Hulu Picks Up Second Season Of New Zealand International Emmy Winner ‘Rūrangi’

Hulu Picks Up Second Season Of New Zealand International Emmy Winner ‘Rūrangi’

EXCLUSIVE: Hulu has picked up exclusive U.S. streaming rights to the second season of New Zealand transgender drama Rūrangi, which recently won an International Emmy for best short-form series.

The second season is in post-production and estimated to be finalised for Q1-2023.

The first season, which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award, charted the story of transgender activist Caz Davis who returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, who hasn’t heard from him since before Caz transitioned. In the second season, Rūrangi’s culture war intensifies between the transgender activists, farmers, and local Māori, while ancestors from the past reach out to the living with unfinished business.

Returning cast are Elz Carrad, Āwhina Rose Henare Ashby, Ramon Te Wake, Aroha Rawson, Renee Lyons, Renée Sheridan and new cast members include Cohen Holloway and Liam Coleman recasting the roles of Gerald and Jem respectively.

Rūrangi showrunners are Max Currie and Briar Grace-Smith. Series writer is Cole Meyers and lead producer is Craig Gainsborough for Autonomouse. Co-producers are Tweedie Waititi, Graham Tipene, Lucean Lunare and Melissa Nickerson.

The series is created with support from NZ on Air and Sky Originals NZ. The Yellow Affair, which handles sales, is in discussions for deals in other territories. The original series was also cut as a film, which had a theatrical release in some markets.

The Yellow Affair’s current slate also includes the New Zealand drama Punch, featuring Tim Roth and directed by Welby Ings, Lativa’s Oscar contender January directed by Viesturs Kairiss, and in post-production is drama series Keep It Together from Anagram Sweden.