Head High

Friday Night Lights is my all time favourite show. I would love an Aotearoa New Zealand drama to be as good. I held my breath in the first episode, waiting for a misstep which didn't come. The writing and characterisation rings true. There has been some criticism that the white vs brown narrative is simplified. Sadly, I've been around high schools for three decades and the 'types' shown in this show are exactly as I've experienced. The second episode, I was crying from the start. There is the risk of that the characterisations might fall into tropes or caricatures but, thankfully, so far, the script writers give the characters shade. The acting is brilliant. The look and feel is authentic - those of us from Auckland will feel it is so recognisable. My hope is that the story line continues to develop.