Filming locations for One Lane Bridge included Queenstown, Glenorchy, and areas close to Arrowtown. The crime thriller has a $7 million New Zealand budget
The series also stars Phil Brown as Mark “Haggis” McCrae, Nathalie Morris as Emma Ryder, Alex Walker as Joe, Phoebe McKellar as Tilly, and Jared Turner as Rob Ryder. Michelle Langstone plays Charlotte McCrae.
It describes what happened in the wake of the enigmatic fatalities that took place on the notorious one-lane bridge close to Queenstown. It centres on Davis, a young Maori detective who unintentionally jeopardises a murder investigation by reawakening a spiritual gift.
The series, which is set in the made-up town of Akaroa, focuses on the different challenges that the young investigator, Davis, faces as he attempts to make connections with his history and unravel a number of perplexing killings that have shook the tranquil hamlet.
It was first broadcast during the nation’s initial COVID pandemic lockdown, and reviews have been mostly divided. Stuff’s James Croot called season 1 of the show “an intriguing, evocative, supernatural-tinged detective thriller.”
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One Lane Bridge: Filming Location
In Queenstown, New Zealand, One Lane Bridge was filmed. The third season’s filming, which started in September 2021, took three months to finish.
GSTV spent over three months filming Season 1 in several Queenstown sites in the latter part of 2019. (Great Southern Television). Initial funding for the series came from NZ on Air, All3Media, and Australia’s Seven Network, totaling NZ$7 million.
At the end of the year, there were about 200 cast and crew people present. The production office was established in an old warehouse on Glenda Drive in Frankton. The approaching actors and crew also rented a number of homes.
The production team didn’t create any sets or enter a studio; everything was shot on site. Beginning in September 2019, shooting began. The production’s catchphrase is “we’ll all be home for Christmas,” according to Philip Smith, CEO of Great Southern.
For its second season, the acclaimed New Zealand television programme visited Queenstown and Glenorchy. This time, the filming lasted for more than ten weeks and began in February 2021 with a $6 million budget.
The shoot was expected to help businesses damaged by Covid and greatly stimulate the economy. It gave many residents major work chances after a challenging year in which many people lost their incomes.
The Dart River Bridge was a key element and location in the show, and for the second season, the focus of the filming was once again on this iconic structure. The second season of the show has five episodes, which premiered on August 15, 2021, and ended on August 27, 2021.
TVNZ announced that the renowned show had been renewed for a third season in September 2021. The breathtaking views of Queenstown served as the backdrop once more for the drama series’ latest season.
Season 3 focused on the first two seasons’ possibilities for new practitioners to build their skills in production, directing, and scriptwriting. Five episodes debuted on November 7, 2022.
One Lane Bridge: New Season
The fourth season of the show has not yet been announced by TVNZ 1. After Season 3 ends, viewers may question if there will be a Season 4 or if the show is truly over.
Fans of crime and drama, in particular, adore this well-liked New Zealand series. The previous season was unquestionably amazing and provided a wealth of discussion subjects on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
And since its fame has grown as a result, Season 4 is anticipated to address those problems. Currently, rumours suggest that the network will soon reveal the date for the much anticipated season 4.
The conclusion of the previous season left many unfinished storylines, so fans are expecting for the return of the series and anticipating it to be more remarkable and intriguing. “I enjoy the show. I’m hoping for a fourth season “one superfan commented.
Other than that, there are no indications that the show will be cancelled. Fans are now more keen to hear about the upcoming season as a result. The network has thus far attempted to increase its content offerings to draw viewers, including new episodes, merchandise, and, why not, the development of a feature picture based on the same subject.
When his employer questions his honesty as a cop, Davis’s life undergoes a significant upheaval in Season 3. He needs to guide Tilly Gardner, who has recently joined the detective training programme, as he is in command of the homicide investigation.
In the end, Davis discovers Tilly erred in judgement. He was then forced to choose where his allegiance lie and how to strike a balance between small-town politics and justice. The young detective ultimately conquers his inner demons, which aids in his coming to terms with his identity.
PLOT Sundance Now is currently airing the New Zealand crime drama One Lane Bridge. One of the investigators is afflicted by enigmatic visions every time he crosses the one-lane bridge into town, which adds intrigue to what otherwise seems to be your typical “small-towns-have-dark-secrets” story.
He initially ignores them, but when the town’s popular youth is discovered dead under a bridge in what appears to be a suicide but is highly improbable, he is forced to face his “gift”. I have only watched a few episodes of Sundance Now, which releases one episode per week on Thursdays, but I am intrigued.
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One Lane Bridge: Plot
Detective Ariki Davis (Dominic Ona-Ariki) arrives in the scenic Queenstown region in the New Zealand Alps at the opening of the television series.
He relocated from Auckland and accepted the position primarily to work with Chief Stephen Tremaine (Joel Tobeck), a police officer he admires.
The town’s entrance is via a causeway with a single-lane bridge. Every day Ariki goes for a run, a bike ride, or a kayak ride, and every time he crosses the bridge, he notices strange things that vanish right away, like corpses on the rocks below the bridge, a wheelchair in the river, or a gecko.
He doesn’t know if he is seeing the past, the future, or if it is all in his head, and neither does the audience. Even while others sarcastically allude to “that bridge,” it is obvious that no one else is experiencing what Ariki is. Ariki is Maori, thus it’s important to note that these visions could be a form of “matakite,” or second sight.
Meanwhile, Stephen is hiding their secrets, if not his own, as it is obvious from his knowledge of everyone in town. The community begins to fall apart when Grub Ryder (Dean O’Gorman), a famous local farmer and scion of the family, mysteriously dies.
Initially determined to be a suicide by Stephen, the authorities changed the inquiry to a homicide at Ariki’s request. The usual suspects are there: his bitterly unhappy wife (Aidee Walker), who pours vodka into her water bottle; his affluent neighbour “Haggis” (Phil Brown), who thinks Grub is cheating on Charlotte (Michelle Langstone); his father (Peter McCauley), who is suffering from dementia; and I’m sure more will show up as the series progresses.
One Lane Bridge: Review
One Lane Bridge is entertaining me for a variety of reasons. I appreciate the main character—both the actor and the real figure, a Maori who experiences some prejudice because of the colour of his skin and is obviously escaping his issues through his rigorous exercise regimen.
The dysfunctional Ryder family feels real, with genuine family issues—the farm is broke, dad’s dementia is getting worse, the daughter is troublesome, etc.—and true family issues.
And I enjoy the supernatural component, especially given how it relates to the past (and perhaps even present?) of the community. In addition, the surroundings are stunning. As of right now, I endorse One Lane Bridge but we’ll see how it goes.
The opening scene is amazing. The story opens with a drowned girl floating face down in the water, a mist of auburn hair swirling around her face.
The scene then gets bigger. An overturned kayak, a fully dressed couple laying on the lakeshore cuddling as though they were dozing off in bed, a man hanging by a rope from the bottom of a bridge, and then an overturned automobile with its dead occupants thrown onto the road are all seen in one shot.
It’s a scene so frightening that it made me think of those logic mysteries that can only be answered with yes or no answers: six bodies, four seemingly unrelated death scenarios.
One Lane Bridge: Mystery
- The stunning surroundings of Smith’s homeland of Queenstown, where he serves as CEO of the industry behemoth Great Southern, are prominently featured in the series.
- One Lane Bridge has a foreboding aura of inevitable broodingness that serves as a reminder that these individuals and their issues are minute blips in a world that counts its years in millennia.
- In fact, the natural beauty frequently draws the viewer’s gaze out the window or over a character’s shoulder to the breathtaking scenery beyond, effectively stealing the scene.
- That is a slight, if that makes sense. The fundamental problem with One Lane Bridge is that a drama that doesn’t work is hidden under the obvious stage dressing.
- After that stunning opening set-piece, the narrative settles into a formulaic pattern. A dead body is discovered; to solve the crime, ambitious young Auckland detective Ariki Davis (Ona-Ariki) partners up with stern, dogmatic local officer Stephen Tremaine (Tobeck).
- The victim comes from an elderly local family that is struggling financially and has a failing farm; their neighbours are famous and rich and have benefited from Queenstown’s development into a playground for the elite.
- There are many covert romantic relationships, long-simmering grudges, and dark secrets. Strange visions that Ariki encounters as he starts his investigation lead him to believe that his unusual abilities extend beyond policing.
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