''Agent Anna'' is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

television series, created by Maxine Fleming with

Vanessa Alexander Vanessa Alexander is an Australian, New Zealand and British screenwriter, director and producer best known for writing on '' Vikings: Valhalla'' and ''The Great''. Early life and education Alexander was born in New York to a New Zealand father ...

and devised by Robyn Malcolm. It is produced by Great Southern Film and Television and funded by

NZ on Air NZ On Air (NZOA; mi, Irirangi te Motu), formally the Broadcasting Commission, is an autonomous Crown entity and commission of the New Zealand Government responsible for funding support for broadcasting and creative works. The commission oper ...

and

Television New Zealand , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solom ...

. It began airing its first series of six episodes in New Zealand on 31 January 2013. NZ on Air announced on 12 August 2013 that the show received funding for a second series of 10 episodes.

Premise

Anna Kingston's husband has left her and their two teenage daughters and gone to Australia leaving behind substantial debts. The family home has been sold, leaving the family to move into Anna's parents' basement. Armed with a new real estate agent's diploma and a motivational CD, Anna gets a job in an Auckland real estate office. Her co-workers steal her listings and treat her poorly, her daughters miss their previous private school, and her mother is unsympathetic.

Cast and characters

Main cast

Robyn Malcolm Robyn Jane Malcolm (born 15 March 1965) is a New Zealand actress, who first gained recognition for her role as nurse Ellen Crozier on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She is best known for six seasons of playing Cheryl West, mat ...

as Anna Kingston *

Adam Gardiner Adam Gardiner (born 13 December 1966) is a New Zealand voice, film and television actor, most notable for his voice roles in ''Power Rangers''. He voiced the Evil White Ranger Clone in ''Power Rangers Dino Thunder'', Kamdor in ''Power Rangers Op ...

as Leon Cruickshank – Eden Realty's top selling agent. *

Theresa Healey Theresa Healey (born 25 January 1964) is a New Zealand actress, known mostly for her role as nurse Carmen Roberts in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. Early life Theresa was born on 25 January 1964 and is of Irish Catholic descent ...

as Sandi Wright – Eden Realty's resident cougar agent. *

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became wid ...

as Clinton Walker – Anna's boss, He owns Eden Realty. He agreed to be paid at New Zealand rates.

Recurring cast

* Kayleigh Haworth as Bree Walker – Clint and Sandi's 19-year-old daughter, She's the receptionist at Eden Realty. * Floyd Alexander Hunt as Charlotte "Charlie" Kingston – Anna's 17-year-old daughter. (series 1; guest: series 2) *

Molly Leishman Molly Leishman is a New Zealand actress, known for her regular appearances from 2013–2014 as Isabella Kingston in New Zealand comedy-drama television series '' Agent Anna '', for her lead role in three seasons of TVNZ's ''The Cul De Sac'' and ...

as Bella Kingston – Anna's 14-year-old daughter. * Janice Finn as Jeanette Dryden – Anna's mother. *

Ian Mune Ian Barry Mune (born 1941) is a New Zealand character actor, director, and screenwriter. His screen acting career spans four decades and more than 50 roles. His work as a film director includes hit comedy ''Came a Hot Friday'', an adaptation of c ...

as Neil Dryden – Anna's father. * Sally Stockwell as Claire - Anna's friend.

Guest cast

Ingrid Park Ingrid Park (born February 1971) is a New Zealand television actress. She began her acting career in 1998 appearing in the New Zealand television soap opera series ''Shortland Street''. Early life and career breakthrough Ingrid was born in 19 ...

as Erica Ball * Bruce Phillips as John Ball * Peter Feeney as Adrian *

Louise Wallace Louise Annette Wallace (née Hooper, born 21 November 1959) is a New Zealand television presenter, actress, and director. Early life Born Louise Annette Hooper in Auckland on 21 November 1959, Wallace was educated at St Cuthbert's College. S ...

as Amanda * Micheala Rooney as Katherine *

James Gaylyn James Gaylyn (born January 9, 1954) is an American-New Zealand actor. He is best known for his appearances in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise. Biography Gaylyn moved to New Zealand with his New Zealand-born wife in 1981. As a blues singer and dr ...

as Motivational speaker * John Leigh as James Finlayson *

Cameron Rhodes Cameron Rhodes (born 1 August 1967) is a New Zealand film and theatrical actor and director. Life and career Rhodes graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1987 with a Diploma in Acting. He has appeared in various TV shows (in ...

as Charles Jordan *

Lisa Chappell Lisa Irene Chappell (born 18 October 1968) is a New Zealand actress and musician. She is known for her roles as Chelsea Redfern in '' Gloss'' (1987–90), her acting debut, and as Claire McLeod in ''McLeod's Daughters'' (2001–03), a performanc ...

as Marna * Fasitua Amosa as Sione * Hwei Ling Ow as Candy Lin * Greg Johnson as Daniel Kingston (3 episodes) – Anna's ex-husband. *

Dwayne Cameron Dwayne Cameron (born 28 October 1981) is a New Zealand actor, writer, director and producer. Cameron is best known internationally for playing the lead roles of Bray on the teen drama series '' The Tribe'' and Tyzonn in ''Power Rangers Operat ...

as Rory O'Conner *

Jodie Rimmer Jodie Rimmer (born 1974) is a New Zealand voice and performer actress best known for starring on '' Young Hercules'', as Lilith. Her work includes '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', ''Channelling Baby'', ''The Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretc ...

as Liz – A woman who sells Anna her dream home. * Alison Quigan as Edith – Anna's aunt, who gives Anna her first paid sale. * Peter Elliott as Cameron Glover – A property developer.

Series overview

Series 1 (2013)

Series 2 (2014)

Broadcast

In Australia, the show premiered on 7Two on 15 January 2014., while series 2 eventually premiered shortly after midnight on 2 January 2018 on

7flix 7flix is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 28 February 2016. 7flix targets a variety of viewers and offers drama, comedy, reality, docusoap, and movies. History On 18 Decembe ...

(free-to-air channel 76).

Reception

The number of viewers was good by New Zealand standards. Chris Philpott in ''On the Box'' says "Malcolm catches the vulnerability, the humanity, at the core of Anna Kingston, and she sells the despair that this former housewife is going through," and he thought the first episode was well-structured. Michelle Hewitson in ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspapers ...

'' wrote "it's a rather sweet, giggly little blonde number with not a lot of substance, but who cares? It's obvious Malcolm is having a lot of fun." She thought it was about time for a comedy about the city's "overheated" property market. In contrast, Jane Bowron wrote in '' The Dominion Post'' that "the first episode was as hard to sell as a real estate agent's first house sale" and criticised it for being set in Auckland rather than more typical New Zealand, and dealing with a woman who had been out of the workforce for 20 years, which is no longer common for New Zealand women. Nick Grant, also in the ''Herald'', says " nitially Anna islittle more than a hapless doormat, which at best is more likely to attract a somewhat impatient sympathy than outright affection" but suggests the show will "map erjourney to independent assertiveness." Diana Wichtel in The ''

New Zealand Listener The ''New Zealand Listener'' is a weekly New Zealand magazine that covers the political, cultural and literary life of New Zealand by featuring a variety of topics, including current events, politics, social issues, health, technology, arts, f ...

'' says "This quiet comedy is in danger of being overshadowed by something sexier", but says she intends to keep watching it.

Notes

* Number includes additional viewers from a 9:30 p.m. rebroadcast airing the same night on TV One Plus 1.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, 2271940, Agent Anna 2013 New Zealand television series debuts 2014 New Zealand television series endings New Zealand English-language television shows New Zealand comedy-drama television series Television shows funded by NZ on Air Television shows set in Auckland TVNZ 1 original programming Fictional real estate agents