judd because he fell in love with the wrong woman -Wolf’s woman. She goes heavily into debt to pay for a lawyer for Judd, which results in his release but causes a strain in their relationship.

As Cheryl ploughs on regardless, balancing the needs of family with those of Hoochie Mama, her burgeoning naughty knicker business, her offspring are going their own merry ways. Van is still managing the Lucky Dollar Store and planning his dream wedding with Aurora. Jethro is branching out from defending the scum of the earth (and his family) to working for property developer Gary Savage – whether this is a step in the right direction remains to be seen. Pascalle is enthusiastically embracing both her new-found vocation in caring for the elderly and her new-found love for Dr Bruce Khan – although this whole ‘I’m a virgin, let’s wait until we get married thing’ has some major drawbacks, especially for a girl like her. Loretta is happily ensconced with her older man, Hayden, and is gleefully plotting her directorial debut, helming the next great erotic film, especially for women.

Van jealous at Aurora spending time with her exboyfriend tells the cops about his marijuana stash. Aurora not wanting her exboyfriend, Tyson to go to jail races over to grab the stash before the cops arrive she speeds off on a motorbike before the cops see her but is hit by a bus in her haste and is taken to hospital where she later dies.

Van struggles with his mental health after her death, Munter tries to cheer him up by taking him out of Auckland and they go to the Coromandel to visit Munter's mum. After staying up with Munter's mum all night drinking they have sex. Munter discovers this and is furious with Van not just for sleeping with his mum but also for getting her drunk as well (Munter's mum was a reformed alcoholic). Van tells Munter he's a loser, Munter leaves and then after hearing what Van has called Munter she kicks him out of bed and yells 'No-one calls my son a loser'. Munter and Van later make up.

Upon his return Pascalle's fiancè dumps her after seeing the porn film in a hotel room while on a business trip. (Pascelle only did the porn film so that she could get surgery to make her a 'virgin' again for him.)

Lorretta breaks up with her boyfriend after he changed the film they had made together completely, but fails to notice that she is pregnant until 4 months down the track when Sparky talks about her 'condition' saying he could sense that she was pregnant in front of the family she didn't even know herself at that point she later tries to sell her baby (the baby was conceived at Aurora's wake Loretta was upset and wanted to be close to Hayden and told him not to stop to use a condom).

Hayden moves to Australia when Jethro calls and tells him that Loretta's pregnant he denies it's his. Not many days later Hayden is greeted in his driveway by Grandpa, Jethro and Falani who beat the crap out of him for not taking any responsibility.

Grandpa and Jethro find Wolf in Whangarei and tell him about Gary getting very close to the family and Wolf returns at the end of the season with a skanky girlfriend, named Sheree in tow.

The finale involves the wedding of Munter and Kasey, when Van forgets the rings he races back to the house and hears something odd he almost doesn't check to see what it is but when he does check, it's Loretta leaning over the basin in labour, she was attempting to take advantage of the fact that everyone was at the wedding and was planning on leaving and selling her baby, Van calls Munter and says he can't make it to the wedding but wishes them luck, Munter understands and tells Cheryl that Loretta was having her baby.

Wolf hears this and jumps up and says 'WHAT' because no-one had bothered telling him. Cheryl starts to race off after wishing good luck to the bride and groom with Wolf right behind her, she tells him not to follow her. She races to Loretta and finds Van sitting in the hallway with a baby girl in his arms, he delivered the kid.

Wolf also reveals to Jethro and Grandpa that Gary Savage is Wolf's half brother (Grandpa's late wife Rita had an affair while Grandpa was in prison, leading to Gary's conception and subsequent adoption). Cheryl later helps Loretta breastfeed her baby.

[edit] Season Four (2008)

A fourth season of the show was confirmed on the shows official site with 18 episodes being commissioned for the season to be screened later in 2008. Filming is underway as of March 2008 and Robyn Malcolm has hinted in an interview that the fourth season may screen earlier than previously stated. TV3 began screening an advertisement in May 2008 indicating the series will be returning soon to TV3.

On June 8, 2008, The New Zealand Herald reported in an article that the show's fourth season would premier on June 17.

[edit] International Broadcasters

The show was picked up in Australia by the Nine Network and aired it during the summer non-ratings period. Season 2 recently finished screening on Network Ten. It has also been picked up by LivingTV in the United Kingdom starting on Tuesday March 6, 2007 at 10 PM.[1] TV3 Ireland showed the first series during 2006 and started showing the second series in March 2007 (22:00 Thursdays). In Canada, it began airing in 2007 on Super Channel.

It has also been remade in the UK for ITV by the independent production company Greenlit under the title "Honest", with the first episode airing on 9 January 2008.

ABC television network in America producing their own concept of Outrageous Fortune, set to be released in 2008 or 2009. Rob Thomas (whose writing credits include Veronica Mars and Dawson’s Creek) is developing the US version. [2]

[edit] Music

Outrageous Fortune Westside Rules
Outrageous Fortune Westside Rules cover
Soundtrack by various artists
Released October, 2007
Genre Soundtrack
Label Warner Music NZ

The soundtrack of the show draws mainly on New Zealand music. The title track is Hello Sailor's "Gutter Black", and other artists featured include The Exponents, Opshop, Goodnight Nurse, and The Black Seeds.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Gutter Black" performed by Hello Sailor
  2. "Buck It Up" performed by Goodshirt
  3. "Beers" performed by Deja Voodoo
  4. "All Aboard" performed by The Datsuns
  5. "Be Mine Tonight" performed by Th' Dudes
  6. "Feel So Good" performed by The Spelling Mistakes
  7. "B Your Boy" performed by Voom
  8. "Run Run Run" performed by Goldenhorse
  9. "I'll Say Goodbye" performed by Dance Exponents
  10. "Won't Give In" performed by Finn Brothers
  11. "No Ordinary Thing" performed by Opshop
  12. "Beach In Cali High" performed by Gasoline Cowboy
  13. "80's Celebration" performed by The Reduction Agents
  14. "Lock And Load" performed by Paseload
  15. "Jesus For The Jugular" performed by The Veils
  16. "Mine" performed by Dimmer
  17. "Let's Get Down" performed by The Black Seeds
  18. "God Left Town" performed by Calico Brothers
  19. "Save Yourself" performed by Greg Johnson
  20. ""All For You" performed by Goodnight Nurse
  21. "Titirangi Thugs" performed by Dogs Of War

[edit] Trivia

  • Before their roles on Outrageous Fortune as lovers Van West and Aurora Bay, Antony Starr and Claire Chitham played siblings Stratford and Waverley Wilson on Shortland Street.Robyn Malcolm and Siobhan Marshall are also former Shortland Street actors.
  • Ranger Graeme, a character from the movie, also played the Southern man in Speight's "Pride of the South" ads, along with Grandpa Ted (Frank Whitten)
  • Robyn Malcolm also appeared in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, as the mother putting her children on the horse as the orcs appeared to ransack the village.
  • Michelle Ang (Tracey Hong) appeared on McDonalds Young Entertainers and the Australian Soap Opera Neighbours.
  • Tutaekuri Bay is the fictional location of the movie. Tutaekuri means "dog shit" in Māori.
  • Antonia Prebble and Michelle Ang previously worked together in The Tribe a UK and New Zealand co-production.
  • Grant Bowler and Claire Chitham both appeared in the premiere of Canal Road playing husband and wife on April 16, 2008
  • The term "Outrageous Fortune" comes from the famous soliloquy from Shakespeare's Hamlet:

"To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them?"

[edit] Awards

  • The show cleaned up at the New Zealand TV Awards for 2005 winning Best Drama, Best Actress : Robyn Malcom and Best Actor: Antony Starr, Best Director Mark Beesley, Best Script Rachel Lang & Best Editing Nicola Smith
  • TV GUIDE Best on the box: Best Drama & Best Actress Robyn Malcolm
  • Woman's Day Reader's Choice: Favourite Female Personality Robyn Malcolm
  • Air NZ Screen Award 2006:Best Drama Series & Best Drama Programme for episode 4
  • At the Air New Zealand Screen Awards for 2007, the series won six awards, including Best Drama Programme. Robyn Malcolm won Best Actress, Antony Starr won Best Actor, and Frank Whitten won Best Supporting Actor.[3]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Outrageous Fortune to premiere in the UK | Outrageous Fortune | News | Throng
  2. ^ Outrageous Fortune - The official site » Outrageous Fortune to be adapted for the USA
  3. ^ "Six awards - it's outrageous", New Zealand Herald, 2 August 2007. Retrieved on 2007-08-02. 

[edit] External links