Spy: Kura returns — and one star poised for bigger things

Vinnie Bennett. Photo / Mara Sommer

Kura, the little comedy, drama show that has delivered great things dropped its 3rd season on TVNZ+ this weekend.

The show — which won nearly 50 per cent of TVNZ’s “New Blood” public vote competition in 2018 for its pilot episode — has been a streaming hit for the network ever since.

For the uninitiated, Kura is short for Papakura, where the series is set and where co-creators Vince McMillan and James Watson grew up.

“When I think back to the genesis of the show, we knew we were on to something exciting, but it was hard to visualise if it could go any further than the pilot,” says McMillan.

Think The Sopranos, Outrageous Fortune — but with unique heart — the co-creators have woven in their slice of New Zealand.

After season 1, A-list actors such as Vinnie Bennett and Grace Palmer wanted a slice of the action and appeared in Season 2.

Bennett returns for the new season — and Spy hears he has even bigger career news coming up this year after his role in blockbuster Fast & Furious 9 in 2021.

Bennett plays it cool in the series with one-liners, hanging back as part of the friend posse of Billy-John (Dahnu Graham) and Hotene (Lionel Wellington) and their mates and girlfriends.

From the beginning, McMillan and Watson wanted to bring a strong wahine into the series to play the new character of Po. A talent with X Factor and ready to step into the spotlight was found in Aki Munroe of Shortland Street fame.

“Aki has a lot of talent. Her character, Po, effortlessly fits into the fabric of Kura and it has been wonderful creating a character who feels real and natural with her own distinctive conflicts, challenges, and quirks,” says McMillan.

McMillan is both grateful and proud that they’ve been able to explore the various characters’ stories and make them meaningful season after season. He is the first to admit he is an avid TV watcher and is influenced by US TV, cleverly adapting it into the unique fabric of Kura. The show’s opening credit sequence is based on that of The Sopranos with local Papakura landmarks doubling for New Jersey.

“Kura has been directly influenced by Atlanta for its cinematic qualities and subdued humour as well as The End of the F***king World for its straightforward shooting style, striking colour palette, and other characteristics that are more typical of independent cinema,” he says.