Rude Awakenings
Encyclopedia
Rude Awakenings was a New Zealand comedy/drama series that aired on TV ONE on Friday evenings. The pilot episode aired on February 9, 2007. It has been confirmed there will be no more episodes, with TVNZ citing low ratings as the reason despite the show receiving much praise from viewers.
The series is based around two families, who live next door to each other in a fashionable street in Ponsonby
, a suburb of Auckland
. The Rush family has just moved to their newly renovated house in Ponsonby from a lifestyle block in Kumeu
. Dimity, the mother, is a human resources manager; Stuart, the father, is an anaesthesiologist, and Julian and Ollie are their sons. They immediately hit a wrong chord with their new neighbours, the Short family.
Arthur Short has recently had his wife Sharon leave him for a lesbian relationship, and he is unemployed and with few prospects. His two teenage daughters, Amber and Constance, live with him. Their house, where they have been tenants for the last 20 years, is up for sale, but they are determined to remain where they are.
The series was recently released to DVD.
The series is based around two families, who live next door to each other in a fashionable street in Ponsonby
Ponsonby, New Zealand
Ponsonby is an inner-city suburb of Auckland City located 2 km west of the Auckland CBD, in the North Island of New Zealand. The suburb is oriented along a ridge running north-south, which is followed by the main street of the suburb, Ponsonby Road....
, a suburb of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. The Rush family has just moved to their newly renovated house in Ponsonby from a lifestyle block in Kumeu
Kumeu (district)
Kumeu is a small town 25 km north-west of the Auckland City centre in New Zealand. State Highway 16 and the North Auckland Line pass through the town...
. Dimity, the mother, is a human resources manager; Stuart, the father, is an anaesthesiologist, and Julian and Ollie are their sons. They immediately hit a wrong chord with their new neighbours, the Short family.
Arthur Short has recently had his wife Sharon leave him for a lesbian relationship, and he is unemployed and with few prospects. His two teenage daughters, Amber and Constance, live with him. Their house, where they have been tenants for the last 20 years, is up for sale, but they are determined to remain where they are.
The series was recently released to DVD.
Cast and characters
- Danielle CormackDanielle CormackDanielle Cormack is a stage and screen actress from New Zealand. She was one of the original core cast of the long-running soap opera Shortland Street, though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in the television series Xena: Warrior Princess, Cynthia Ross in The Cult, and Shota in...
as Dimity Rush - Carl Bland as Stuart Rush
- Jaxin Hall as Julian Rush
- Mark Davies as Ollie Rush
- Patrick WilsonPatrick Wilson (New Zealand actor)Patrick Wilson is a New Zealand actor, best-known for his role as "Arthur Short" in Rude Awakenings, opposite Danielle Cormack.He served as an officer in the New Zealand Police before attending classes at the Actors Institute of London and LAMDA. He has appeared in Mercy Peak and Shortland Street...
as Arthur Short - Hannah Tasker-Poland as Amber Short
- Rose McIverRose McIverRose McIver is an actress from New Zealand. She is most famous for her role as Summer Landsdown/Ranger Operator Series Yellow in 2009's Power Rangers: RPM...
as Constance Short - Marise Wipani as Sharon Short
- William Walker as Ralph Gubb
- Fiona Samuel as Bonnie Buckley
- David Mackie as Jase Buckley
- Hera Dunleavy as Dara
- Peter Feeney as Spencer Fantl
- Michael Lawrence as Michael "Horse" Grieve
- Gene Hollins-Werry as Max Buckley