Shark in the Park
Shark in the Park was a New Zealand television drama series. A 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 | Crime Drama |
| Created by | Greame 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 |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Dave Gibson |
| Producer | Ruth Franks |
| Production location | Wellington |
| Editor | Annie Collins |
| Running time | 1 hr. |
| Production company | The Gibson Group |
| Release | |
| First shown in | 5 April 1989 |
| Original release | 5 April 1989 – 18 December 1991 |
The series ran for three series in 1989, 1990, and 1992, totalling about 45 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 many well-known 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 TV 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.
Recurring cast
- Jeffrey Thomas as Inspector Brian Finn
- David Geary as Gerald
- Jon Pheloung as Nifty
- Des Stephens as ?
- Grant Tilly as Inspector Englebretsen
- William Kircher as BP
- Rima Te Wiata as Jacko
- Geoffrey Heath as Roger Blackman
- John Wraight as Smudge
- Joanna Briant as Wally
- Nathaniel Lees as Barker
- Russell Smith as Bernie
- Robert Pollock as Dingo
- K. J. Wilson as Sergeant Jesson
- Darren Young as Om
- Brett Bailey as UB1 (Uniform Branch 1)
- Neil Gudsell as Ra (Season one)
Episodes
Series 1 (1989)
| 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)
| 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)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | "White Heat" | Peter Barrett | TBA | 28 August 1991 |
| 25 | 2 | "Allsorts" | Keith Hunter | TBA | 4 September 1991 |
| 26 | 3 | "Silver Spurs" | Lex van Os | TBA | 11 September 1991 |
| 27 | 4 | "You've Got to Have Mates" | Peter Barrett | TBA | 18 September 1991 |
| 28 | 5 | "Suffer the Little Children" | Steve La Hood | TBA | 25 September 1991 |
| 29 | 6 | "Thicker Than Water" | Lex van Os | TBA | 2 October 1991 |
| 30 | 7 | "Double or Quits" | Peter Barrett | TBA | 16 October 1991 |
| 31 | 8 | "Et Tu, Brute" | Steve La Hood | TBA | 23 October 1991 |
| 32 | 9 | "The Only Thing to Fear" | David Copeland | TBA | 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 | TBA | 20 November 1991 |
| 35 | 12 | "A Sensitive Family Matter" | Steve La Hood | TBA | 27 November 1991 |
| 36 | 13 | "Loyalties" | Peter Barrett | TBA | 4 December 1991 |
| 37 | 14 | "A Little Help From My Friend" | Keith Hunter | TBA | 11 December 1991 |
| 38 | 15 | "Nothing But the Truth" | Steve La Hood | TBA | 18 December 1991 |