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Creamerie is a black comedy web series from New Zealand that launched in 2021 on TVNZ OnDemand. It explores a world in which nearly all men have died from a virus, and three friends, played by Perlina Lau, J.J. Fong, and Ally Xue, run a dairy farm under the watchful eye of Wellness, the local governing body. The series was created by Lau, Fong, Xue, and director Roseanne Liang.

Plot

Alex, Jaime and Pip are three friends living on a New Zealand dairy farm eight years after all men on Earth have been killed by a mysterious virus. An organisation called Wellness now runs their community and controls repopulation via lottery, using sperm saved from old sperm banks. The friends' lives are thrown into disarray when they encounter a man whom they assume to be the last surviving man in the world. As season 1 concludes and season 2 begins, they stumble upon a laboratory where some of the very few surviving men are being held hostage, tied to their chairs, gagged and naked, with pumping devices attached to their genitalia, extracting their semen which will then be used to impregnate women.

Cast

Main

• Ally Xue as Alex, an outspoken critic of the Wellness organization
• J.J. Fong as Jaime, a mother mourning the loss of her husband and son
• Perlina Lau as Pip, an optimist who works for the Wellness organization
• Jay Ryan as Bobby, a man who has survived the virus believed to have killed every man on Earth
• Tandi Wright as Lane, the head of Wellness

Recurring

• Kimberley Crossman as Michelle
• Nikki Si'ulepa as Constance
• Helene Wong as Tilda
• Rachel House as Doc Harvey
• Yoson An as Jackson, Jaime's deceased husband
• Renee Lyons as Viv
• Brynley Stent as Lynley
• Ava Diakhaby as Ada
• Angella Dravid as Brandi
• Keborah Torrance as Bernice
• Sara Wiseman as Hunter

Episodes

Source:

Season 1

Season 2

Production

NZ On Air announced funding for the series in May 2019. Filming began in and around the Auckland region, including West Auckland, in 2020, but was paused after six weeks when lockdowns for the COVID-19 pandemic began. Filming resumed with the implementation of masks, social distancing, and other precautions, and was completed in September 2020.

In May 2022, Creamerie was renewed for a second season, which filmed from October 2022 to February 2023. This second season was released domestically on July 14, with Australian and US release dates later in the summer.

Reception

Since the programme's premiere it has received critical acclaim, with critics praising the programme's humour, casting, unique premise, and for the programme's ability to maintain a deft balance between its humorous and dramatic aspects. Positive comparisons were made to Y: The Last Man and The Handmaid's Tale; with many critics calling the programme an inversion of the latter. Although recurring criticisms of the programme was that it needed to put a bit more emphasis on its dramatic moments given the nature of the story it is trying to tell and that it needed to provide more backstory.

Writing for The Sydney Morning Herald, Kylie Northover called Creamerie "masterful, with deadpan humour and a terrific cast." James Croot of Stuff NZ wrote a glowing review, stating "Creamerie delivers full-bodied and flavoured, adult humour with no trace of cheese." Chelsea McLaughlin from Mamamia gave the programme a positive review writing that "Creamerie builds a fascinating world and introduces us to three incredibly real, well-rounded characters in Alex, Jamie and Pip. It tackles some really dark topics and seems to know exactly when to lean in and lean out of its hilarity... but you'll be left thinking about it long after the final credits." In her rave review from ScreenHub, Mel Campbell said, "The plotting is surprisingly suspenseful, whipping up dollops of twists in every episode.... Ultimately, this speculative treat is intellectually substantial – and emotionally satisfying."

In his commendatory second season review critic Mike Hale from The New York Times said "What distinguishes “Creamerie” is how seamlessly it incorporates the raunchy, silly, casually comic vibe of those online shorts (along with their female point of view) into a sci-fi-series framework. It’s a clever but unassuming show, which is why its package of laughs, sentiment, consciousness raising and low-budget Saturday-serial action has considerable appeal." He went on to praise actress Tandi Wright's performance stating that her acting was "Excellent".

Awards

Creamerie won the NZ On Air Best Drama Series award at the 2021 New Zealand Television Awards.

References

1. ^ "Creamerie". Flat 3 Productions. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
2. Greene, Steve (9 December 2021). "'Creamerie' Brings a New Emotional Spin to a Fictional World Without Men". IndieWire. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
3. ^ Goldbart, Max (14 June 2023). "'Creamerie': Hulu/TVNZ Drop Trailer For Season 2 Of Dystopian Dramedy". Deadline. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
4. "A clean sweep for women creatives in latest NZ On Air drama and comedy funding". www.nzonair.govt.nz. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
5. Kundu, Tamal (8 December 2021). "Where Is Creamerie Filmed?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
6. "'Culture Is On The Budgetary Margins' - Breaking Down Creative NZ's Investment Approach". The Big Idea. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
7. "TV review: Creamerie is ideal iso escapism". InDaily. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
8. "Review: Creamerie is the post-pandemic comedy we need right now". The Spinoff. 19 April 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
9. "In a flip on Handmaid's Tale, women are in charge in this five-star series". The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
10. "Creamerie: TVNZ's post-apocalyptic, anti-Handmaid's Tale offers up dark delights". Stuff (company). 20 April 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
11. "Should I Watch It? SBS on Demand's addictive new series Creamerie, where all the men are dead". Mammamia. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
12. Campbell, Mel (25 May 2021). "TV Review: Creamerie is a Kiwi treat". ScreenHub. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
13. "'Creamerie' Review: Where the Boys Aren't". The New York Times. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
14. "2021 New Zealand Television Winners Announced". Scoop. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.

External links

• Creamerie at IMDb

• 2020s New Zealand television series
• 2021 New Zealand television series debuts
• 2021 web series debuts
• Comedy web series
• Television shows filmed in New Zealand
• Television shows set in New Zealand
• Single-gender worlds
• Television shows funded by NZ on Air