The Gone

Like most Kiwis I suffer from cultural cringe, and I was only watching because I know someone who knows someone on the show.

Therefore I was pleasantly surprised by a mostly well acted crime drama. Yes, there are some clichés like the cop with a troubled past, and someone returning home to their small town to confront some unresolved family dramas. Acushla-Tara Kupe is very good as Diana Huia. Richard Flood does a solid job. There's a nice blend of Maori culture and language.

The story is well-paced, and New Zealand's scenery makes an impression as always. I hope it finds an appreciative audience overseas, we're too harsh on our own.

Despite feeling slightly deterred by the reviews I gave it a shot as I was intrigued by the collaboration between Ireland and New Zealand. And I must say I was pleasantly surprised!

Scenery is obviously beautiful and the use of both Te Reo and Gaeilge was great. Characters are solid and make the show even more intriguing.

I do wish we would've had a little more closure at the end of the season and with the current production schedule I'm afraid it'll lose a lot of steam before season 2 comes out. Hopefully season 2 will wrap it all up nicely and not continue to drag it on...

Overall solid detective show, slow and steady, a little too mine side plots at times, but an interesting show nonetheless.

This six-part series featuring Acushla-Tara Kupe and Richard Flood in the lead roles is thoroughly enjoyable and will appeal to any fans of content in the Crime Drama genre...

Set in a small rural New Zealand town called Te Aroha (Mt Affinity in the show) the writing is excellent and each episode flows neatly into the next one as the suspense begins to build.

One of the coolest aspects of the Series is the infusion of the cultures of both New Zealand and also Ireland into the story - in both the spoken word and also in song (there are subtitles - but the language is concise and easily understandable).

Nowhere is this more poignant than in the funeral (Tangi) scene where Native New Zealand Maori "Waiata" is followed by a beautiful Irish song performed by the father of one of the missing Irish visitors.

The acting is first class - especially the performances of the two lead actors, but they are also extremely well supported by a Cast of well-known New Zealand Actors and there are some fantastic performances by the Series' Irish contingent of actors.

Acushla-Tara and Richard slowly build a dynamic partnership throughout the episodes and despite the serious and suspenseful nature of the subject matter, the story is also punctuated by some light-hearted, humorous moments featuring some playful "Banter" and quintessential kiwi humour...

As a proud New Zealand viewer - I loved seeing even more of our beautiful Country on screen, and as far as suspense and twists go - this well told Crime Story does not disappoint!

Definitely worth a watch!

I really enjoyed this series, and it was perfect for bingewatching on a rainy weekend.

As a fan of Scandinavian-set noir crime series, I've been looking forward to The Gone, and to see how it would work. I wasn't disappointed.

The weaving of Kiwi and Irish themes, cast and cultures worked really well. Sometimes, this approach can feel forced but for The Gone it felt authentic and relatable.

Wonderful Kiwi cast and New Zealand scenery. Leads felt like a good match and were genuine and relatable.

The plot line wasn't overworked, but there were still enough twists and turns to keep me hitting 'Next episode'.

I liked it when the detective hero loses a fight with a passing teenager right at the start. Refreshing not to have the lead character a super-hero who outfights everyone.

We then get a glimpse of New Zealand society. In particular the life of the Maori.

How they were ill-treated in the past, and are still far from equal.

And also real imperfect characters. Different from each other.

We start with one mystery, and then several more crop up.

The season ends with at least one mystery cleared up. More for Season two, I assume.

And some excellent scenery. Places where real people are living and having complex lives.