Duggan is a TVNZ police drama from 1997, featuring New Zealand actor John Bach as Detective Inspector John Duggan and Fiona Mogridge as Ruth Duggan. Unlike other New Zealand police drama series, Duggan was initially intended to be produced as a series of one-off programmes, akin to British crime series of the time such as Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders. Two stories were filmed in this way, one each in 1997 and 1998, before the decision was made to produce a series of 11 episodes in 1999. All episodes except for the first two were one hour in length; the first two were two hours long.[1]

Duggan
GenreDrama
Created byMarion McLeod
Directed by
Starring
ComposerGareth Farr
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes11 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerDorothee Pinfold
Producers
CinematographyLeon Narbey
EditorPaul Sutorius
Production companyGibson Group
Original release
NetworkTelevision One
Release20 July (1999-07-20) –
28 September 1999 (1999-09-28)

Premise edit

Duggan follows the investigations of John Duggan, an initially retired Police Detective Inspector who becomes involved in various murder investigations near his home in the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. As such, the show mainly takes place in the Sounds, Picton and Wellington.

Having retired from his job after the death of his wife, he is initially reluctant to resume his police work. However, he is convinced back in the first telefeature, Death in Paradise. Through the show, he works to uncover complex murder plots against the backdrop of small-town New Zealand in the late 1990s.

Ironically, production of the series was briefly delayed by a major real-life crime, the 1998 New Year's Day murder of Ben Smart and Olivia Hope.

List of episodes edit

Introductory episodes edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Death in Paradise"Yvonne MackayKen Duncum and Donna Malane13 October 1997 (1997-10-13)
22"Sins of the Fathers"Yvonne MackayKen Duncum and Donna Malane7 September 1998 (1998-09-07)

Season 1 (1999) edit

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
31"Workshop for Murder"Mike SmithJudy Callingham20 July 1999 (1999-07-20)
42"A Shadow of Doubt: Part 1"Yvonne MackayDonna Malane27 July 1999 (1999-07-27)
53"A Shadow of Doubt: Part 2"Yvonne MackayDonna Malane3 August 1999 (1999-08-03)
64"Time and Tide"Mike SmithLinda Burgess10 August 1999 (1999-08-10)
75"Going Overboard"John ReidPaul Yates17 August 1999 (1999-08-17)
86"Murder at Te Papa"John LaingDonna Malane24 August 1999 (1999-08-24)
97"Sneakers"Mike SmithKen Duncum31 August 1999 (1999-08-31)
108"Dog's Breakfast"John ReidWilliam Brandt7 September 1999 (1999-09-07)
119"Moving House"John LaingDamien Wilkins14 September 1999 (1999-09-14)
1210"Last Resort"Mike SmithKen Duncum21 September 1999 (1999-09-21)
1311"Food to Die For"Mike SmithJudy Callingham28 September 1999 (1999-09-28)

References edit

  1. ^ Davies, R., "The birth of a Kiwi detective," nzonscreen.com 2 June 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.

External links edit