Show Guide: 'The Brokenwood Mysteries'

Synopsis: From seemingly supernatural incidents in the idyllic community of Brokenwood to mysterious murders with hidden motives, Shepherd (Neill Rea, The Warrior’s Way), and his team plunge into a web of deception, greed, and dark secrets as they tackle their most perplexing cases yet. (Courtesy Acorn TV, 2025)

The Cast:
Neill Rea as DS Mike Shepherd
Fern Sutherland as Det. Kristin Sims
Pana Hema Taylor as Jared Morehu
Nic Sampson as DC Sam Breen
Cristina Serban Ionda as Dr. Gina Kadinsky

Production Credits:

The Episodes:
Season One Episode Guide
1-01 Blood And Water--09/28/2014
When two fishermen find the body of a local farmer in the river, Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd is sent to the small rural town of Brokenwood to investigate the death. Is this the suicide of a man guilty of his own wife's murder or is he the victim of foul play? As Mike uncovers a family's tragedies and secrets he also learns that Brokenwood is a place where shadows lurk just beneath the surface.
Written by: Philip Dalkin & Timothy Balme
Directed by: Mike Smith

1-02 Sour Grapes--10/05/2014
With Brokenwood touted for its burgeoning merlot, the annual wine show is a major event. Having bought a 10-acre block with maturing grapes, no one is looking forward to it more than DI Mike Shepherd. But when a guest judge and wine critic is found dead, drowned inside a fermenting vat, the show takes second place to the murder investigation.
Written by: Timothy Balme
Directed by: Joshua Frizzell

1-03 Playing The Lie--10/12/2014
A group of erstwhile members of the Brokenwood Golf Club, committee members no less, have gathered for their regular Wednesday morning round. They are playing their approaches to the first green when a zombie-like figure lurches from the early-morning gloom, coming towards them. It takes the golfers a moment or two (apparently) to realise this is actually Adele Stone, the Club owner - her face red and blistering; gasping desperately for breath. Then she falls from sight, into a greenside bunker. By the time the guys get to her, Ms Stone is very much dead. And so Mike and Kristin are called to investigate what appears to be homicide by poisoning.
Written by: James Griffin
Directed by: Michael Hurst

1-04 Hunting The Stag--10/19/2014
Four close friends go hunting in the bush on a stag trip. But the groom-to-be never comes back - he was shot through the head. Initially this would seem to be just another tragic hunting accident amidst picturesque New Zealand bush. The only problem is neither of the remaining two friends own up to pulling the trigger that fired the lethal bullet - yet all three had discharged their rifles - with no deer to prove it. The question is - who shot Hayden Renner? Was he mistaken for a real stag or was there something more sinister at play?
Written by: Phillip Dalkin & Timothy Balme
Directed by: Mike Smith


Season Two Episode Guide
2-01 Leather & Lace--09/27/2015
The Brokenwood Cheetahs are a local rugby team of legendary status. Their losing streak of 50 straight games has broken national records. So when their hapless coach, Arnie Langstone, is found dead - stripped naked and strapped to a goalpost - some think it might be blessing in disguise - perhaps now they might start winning again. But amidst this DSS Mike Shepherd is perplexed by several other issues. Firstly, why was a pair of women's underwear stuffed down Arnie's throat? And what do the neatly embroidered initials ‘G.G.' signify? Then a second body is discovered and Mike and his team are stretched to the limit. Is this the work of a serial killer or merely a puzzling co-incidence?
Written by: Timothy Balme & Nick Ward
Directed by: Mike Smith

2-02 To Die Or Not To Die--10/04/2015
When a young cast member of The Brokenwood Theatre Society collapses and dies at the end of a performance of Hamlet, the initial belief is that it was from natural causes. However, Mike detects there is ‘something rotten in the state of Brokenwood' when he gets a whiff of a lethal poison. In doing so he uncovers a complex web of ego driven dissention amongst the troupe. Was Ben Faulkner expended to create opportunity for another young rising star? Or can his death be linked to the words of the Bard himself? And how did Jared end up playing the lead role? As Mike and his team investigate the hidden secrets of this curious group of thespians ‘To be or not to be' takes on a whole new meaning.
Written by: Timothy Balme
Directed by: Murray Keane

2-03 Catch Of The Day--10/10/2015
The bucolic coastal waters off Brokenwood support a thriving fishing industry. But when Jared discovers a severed human hand in a crayfish pot it appears to be harboring something far more sinister. Who does the hand belong to and are they still alive? The finger is pointed at the Keely family; fishermen for generations who are very protective of their patch. But what about the deceased's wife who was out at sea, out of cell phone range and out for a good time? And the volunteer fisheries officer seems to be a man who is doing God's work as much as protecting the marine life. As Mike, Kristin and Breen set about fathoming the dark undercurrents of the coastal sea they will be surprised by what lies beneath.
Written by: Greg McGee
Directed by: Mike Smith

2-04 Blood Pink--10/18/2015
Holly Collins is not only DSS Mike Shepherd's favorite country musician she's also playing in Brokenwood. Unfortunately it turns out to be her final gig. When she is found electrocuted it appears to be a rock'n'roll suicide. But then again it could have been a drunken accident - or, as Mike suspects, it is perhaps something less obvious. With a careless note scrawled in lipstick the only clue, Mike has to set aside his personal interest in the victim and strike the right note with Holly's dysfunctional band members: Slim Fingers, Waylon Strings and Jesse James. But the more he finds out, the more he needs to know and the less he likes what he learns.
Written by: Timothy Balme
Directed by: Joshua Frizzell