Small Town Scandal: New Zealand’s Quirky Take on True Crime
It’s been over a decade since the groundbreaking podcast Serial first captured our imaginations, proving that with enough dedication and online sleuthing, amateur detectives could potentially crack cold cases. This sparked a true-crime phenomenon, leading to impactful journalistic endeavours like Hedley Thomas’s The Teacher’s Pet, which played a crucial role in securing a conviction. However, the genre’s popularity also opened the floodgates for parody and satire.
Early on, The Onion‘s podcast A Very Fatal Murder playfully skewered the conventions of true-crime investigations, following a host seemingly more interested in accolades than justice, as they delved into the demise of a young woman in the seemingly tranquil town of Bluff Springs. On the visual front, Netflix’s American Vandal delivered an eight-part spoof series focusing on a high school student accused of a bizarre act of vandalism. More recently, the fictional amateur podcasters in Only Murders in the Building have spent multiple seasons hilariously bumbling through crime scenes in New York City.
Now, the art of parodying true crime has arrived on the shores of small-town New Zealand, courtesy of Kiwi comedian Tom Sainsbury. His new series, Small Town Scandal, offers what might be the most endearingly awkward and distinctly Australian-influenced rendition of the genre yet.
The eight-part series is adapted from Sainsbury’s own mockumentary podcast of the same name. In it, Sainsbury portrays Toby Buchanan, a disgraced journalist who has returned to his rural New Zealand hometown of Te Hōiho after a stint in Sydney. Feeling adrift, Toby decides his best shot at a hit podcast is to investigate the suspicious death of his Uncle Mitch. Uncle Mitch (played by Peter Hambleton), the wealthiest man in Te Hōiho, has seemingly met his end after being run over by the self-driving motor mowers that were the source of his fortune. Toby, unconvinced by the “accident” narrative and with little else on his plate, launches his own investigation to unearth a potential killer.
The show shares a similar light-hearted and slightly goofy tone with Only Murders in the Building, deriving its charm and narrative momentum from an eccentric cast of suspects. These include a pair of swingers and a set of sociopathic twins, adding layers of comedic intrigue.
Morgana O’Reilly, who audiences might recognise from the recent season of The White Lotus, brings a wonderfully strange and suspicious energy to the role of Toby’s high school crush. She’s now married to the rather dim-witted Aussie cop (Alexander England, known for Offspring) who is officially handling the case. The casting of veteran actress Felicity Kendal (Rosemary & Thyme) as Toby’s exasperated and largely uninterested mother is a particularly delightful touch, given her established credentials in the cosy crime genre. Adding to the comedic ensemble, Rose Matafeo (Starstruck) makes a guest appearance as Toby’s cousin.
However, much like other awkwardly charming Kiwi comedies, including Wellington Paranormal (which Sainsbury co-wrote and starred in), Small Town Scandal might prove to be an acquired taste. For some viewers, the sheer awkwardness and cringe factor of Toby’s bumbling character could be overwhelming. The show establishes this tone from the very first episode, where Toby struggles to even pronounce the term “investigative journalist.” At times, the deliberately oddball humour veers into territory that feels a little too broad; a prime example being Toby’s Australian media contact, who is quite literally shown throwing shrimps on the barbie at one point.
This exaggerated Australian element makes sense given the show’s origins. In the podcast version, Sainsbury, who is widely admired for his social media impressions, voiced all the characters himself. This allowed him to imbue even the most outlandish characters with a manic energy that significantly amplified the comedic effect. However, this approach doesn’t always translate seamlessly to the screen.
Despite these minor quibbles, Small Town Scandal offers a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend time in the fictional Te Hōiho. It’s a charming and often hilarious distraction while we eagerly await the return of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez to the Arconia.
Small Town Scandal is currently available for streaming on ABC iview. New episodes are also broadcast at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays on ABC Entertains.
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