Westside (TV series)

For other uses, see West Side.
Westside
Genre Comedy-drama
Created by
  • Rachel Lang
  • James Griffin
Written by
  • Rachel Lang
  • James Griffin
Directed by
  • Mark Beesley
  • Murray Keane
  • Simon Bennett
Starring
Opening theme "Watch Your Back" by Hello Sailor
Country of origin New Zealand
Original language(s) English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 6 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
  • Chris Bailey
  • Kelly Martin
Producer(s) John Laing
Cinematography Marty Smith
Running time 44–45 minutes
Production company(s) South Pacific Pictures
Distributor All3Media International
Release
Original network TV3
Picture format HDTV 1080i
Audio format HD stereo
Original release 31 May 2015 (2015-05-31) – present
Chronology
Related shows Outrageous Fortune
External links
Official website
Production website

Westside is a New Zealand comedy-drama television series created by Rachel Lang and James Griffin[1] for South Pacific Pictures. It is a prequel to Outrageous Fortune, and chronicles the lives of Ted and Rita West in 1970s Auckland. The first series aired from 31 May to 5 July 2015 on TV3.

On 28 July 2015, NZ on Air announced funding of the show for a second series,[2] which is scheduled to return in 2016.[3] It will be set in the 1980s.[4]

Plot

Set in the 1970s, it features a "Westie" couple, and stars Antonia Prebble and David de Lautour as Rita and Ted West. In the first episode, set in 1974, it features John Walker beating Rod Dixon in the 1500 metres at the 1974 Commonwealth Games. Each episode covers one year, from 1974 to 1979, with events like the Muldoon election, dawn raids on overstayers, carless days, and the birth of the punk rock scene in Auckland.[5]

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • Antonia Prebble as Rita West,[6] wife of Ted and mother to Wolf
  • David de Lautour as Theodore "Ted" West,[6] husband of Rita and father to Wolf
  • Dan Musgrove as Lefty Munroe,[6] husband of Ngaire and father to Desiree
  • Esther Stephens as Ngaire Munroe,[6] wife of Lefty and mother to Desiree
  • Todd Emerson as Bjelke "Bilkey" van Heeder[6]
  • Pana Hema-Taylor as Bert Thompson[6]
  • Xavier Horan as Phineas O'Driscoll,[6] husband of Carol
  • Sophie Hambleton as Carol O'Driscoll,[6] wife of Phineas
  • Reef Ireland as Wolfgang "Wolf" West[7] (series 2), Ted and Rita West's son

Recurring cast

  • Will Hall as Detective Mike McArthy[8]
  • Liam Ferguson as Wolfgang "Wolf" West[9] (4 episodes; series 1), Ted and Rita West's son
  • Patrick Tafa as Falani[10] (4 episodes)

Guest cast

  • Reon Bell as Young Wolfgang "Wolf" West[11] (2 episodes; series 1), Ted and Rita West's son
  • Jordan Mauger as Rod Nugent[8] (2 episodes)
  • Jarred Blakiston as Vern Gardiner[12] (1 episode)
  • Angelina Cottrell as Young Desiree Munroe (1 episode), Lefty and Ngaire Munroe's daughter
  • Eve Gordon as Auntie Pat (1 episode)
  • Jamaica Vaughan as Maria Doslic (1 episode), Dafna's 13-year-old daughter
  • Tatiana Hotere as Dafna Doslic (1 episode), Maria's mother
  • Glen Levy as Darijo Doslic[13] (1 episode), Dafna younger brother
  • David Fane as Falani Senior[10] (1 episode)
  • Joel Tobeck as Des McEwen (1 episode)
  • Jamie Irvine as Marty Johnstone (1 episode)
  • Gabriel McArtney as Captain Hook (Dave McArtney)[14] (1 episode), vocalist/guitarist of Hello Sailor
  • Caleb Wells as Barry "Sparky" Gibbs (2 episodes)
  • Jaime McDermott as Anne-Marie Gibbs (1 episode)
  • John Leigh as Dougal Gibbs (1 episode)
  • John Rawls as Gang Leader (1 episode)
  • Natalie Welch as Desiree Munroe (1 episode)
  • Jordan Mooney as Eric (1 episode)

Production

In July 2014, NZ on Air approved funding of NZ$4.8 million for the miniseries.[15] On 28 July 2015, NZ on Air approved funding of NZ$7.6 million for a second series.[2]

Filming

Filming for series one commenced on 12 October[6] and concluded on 17 December 2014.[16] Filming for series two commenced on 27 September 2015[4] and concluded on 19 January 2016.[17]

Music

Westside: The Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released 8 July 2015 (2015-07-08)
Genre Rock
Label South Pacific Pictures

Westside: The Original Soundtrack was released for digital download on 8 July 2015[18] and CD on 10 July 2015.[19]

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 19

Series overview

Series Episodes Originally aired
First aired Last aired
1 26 8 September 2012 (2012-09-08) 15 June 2013 (2013-06-15)
2 10[2] TBA TBA

Episodes

Series 1 (2015)

No.  Title  Directed by  Written by  Background
event 		 Original air date 
1"All That Impedes Thee from the Golden Round"Mark BeesleyRachel Lang1974 British Commonwealth Games31 May 2015 (2015-05-31)
2"Is't Far You Ride?"Mark BeesleyJames Griffin1975 New Zealand general election7 June 2015 (2015-06-07)
3"Instruments of Darkness Tell Us Truths"Murray KeaneRachel LangNew Zealand dawn raids14 June 2015 (2015-06-14)
4"Our Poison'd Chalice"Murray KeaneJames GriffinMarty Johnstone ("Mr Asia") drug deals21 June 2015 (2015-06-21)
5"Dire Combustion"Simon BennettJames Griffin1978 Bastion Point arrests
Punk subculture		28 June 2015 (2015-06-28)
6"But for a Wayward Son"Simon BennettRachel LangCarless days in New Zealand5 July 2015 (2015-07-05)

Home media

Title Set details DVD release dates
Region 4[21]
Westside — Series One
  • Discs: 1
  • Episodes: 6
 8 July 2015

References

  1. ↑ Jenkin, Lydia (24 May 2015). "Westside: Outrageous Fortune rewinds the clock". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "$20 million invested in new New Zealand drama". NZ on Air. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "We are stoked to say that NZ On Air has announced funding for SEASON 2 of Westside. Ten episodes coming at you in 2016! #WestsideForever #WestsideTV". Outrageous Fortune & Westside. 27 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 Simich, Ricardo (30 September 2015). "Spy: Westside goes 80s in leather, lace and leopard print". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  5. ↑ "TV picks: Westside, the Outrageous Fortune prequel". The New Zealand Herald. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Westside Story Casting Line-Up Revealed". TV3. MediaWorks New Zealand. 13 October 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  7. ↑ Barclay, Keith (30 October 2015). "Westside names new Wolf". Screenz. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  8. 1 2 Spink, Emily (9 June 2015). "New Zealand actor Will thanks former high school for success". Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand). Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Cawley, Rose (3 July 2015). "Westside actor takes on the globe". Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand). Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Then and now: Outrageous Fortune v. Westside". The New Zealand Herald. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  11. ↑ Mathers, Joanna (7 June 2015). "Being on-screen a big buzz for acting kids". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 27 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  12. ↑ "Television." (PDF). Johnson & Laird. p. 1. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Allbury, Isobel (7 June 2015). "Former stunt-man becomes Westside actor". Stuff.co.nz (Fairfax New Zealand). Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  14. ↑ Gardiner, Irene (20 June 2015). "Five greats from Hello Sailor". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  15. ↑ "Funding Decisions". NZ on Air. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "THAT'S A WRAP!". Outrageous Fortune & Westside on Facebook. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "This is the real #Westside whanau.". Outrageous Fortune & Westside on Facebook. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  18. ↑ "Westside (Original Soundtrack)". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "Westside: The Original Soundtrack". Mighty Ape. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Soundtrack – Westside". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  21. ↑ Region 4 DVD set:
General references

External links

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