''Creamerie'' is a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single i ...

from New Zealand that launched in 2021 on

TVNZ OnDemand TVNZ+ ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Ā-Tono), formerly known as TVNZ OnDemand, is an online New Zealand television and video on demand streaming service offered by TVNZ. It offers a variety of free content, such as news updates and programmes seen on TVN ...

. 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 Roseanne Liang is a New Zealand film director. Her first feature film, '' My Wedding and Other Secrets'', was the first theatrically released feature film made by a Chinese New Zealander and became 2011's highest grossing local feature film. She ...

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 organization 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. They eventually 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 A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

, extracting their

semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize the female ovum. Semen i ...

to store for insemination.

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 Tandi Wright (born 4 May 1966) is a New Zealand actress. She first gained recognition for portraying Nurse Caroline Buxton on the long running New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She is best known for her roles as Fenn Partington on ''S ...

as Lane, the head of Wellness

Recurring

Kimberley Crossman Kimberley Frances Crossman (born May 1990) is a New Zealand actress and presenter who is best known for her role as Sophie McKay on the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Street''. She is the co-founder of Joyable. In August 2021, it was announ ...

as Michelle * Nikki Si'ulepa as Constance * Helene Wong as Tilda * Rachel House as Doc Harvey *

Yoson An Yoson An (; born June 23, 1992) is a Chinese-born New Zealand actor and filmmaker. Early life An was born in China and grew up learning English at an international school in Macau. His parents left China for more economic opportunities abroad, ...

as Jackson, Jaime's deceased husband * Renee Lyons as Viv *

Brynley Stent Brynley Alexandra Stent (born 1989) is a New Zealand actor, comedian and scriptwriter. She appeared on the first season of the New Zealand adaptation of '' Taskmaster'' and played the character Kelly-Anne Johnson on long running New Zealand soap ...

as Lynley * Ava Diakhaby as Ada * Angella Dravid as Brandi * Keborah Torrance as Bernice *

Sara Wiseman Sara Wiseman is a New Zealand actress, best known for her roles in the television series ''Mercy Peak'' as Dr. Nicky Somerville, '’ A Place to Call Home'' as Carolyn Bligh and ''The Cult'' as Annabelle Willis. Beginning her career with low-pr ...

as Hunter

Episodes

Production

Filming began in and around the

Auckland region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containing ...

, including West Auckland, in 2020, but was paused after six weeks when lockdowns for the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

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. Filming for Season 2 occurred from October 2022 to February 2023.

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 ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which h ...

''; 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 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

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

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 14301316 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