Description
Screentime New Zealand, Lippy Pictures and Letterbox Filmproduktion for TV3 and ZDF
Justice isn’t always right. And some crimes aren’t wrong. But where does that leave us? And the people caught between the two? The Gulf is about the moral disintegration of Detective Jess Savage, who finds herself in exactly that place as she investigates crimes on her home of Waiheke Island, New Zealand.
After losing her memory in a car crash that killed her husband, Jess becomes determined to bring the killer to justice. Convinced that someone is trying to kill her because of something she has uncovered in a recent investigation, she in effect begins investigating herself, retracing her steps over the weeks prior. As her colleagues become increasingly uncooperative Jess’ paranoia really sets in, whilst she also starts to fight an addiction to morphine. As she gets closer to the truth she so desperately seeks, Jess discovers that her world is not so morally black and white.
The personal story of Jess and the revelation of it to her and the audience is complex and intriguing, which dovetails seamlessly with three intriguing criminal cases that have a major impact on her career.
In Series 2, Detective Jess Savage wants to leave the past behind and make the most of her tentative new relationship with daughter Ruby – but a blackmailer is making that impossible, threatening to expose Jess’s murder of her sexual-abuser husband Alex. Jess tries to identify and track down her blackmailer while solving crimes on her home patch of Waiheke Island. A pregnant Ruby, negotiates her changing relationship with boyfriend AJ and her group of friends from childhood.
Ratings:
- TV3 (NZ) - Season 2 was the #1 drama on-demand
- Season 1 launched 40% above the channel average, nearly 20% share for 18-49s
Awards:
- The Gulf Season 2 winner of 4 National Awards at the 2021 Asian Academy Creative Awards. Best Actor (Ido Drent), Best Cinematographer (Dave Cameron), Best Director (Rob Sarkies) and Best Screenplay (Paula, Donna & Jack Wedde)