New Brokenwood series gets $4m

Neill Rea and Fern Sutherland star in The Brokenwood Mysteries.

Prime Television's local detective series The Brokenwood Mysteries will return after New Zealand On Air agreed to fund a second series of the South Pacific Pictures-produced show.

NZOA has backed the four two-hour episodes with $4,036,000 in its latest funding round.

NZOA chief executive Jane Wrightson cited "social media chatter" about the first season - while making no mention of viewer numbers - as a reason for financing a further block of shows.

"Fans of the first series of The Brokenwood Mysteries will be thrilled to see Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd's return for a second series of the murder mystery show on Prime. The first series had a very appreciative audience who, judging by social media chatter, were left wanting more.

"We are delighted to support another season of The Brokenwood Mysteries. The first season was gorgeously quirky, quintessentially Kiwi, and its audience loved it."

Also getting NZOA funding is a sci-fi thriller for TV2 called The Cul De Sac. The six-episode series, to be made by Greenstone TV, centres on 16-year-old Rose who must keep her siblings safe after all the adults mysteriously disappear. It received $1,024,942.

"We are very excited to see a new sci-fi drama for children," said Wrightson. The prime-time slot was a strong vote of confidence.