Head High

Having lived in NZ - it was so nice to watch this gem of a series, and be reminded of all that makes it amazing ... and tough too.

The story focuses on a whanau - and follows their kids journey across 2 years in high school. A little like the excellent "Sex education" (although clearly in a different genre) it mixes real-life challenges, dramas with a dose of feel-good high school life.

Acting throughout is on-point. Script and editing is tight. And the story keeps enough pace to make it truly binge worthy.

Every now and again New Zealand manages to produce some really great TV series. This is another of their good ones !

The series follows the boys from two schools - one a very posh rich school, the other a poor under funded one. Both are neighbours and both compete for the same rugby cup. The series primarily follows the boys and the coach, from the poorer school, along with their families and friends.

It takes us on a journey or determination in the face of adversity, friendship, loyalty, loss, love etc. It handles each situation well and keeps you entertained throughout the episodes. It doesn't end up boring or feel forced like many dramas and ins't so deep that you end up feeling depressed like others !

Give it a try if you are looking for some good light entertainment for the night. It might not be to everyone's taste, but i think you will be pleasantly suprised at how good it is.

Everything about this series rings absolutely true. The characters have depth and complexity and over the episodes they just get more believable as we learn more about them. There's humour and poignancy. Its understated and well cast. The dialogue sounds authentic. And I care what happens to these characters. Everyone associated with this production should be hugely proud. I LOVE South Auckland! Go hard SA.

This show is great. So many flawed characters with the adults which makes it so engaging but then balanced out with some amazing parents.

Only half way through and I'm enjoying it so much.

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.