Under the Vines

This lighthearted series is a character-driven romantic comedy set in a fictional town in southern New Zealand's beautiful Otago wine country, offering up quirky characters living in a wine region with its own 'law of the land' and 'rules of the road' for the self-indulgent Brit lawyer (Charles Edwards) and Aussie socialite (Rebecca Gibney), each denying their own eccentric mid-life challenges, to navigate.

Of course, inheriting the vineyard of the late Stanley Oakley does not meet the two outsiders' expectations nor does it fix their personal issues - rather compounding and exasperating them instead - adjusting to being its reluctant joint 'sole-owners' is the new journey they find themselves on. Each cast members' character arc provide for some unexpected surprises, both humorous and touching.

Similar but different from its predecessors like Northern Exposure to 800 Words series, Under the Vines' difference is in the romance of the vines with its enveloping surroundings and night skies make for an easy-going and satisfying weekly tasting.

This review is through episode 4 of season 3. I will update the review as needed based on future episodes.

Edit (9/15/24): Episode 5 of Season 3 was particularly bad.

What I like: 1) The premise and setting. Both provide opportunities for unique and compelling storylines. The premise in particular feels very fresh.

2) The cast, in particular the interactions between the four main cast members. The couple running the rival winery is also quite compelling. A show primarily focusing on these dynamics and conflicts would have been enough, in my opinion.

3) Storylines focusing specifically on the six aforementioned characters. Seasons 1 and 2 do this pretty well. Season 3? Much less so.

What I don't like: 1) The overemphasis on the many, many romantic storylines. The writers lean way too heavily into this. And (perhaps intentionally) there's never any resolution to any of these quite tedious subplots.

2) Many of the secondary characters. They start out quirky and sparingly used (which is good), and slowly gain more screentime. They become less quirky and fun. Instead they become somewhat boring.

3) The primary storyline of Season 3 (no spoilers). I get what they are trying to accomplish, but honestly it's just not fun. Nor are the b-plots for this season. A show which already leans heavily on emotion and sentimentality decided to double down.

First of all, I would not describe this show as a comedy; it's more of a lighthearted drama. The premise - a buttoned-down lawyer from London and a pampered party girl from Sidney forced to work together to keep a venture (in this case a vineyard) they jointly inherited from going under, is not new. And I think we all know where this is going.

The acting is competent, the main characters are interesting and likable - which is important if we are to become invested in their success - and the minor characters are quirky in a relatable way. There's a bit of "Green Acres" going on here - including a talking pig - along with a few very real, very contemporary underpinnings, like the emerging New Zealand wine industry. And speaking of New Zealand, the settings are gorgeous.

The one drawback is the lack of any real comedy. I am a huge fan of New Zealand humor, so it's not as if it's there but I just don't get it; the show is falling short of the mark. There are no LOL moments, and only a very occasional snigger or two. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - as a light drama, the show is quite good, but since it was billed as a comedy, it can't fail to disappoint on that score.

Bottom line - if you like the light romantic dramas shown on the Hallmark channel, you'll like this. But if you were expecting What We Do in the Shadows, you'll come away scratching your head.

Wonderful, uplifting little series showcasing the strong acting skills of the well known main characters but also intrducing us to some of the wonderful new talent certain to grace our screens. Rebecca Gibney is the glue that holds all this together.

The first episode just introduces the characters of a rundown vineyard and it's new owners. As the series progresses it begins to show how the two main characters, Daisy and Louis, begin new friendships with people who are strikingly different than themselves. Gone are their days of pretenses and privilege, now they must finally "grow up" and along the way find out what really matters in life. If your looking for a fun little show with heart set in beautiful rural New Zealand this is it.