| Producer: | Harriet Crampton |
| Starring: | Cian Elyse White, Eds Eramiha, Katie Wolfe, Rena Owen |
| Studio: | Greenstone TV, 10,000 Company, Steambox Film Collective |
| Distributor: | TVNZ |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Language: | English and te reo Māori |
Vegas is a New Zealand drama television series which officially premiered on TVNZ 2 on 19 April 2021 at 8:30 pm.[1] The series was released on TVNZ On Demand on the same date at 9:30 pm. Vegas was co-created by Michael Bennett and Harriet Crampton and produced by Greenstone TV, 10,000 Company, and Steambox Film Collective with support from NZ On Air and TVNZ Te Reo Tataki.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The 6-part series is set in the fictional tourist town of Wairoto (a thinly anonymised Rotorua). A drug deal gone wrong on a blood-stained night sets off a chain of events for dangerous factions and an innocent bystander in this action-thriller series. Vegas stars Eds Eramiha (The Legend of Baron To’a), Cian Elyse White (Cousins), Katie Wolfe and Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors). Filmed entirely on location in Rotorua.
Vegas is the first mainstream television production in New Zealand to be helmed by a predominantly Māori cast and crew.[9]
Vegas was the third-highest streamed show[10] on TVNZ On Demand in 2021, reaching an average audience of 92.660 New Zealanders per episode. It then doubled that audience with its TVNZ 2 viewership.
Toro Studios created the title sequence Into The Flames composed by Mahuia Bridgman-Cooper, lyrics written and performed by Maaka Pōhatu and the Modern Māori Quartet, with additional performance by Awhimai Fraser and Te Ohorere Williams. Karyn Rachtman is the Music Supervisor.
The series is written by Michael Bennett, based on the novel Inside the Black Horse[11] by Ray Berard.
Paul Lear won Best Post Production Design 2021 for Vegas.[12]
| No. | Title | Written by | Directed by | Billing | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Food for Worms | Michael Bennett | Kiel McNaughton | On a stormy night in Vegas a young leader makes a terrible decision that throws him into the path of a beautiful pub owner, and a desperate boy commits a crime that will change his life forever. | 19 April 2021 | |
| 2 | Macbeth | Michael Bennett | Kiel McNaughton | Kīngi stakes out The Black Horse to get closer to Toni, but bigger forces are already moving against him. | 26 April 2021 | |
| 3 | No Small Thing | Michael Bennett | Tim Worrall | Ari and Tyrone are hunted like animals and Mātz forces Kīngi to accept a new deal. | 3 May 2021 | |
| 4 | Between Man and Beast | Michael Bennett | Mike Smith | Toni is on the path to truth as Kīngi loses his best friend and Hina and Ruthie get their revenge. | 10 May 2021 | |
| 5 | Blue Smoke | Michael Bennett | Kiel McNaughton | Kīngi and Toni's worlds collide with devastating consequences. | 17 May 2021 | |
| 6 | A Normal Life | Michael Bennett | Kiel McNaughton | Hina lives through a terrible trial while Kīngi risks everything on a throw of the dice. | 24 May 2021 |