Cleverman Heads to New Zealand’s TVNZ

AUCKLAND: The futuristic drama Cleverman has been picked up by TVNZ to air across New Zealand.

The six-episode series, which was recently renewed for a second season, will be available from July 25 on TVNZ OnDemand, and the series will air on DUKE at a later date. Cleverman is an official Australian/New Zealand co-production between Goalpost Pictures Australia and Pukeko Pictures.

The drama is an original concept commissioned by the ABC TV Indigenous Department and co-produced with SundanceTV and Red Arrow International, which handles rights outside Australia and New Zealand, with the assistance of Screen Australia, Screen NSW and the New Zealand Screen Production Grant. For the TVNZ deal, Entertainment One (eOne) brokered the sale on behalf of Goalpost Pictures and Pukeko Pictures.

“We are thrilled that we are taking Cleverman to its ‘second home,’ New Zealand, following the first season broadcast in Australia on ABC TV and in the U.S. on SundanceTV,” said Goalpost Pictures’s Rosemary Blight. “We couldn’t wish for better production partners than Pukeko Pictures, and local distribution partners in eOne, and we are thrilled to be working with them again as we prepare production of season two.”

“At Pukeko Pictures we are extremely proud of Cleverman and its premiere success in both Australia and the U.S.,” commented Clive Spink, CEO of Pukeko Pictures. “We are very excited that eOne has secured the first season premiere in our homeland of New Zealand on TVNZ especially as it has given us the opportunity to again work closely with our Miramar Peninsula creative colleagues Park Road Post Production and Weta Workshop. We are now looking forward to continuing this working relationship and our one with Goalpost Pictures Australia on the series’ second season.”

“Cleverman stood out as a unique dramatic proposition on many levels,” said Andrew Shaw, the general manager of acquisitions, commissioning and production at TVNZ. “It is clever, subtle and compelling storytelling peppered with extraordinary characters. We believe it is an ideal fit for our on-demand platform.”

Jude Troy, executive VP of acquisitions and TV development at Entertainment One Australia & New Zealand, said, “We are delighted to have closed the deal on both seasons of Cleverman with TVNZ where the show will be seen by a very broad audience. The series extends our relationship with both Goalpost, Pukeko Pictures and TVNZ, and supports eOne’s commitment to working with the finest talent in Australia and New Zealand.”