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Shark in the Park 
Summary
Shark in the Park is a New Zealand police procedural. It revolved around the professional and private lives of a group of officers at a Wellington police station under the command of Inspector Brian "Sharky" Finn. The title came from the informal code term used by officers to indicate that the Inspector was about and they should "look busy".
| Shark in the Park | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Police procedural |
| Created by | Graeme Tetley[1] |
| Written by | Duncan Holland Charlie Strachan Simon Morris Donna Malane Liddy Holloway Fran Walsh |
| Directed by | Peter Barrett Lex Van Os Steve La Hood Yvonne Mackay Keith Hunter Dan McKirdy |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Peter Blake |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 38 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Dave Gibson (series 2–3) |
| Producer | Ruth Franks |
| Cinematography | Wayne Vinten |
| Editors |
|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Television One |
| Release | 5 April 1989 – 18 December 1991 |
The series ran for three series from 1989–92, totalling 38 episodes. Many of the cast had regular roles in the series and several became well known throughout New Zealand as a result of the series. The show also featured actors in guest roles, among them Lucy Lawless, Michael Hurst, Temuera Morrison and Karl Urban.
The series was produced by the Gibson Group and broadcast by Television One – it has since been repeated on TVNZ 6. Writers for the show included Fran Walsh, later to become well known through her association with Peter Jackson and her work on films such as the Lord of the Rings films.
Cast and characters edit
Main cast edit
- Jeffrey Thomas as Inspector Brian Finn
- K. J. Wilson as Sergeant Ian Jesson
- Russell Smith as Detective Bernie Gregory
- William Kircher as B.P.
- Rima Te Wiata as Jacko (series 1–2)
- Joanna Briant as Margaret "Wally" Wallace
- Robert Pollock as Dingo (series 1–2)
- Geoffrey Heath as Roger Blackman
- Grant Tilly as Inspector Englebretsen (series 2–3)
- Nathaniel Lees as Barker (series 2–3)
- Darren Young as Om (series 2–3)
Recurring cast edit
- John Wraight as Smudge
- David Geary as Gerald
- Brett Bailey as UB1 (Uniform Branch 1)
- Des Stephens as UB1 (Uniform Branch 1)
- Jon Pheloung as Nifty
Guest cast edit
- Neil Gudsell as Constable Ra (series 1)
- Jenny Ludlam as Diane (series 1) / Josie Tucker (series 2)
- Mark Wright as Tony (series 1)
- Robyn Malcolm as Janice (series 1) / Janet Finn (series 2–3)
- Alan Brough (series 1)
- Ken Blackburn as Superintendent (series 2–3)
Episodes edit
Series 1 (1989) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Sunday Roast" | Tony Wilson | Graeme Tetley & Chris Hampson | 5 April 1989 |
| 2 | 2 | "Loose Ends" | Daniel McKirdy | Charlie Strachan | 12 April 1989 |
| 3 | 3 | "Lamb to the Slaughter" | Ginette McDonald | Norelle Scott | 19 April 1989 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Cost of Living" | Lex van Os | Wendy Jackson | 10 May 1989 |
| 5 | 5 | "Look Before You Leap" | Lex van Os | Charlie Strachan | 17 May 1989 |
| 6 | 6 | "A Fair Cop" | Lex van Os & Andrew Shaw | Fran Walsh | 24 May 1989 |
| 7 | 7 | "Lynn" | Murray Reece | Fran Walsh & Graeme Tetley | 31 May 1989 |
| 8 | 8 | "Orchestral Manoevres" | David Copeland | Simon Morris | 7 June 1989 |
| 9 | 9 | "A Ticket Home" | Tony Wilson | Norelle Scott | 14 June 1989 |
| 10 | 10 | "Domestics" | Daniel McKirdy | Charlie Strachan | 21 June 1989 |
Series 2 (1990) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Prospects" | Lex van Os | Charlie Strachan | 13 July 1990 |
| 12 | 2 | "First Offence" | Daniel McKirdy | Simon Morris | 20 July 1990 |
| 13 | 3 | "The First Cut is the Deepest" | Lex van Os | Donna Malane | 27 July 1990 |
| 14 | 4 | "Diversions" | Daniel McKirdy | Michael Wilson | 3 August 1990 |
| 15 | 5 | "Victims" | Lex van Os | Duncan Holland | 10 August 1990 |
| 16 | 6 | "Lies" | Daniel McKirdy | Norelle Scott | 17 August 1990 |
| 17 | 7 | "Technical K.O." | Guy Hollier | Charlie Strachan | 24 August 1990 |
| 18 | 8 | "Acting Sergeant" | Yvonne MacKay | Simon Morris | 31 August 1990 |
| 19 | 9 | "Whispering Grass" | Peter Barrett | Fran Walsh | 7 September 1990 |
| 20 | 10 | "Fall From Grace" | Yvonne MacKay | Donna Malane & Charlie Strachan | 14 September 1990 |
| 21 | 11 | "Ten-Zero Dingo" | Peter Barrett | Duncan Holland | 21 September 1990 |
| 22 | 12 | "Out of Place" | Yvonne MacKay | Mary Taylor | 28 September 1990 |
| 23 | 13 | "Guilty Knowledge" | Peter Barrett | Fran Walsh | 5 October 1990 |
Series 3 (1991) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | "White Heat" | Peter Barrett | Unknown | 28 August 1991 |
| 25 | 2 | "Allsorts" | Keith Hunter | Unknown | 4 September 1991 |
| 26 | 3 | "Silver Spurs" | Lex van Os | Frances Walsh | 11 September 1991 |
| 27 | 4 | "You've Got to Have Mates" | Peter Barrett | Simon Morris | 18 September 1991 |
| 28 | 5 | "Suffer the Little Children" | Steve La Hood | Unknown | 25 September 1991 |
| 29 | 6 | "Thicker Than Water" | Lex van Os | Unknown | 2 October 1991 |
| 30 | 7 | "Double or Quits" | Peter Barrett | Unknown | 16 October 1991 |
| 31 | 8 | "Et Tu, Brute" | Steve La Hood | Unknown | 23 October 1991 |
| 32 | 9 | "The Only Thing to Fear" | David Copeland | Unknown | 30 October 1991 |
| 33 | 10 | "Give a Dog a Bad Name" | Peter Barrett | Jane Gallately | 13 November 1991 |
| 34 | 11 | "Lovers and Losers" | Keith Hunter | Unknown | 20 November 1991 |
| 35 | 12 | "A Sensitive Family Matter" | Steve La Hood | Unknown | 27 November 1991 |
| 36 | 13 | "Loyalties" | Peter Barrett | Unknown | 4 December 1991 |
| 37 | 14 | "A Little Help From My Friend" | Keith Hunter | Unknown | 11 December 1991 |
| 38 | 15 | "Nothing But the Truth" | Steve La Hood | Unknown | 18 December 1991 |
References edit
- ^ "Graeme Tetley". Nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
External links edit
- Shark in the Park at IMDb
- Shark in the Park
- The Gibson Group
- Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
