User reviews

I wasn't going to watch this as I often find NZ dramas can be poorly acted or with thin story lines but eventually gave an episode a go. I was drawn in after about 20 minutes and ended up watching the full series over 3 nights.

Acting was good by both the NZ and Irish contingent. Story line was also good and tense at times. I think the blend of Irish and NZ themes worked well together. As someone who watches a lot of UK crime dramas I think this stacks up pretty well with some of the better ones.

Scenery beautiful and score pretty good. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes well paced crime dramas.

I can't believe people are giving this show anything less than a 7. It's thoroughly engaging and entertaining. Great story. Great characters. The scenery is of course spectacular and beautifully shot. All the leads are spot on. Acting is brilliant. Someone complained it's too long. ????? I totally do not agree. There were many scenes when the director could have called cut maybe 3 seconds sooner true. But to make that a serious complaint is to be a complete whiner. I'm in my late 60's and been watching TV my whole life and have no patience for poor quality TV or a dud watch. There is so much to watch, I have a long list of shows to watch and never sit through anything I'm not completely enjoying. This was a thoroughly enjoyable watch and I highly recommend it.

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.

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.

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.

Started good and seemed as though it was going to be a decent thriller but.......there was just so much time wasted on people just staring at each other and scenes that did not move the plot on at all.

The sound was poor throughout with either the characters talking far too quietly or the music drowning everything out.

The relationships between the characters seemed forced and they were hard to relate to and empathise with.

We identified the culprit way before the end, which was really disappointing and the ending was extremely unsatisfying.

However, the setting and scenery was breathtaking and seeing the cultural scenes was really interesting. Its just a shame that the rest of the show was a let down.

Should have been condensed into a 2 hour movie.

Really enjoyed this! Felt the characters were well rounded and enjoyed finding out all their back stories.

The plot was well thought out and a bit different to usual NZ dramas. The mix of Irish, New Zealand and Maori characters was excellent all the cultures creating diverse aspects to the plot.

There were some cliches like the moody detective with a secret but he wasn't a drunk and his secret was very different which kept him interesting.

Any negative reviews are just being picky this is definitely a higher standards than your typical terrestrial tv drama.

Loved the scenery the plot and the acting just have to wait patiently for season 2.

The sound was awful. A lot of the dialogue seemed mumbled and we just couldn't work out what was being said. Throw in the accents as well .... You need subtitles really.

New Zealand dramas tend to pick up points just by virtue of the scenery and the settings. This is no exception, but it is still a 6.

The last episode just fell apart and the ending was frustrating. Were they leaving the door firmly open for a second series? Who knows, anyway I think The Goat Man was Bruce.

The bone crosses that were discovered in Colin Friends house was not explained. When interviewed by police the girl didn't mention the scars on the wrists of her assailant.

Why did Aileen go deep into the bush when she had a plane to catch? Clichéd lone female walking into danger.

Many other clichéd storylines.

All the profanities are totally unnecessary. Just write a good script and not rely on the F word for emphasis!! It adds nothing. Detracts in fact.

This is a contemporary drama and contains language and/or attitudes that some viewers, particularly those of a more mature generation, the Silent Majority, will find offensive.

It started good, continued good until the last episode.

Typical of modern series', get the good stuff in the series, then screw up the last episode, with so much unnecessary information, it ruins the plot.

There were two irritating thing regarding this series.

Sometimes subtitles appeared for the non speaking english speaking actors then, sometimes subtitles did NOT appear for the non speaking english speaking actors.

On top of that, the score overwhelmed some of the main acts of the series which drowned out the dialogue. Terrible mixing.

On the whole, the series was good, and unusual however, the last episode let it down.

I'm an Irishman, and I don't blame anyone per se. It worked well but, died at the last episode. I felt I was there until the end,, cudos to the indiginous actors and staff that brought this series together.

I detest using the term indigenous, am I indeginous to Ireland? I am Irish, Maori are New Zealanders. What is the name of their country, the country their ancestors inhabited?

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 watched The Gone last night. My husband and I found the episode wonderful. It was beautifully shot. It utilised New Zealand's scenery in a way that added to the suspense and drama of the episode. It brought the whole episode to life. The script and plot were both very good; plot line was rich and involved, which my husband and I enjoyed. The Irish police officer in particular was cast well. We are looking forward to the next episode. The NZ / Irish angle added an interesting dimension and worked well. If only New Zealand could support more local productions of this quality. Congratulations to everyone involved!

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'.

Was hoping for a good story line and detective work but was a bit disappointed.

A mixture of Irish culture and long standing grudges mixed with their wonderful accent. . There were long drawn out "staring at each other " sequences and slow going in parts. Sometime was spent waiting for something to actually happen on screen.

The characters seem to mix very awkwardly and doesn't seem to flow smoothly.

A Good performance from Acushla Kupe as always.

Definitely need subtitles to understand it all and to find out what is going on.

Good photography and scenic views and great to put Te Aroha on the map.

How this series gets so many high ratings is beyond me. I love detective, mystery thrillers. This was none of those. Plodding trying to introduce culture. So patronising.

The acting was as wooden as the hurling stick. Two leads seemingly wandering around doing very little. Detectives?

I honestly wanted to like this series but it failed to ignite. Banal script. No action. The only saving grace were the beautiful New Zealand Landscapes.

The Irish characters were pretty irrelevant really. No Jason Statham here.

I plodded through to at least get some kind of closure. It could have been done as a 90 minute film.

I really enjoyed this drama, it had suspense and beauty to add to this enjoyable story. It had left us with some questions that hopefully will be answered on season 2. But the acting was great and believable, the New Zealand countryside was amazing and added to the suspense of the storyline. I feel for the characters and how their lives are intertwined, and also the Maori culture is brought out in the storyline is interesting as well. It's an interesting twist of suspense and culture. The last couple of minutes of the last episode was rather scary and has me hanging on waiting for the next season.

I did not have any expectations from this serie. I just wanted to give a try and check whether it is an interesting one or not. Believe me it worths watching for real. The first season has a crazy ending and I was not even close to guess the ending. For that reason, I can assure you that this serie does not have a simple or boring storyline. Richard Flood and. Acushla-Tara Kupe are performing great. I must say that it was an interesting mix of cultures (Irish and Maori) to watch and you learn things from these cultures in this serie. For that reason, I voted 8 points out of 10 for this series. I cannot wait to see the next season and I am pretty sure that it is going to be a shocking story again.

This is an awful attempt at a serious crime thriller that never elevates itself above ponderous, and badly acted ponderous at that. With every episode the creator's/writer's gears grind clunkily, desperate to shift out of the opening episode's snail-sluggish first gear.

To be fair, the premise is decent enough, and certainly not terrible and plausible enough. Sadly, the creators threw endless, plodding plot devices and misdirects at the thing, and the acting rarely convinces beyond amateur level and is often excrutiating, particularly the insufferable Irish cop and an investigative journalist who grates like fingernails down a blackboard.

And boy is it slooooooow. Plot devices normally move the story forward. In The Gone they act like speed bumps and traffic lights.

As the whole thing chugs and splutters to its final, final finale, we're left with the tropiest of tropiest conclusions (set in, wait for it, a cabin in the woods) and the depressing inevitability that the only point of this six part exercise in a new genre of no thrills thrillers was to squeeze out another six parts.

Watched first episode and that's enough. Shockingly bad audio. Ditto acting and mumbling dialogue and a plodding storyline. Took one hour to establish two people go missing. Two people went missing there a number of years ago and the town lost tourism. Only saving grace some nice scenery in the hills around the town. I'm only typing this to add characters to bring it up to the ridiculous 600 needed to post a review on this website. Don't bother watching this programme you'll just be wasting time out of your life that you won't get back. Don't know how some are giving it reviews of 8 or 9 out of 10.

Why do New Zealand actors so often talk in an aggressive tone. All acting is the same! I have watched a few N Z series now and it's always the same. A good storyline spoilt by inadequate delivery. Found the sound quality not always great, and cast appeared to be muttering at times regardless of the volume. It was easier to understand the Irish actors. Countryside was very pretty and saved it slightly. Am still in the first episode so am hoping it improves as time goes on. I will continue watching at least one more episode to see if any improvement. Maybe as the years go on, they will get better!

I wonder how can people find this series interesting. Apart from persistent unnecessary bad language and swearing typical of poorly-written scripts, the show is slow and full of angry people insulting and hating each other. Definitely not worth the time, mine most certainly! It might get better further along, as some say. I didn't get past the first 40 minutes of the first episode, but honestly I don't care to have my soul filled with obscene language just to see how the story develops. For those who want to see first a first class tv series, I recommend Endeavor and Broadchurch, they don't need bad language to make up for poor scripts! Too bad they don't often make such masterpieces and.

Brokenwood it ain't. What came across at the outset was the sheer hatred and venom, mostly directed at the former colonial power from both lead characters. Despite the fact that from the name of the last-century guy who'd stolen so much and given everyone grief was probably from north of the border. But I was repelled by the sheer volume of vulgarity. Everyone swore, even the ladies. In every sentence. Sometimes several F words in a single sentence. Clearly I move in different circles than the scriptwriters, but people of my ancient acquaintence can keep a civil tongue in their head most of the time. I suppose it may be an age thing? 21st century culture, such as is is, just isn't for my liking. Yes, some of the scenery was nice but big deal? You can get this from a holiday programme. I didn't watch any of the later episodes, and gave it up as another lost cause. The Gone can stay gone...and forgotten.

Honestly, it was the review in the Guardian - If you like The Kin youll enjoy this......what?????

Seeing it was showing on BBC4. Expecting something cultural and different but this was not. Very run of the mill BBC1 type of series.

The story line was below par the chemistry no and the random scenes. I felt this def wasmt a hooker, just random and silly.

The blend of NZ and Irish with subtitles just annoyed me. The script was a little basic. Comical at times.

Dont waste your time. Not really tense.. Perhaps a sunday afternoon watch if your really bored.

I fell asleep towards the end and turned it off. I didnt really care about the ending.