Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby plays a host of hilarious characters in a laugh out loud look at small town life in New Zealand, featuring cameo appearances from Stephen Merchant, Karl Urban, Sam Neill and Bear Grylls, in this side-splitting cross between The Office and Parks and Recreation.

Starring
Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords, Voltron)
David Farrier (Tickled, 3 News reporter)
Georgia Hatzis (Hung, Jack and Jill)
Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, What We Do In The Shadows)

Guest starring
Karl Urban (Dredd, Star Trek)
Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, Peaky Blinders)
Stephen Merchant (The Office, Logan)
Bear Grylls (The Island, Mission Survive)

Directed by
Michelle Walshe (Chasing Great)

David Farrier is a journalist given an assignment to find the ‘Short Poppies’, the real people who are what New Zealand is really all about. He heads to a small town where he meets a cross section of the local community, including incompetent lifeguards, UFO-spotters, town gossips and deranged park rangers.

When the seven characters are invited to the wrap party to celebrate the series, all hell breaks loose when they see how theyʼve been portrayed on the show...

A mock doc in the style of The Office and Parks and Recreation, SHORT POPPIES is a series of day-in-the-life exclusive interview sessions with seven unique characters from New Zealand, each played by the brilliant comedic talent Rhys Darby, much loved for his scene-stealing performance as the hapless manager Murray in the classic comedy series Flight of the Conchords, and star of popular TV series Voltron and hit film Hunt For The Wilderpeople.

Darby is the star of show here, and has created seven extraordinarily ordinary New Zealand characters, like Ron Taylor, the park ranger and survivalist whose world unravels when he loses his coffee mug; Mary the serial complainer and gossip, driven berserk by a new cycle path; Steve Whittle, who hopes to be the ambassador for humankind when aliens land; Rhod Gainer, New Zealand’s number one muscle car enthusiast, and Terry Pole, a driftwood-rescuing lifeguard.

Rhys is backed up by David Farrier, an actual TV journalist from New Zealand (famed for reporting on News 3, and director and star of the acclaimed documentary Tickled), who makes the perfect deadpan foil for the various characters. The series also features guest star appearances including Sam Neill, Stephen Merchant, Bear Grylls, and Dredd-star Karl Urban, wonderful here as a camp hairdresser.

Packed with hilarious dialogue (“Are you on Twitter?” “How dare you, I’ve never done any drugs in my life!”), and lunatic moments (including an outrageous ‘sexy legs’ competition), this is a laugh a minute comedy gem, a must for Conchord aficionados (Jemaine Clement directs two of the episodes) and a real delight for fans of Darby who shows off his versatility and comedic genius to terrific effect.

“Sweet and absurd” LA Times
“Darby’s a formidable talent” Variety