New teen dramedy Camp Be Better sparkles with potential
Plus: one of Netflix's most bizarre docos of the year, a new Cate Blanchett thriller, and Jeff Goldblum takes on the gods.
Camp Be Better is a new teen series full of energy and humour
TVNZ’s new teen comedy-drama begins like no other. A balaclava-clad teenager breaks into a fancy house and wanders through every room, breaking ornaments and pulling artwork off the walls. As she enters the kitchen, the figure leaps onto the bench, pulls down her pants, and closes her eyes. She gives a small grunt at the exact moment when two adults walk into the kitchen. They scream, horrified at the scene in front of them, while the teenager stares back at them, frozen. “I did a big shit on the bench,” the voiceover announces.
And with that, Camp Be Better has begun.
Written and directed by Chye-Ling Huang and Hayden J. Weal, Camp Be Better tells the story of 17-year-old Niah (Sweet Tooth’s Louise Jiang), who is sent to a rehabilitation camp as punishment for breaking and entering (and dumping). She quickly discovers Camp Be Better isn’t your ordinary boot camp: instead, this is a luxury holiday for the offspring of the rich and privileged, whose wealth and influence has allowed them to swerve the justice system for 100 days of facials and champagne. While those on the outside think these naughty teens are repaying their debt to society, the reality is far more indulgent.
Episode one of Camp Be Better is a short, snappy teaser into Niah’s new world, and introduces us to the campmates she’ll spend the next 100 days with. This is a teen drama with plenty of archetypal characters: as Niah’s fellow camper Jonas puts it, “we’ve got a crazy rich Asian, the wanky prince from Brigerton, homeschool baby Christian Bale and a ginger”. The show has the stylised teen world of Sex Education and the quiet uneasiness of Creamerie, with an energetic script that’s filled with snappy jokes and sharp one-liners.
Niah finds herself in a cohort of nepo-babies responsible for drug crimes, indecent exposure and arson. “Most of you should be in jail, or worse, cancelled,” camp leader Papa Sterling announces on their arrival. Niah doesn’t fit in at Camp Be Better, and can’t understand how someone with neither wealth or connections ended up there. Things get even worse when the campmates discover Niah is actually – gasp – poor, a crime they consider far more shameful than leaving a poo on a kitchen bench.
It’s up to Niah to find out what’s really going on. Why is her mother in jail? Who sent her to Camp Be Better? And what’s really going on in this weird summer camp filled with rich kids and all their issues?
Just like a teenager, episode one of Camp Be Better feels like it’s still working out who it wants to be. It has the hallmarks of a fun, quirky drama, and we can expect this obnoxious bunch of teens to indeed become better people, mostly thanks to their friendship with outsider Niah. How deep the show is willing to go in its skewering of wealth and privilege isn't entirely clear in the first episode, but there’s no better timing for it, given the current issues around boot camps and debates around how the rich and poor are treated differently in the criminal justice system.
There’s a lot to set up in episode one, but with a strong cast (including well-known faces like Tom Sainsbury, Amanda Billing and Lisa Chappell), big energy and a keen script, Camp Be Better sparkles with potential. If future episodes can take us beyond the teen stereotypes and into some deeper moments of connection – all while making us laugh – then it will be a winner. Unlike finding a turd on a kitchen bench, this series comes as a welcome surprise.
Camp Be Better streams on TVNZ+.
Don’t miss: The Spinoff’s new docuseries Home Education
Home Education begins on a pick-your-own dahlia farm. Three years ago, Jen gave her children $100 to start a business as a learning project. Having fallen in love with dahlias, Gracie spent her money on some dahlia plants. Today, they have a thriving dahlia farm with almost 4,000 plants. “It’s a beautiful way to live,” says Jen. Now, the farm is a classroom. Gracie, Milly and Lexie learn maths at the till counting out change for customers, science while testing different options for flower food and art as they market their flowers.
Made with the support of NZ On Air.
Why you should watch: Mr McMahon (Netflix)
The titular Mr McMahon is Vince, who took over a regional wrestling outfit named WWF (later WWE) and made it a redneck cultural juggernaut in the 80s and 90s. Stars like Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock had enormous impacts on the popular imagination, and there is an extraordinary, truly visionary genius to McMahon which is undeniable in watching this riveting six-part docuseries.
He's also an appalling human being – with multiple serious allegations made about him, and many more landing while the series was being filmed. It creates a queasy tension that never quite resolves – all these semi-broken old wrestlers talking about their time with him, as the storm gathers. There's also a period, during the war with WCW, when wrestling approached a level of outsider art. Mr McMahon is at its most riveting when it becomes a kind of hillbilly Succession, as he plays his poor wife and kids off against each other after bringing them into the business in very public ways. It's chilling, hilarious, shocking and has so much to say about contemporary American life (and politics – Trump is a frequent guest, and clearly learned from McMahon, while the family is now heavily involved in the GOP). One of the best, most bizarre documentaries of the year. / Duncan Greive
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Why you should watch: Disclaimer (Apple TV+)
Written and directed by five-time Academy Award winner Alfonso Cuarón, and based on the best-selling novel by Renée Knight, Disclaimer is a seven-part psychological thriller starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, and Sacha Baron Cohen. Blanchett plays Catherine, an acclaimed journalist who finds herself at the centre of a huge yarn when she starts to read a novel that appears to contain her own deepest, darkest secrets. As Catherine tries to uncover the author’s identity, her past creeps up into the present as the truth of the situation is revealed. One for fans of a slow burn and deeply cinematic kitchens. / Alex Casey
More pop culture recs from The Spinoff this week:
I loved every single word of Alex Casey’s piece asking what The Warehouse has done to her favourite song, and also haven’t been able to get ‘Mambo No. 5’ out of my head since.
Hennessey Griffiths headed to the Silver Scrolls in search of a much-needed respite from the reality of being a musician.
It’s the penultimate week of Celebrity Treasure Island, and our power rankings reveal which celebs made it to the final six.
Stewart Sowman-Lund finds out whether the new Joker movie is really as bad as everyone is saying.
Ahead of the launch of John Campbell’s crime documentary series, I had the pleasure of speaking to him about his long and rich life in TV, while Lyric Waiwiri-Smith reviewed the new series.
We give our quickfire reckons on the 2025 Laneway lineup announced this week.
Big Fan mentor Matthew Young and mentee Jared Frost share their best tunes for their perfect weekend playlist.
Don’t miss all the new shows and movies streaming this week, including the second season of Citadel (Amazon Prime) and new black comedy Sweetpea (Neon).
Join us for a one-night only live event
We’re huge fans of local television here at The Spinoff, and for one night only we want to celebrate some of our all-time faves. Join Alex Casey, Kura Forrester, Rhiannon McCall, Stewart Sowman-Lund and Lyric Waiwiri-Smith at Q Theatre on October 31 as we unearth some beloved TV gems and argue for their place in our history. Book your ticket now.
Why you should watch: Kaos (Netflix)
Kaos is a stupendously clever re-telling of Classical Mythology in a contemporary setting. Jeff Goldblum is sublime as insecure, tempestuous Zeus and Janet McTeer is perfection as haughty, cruel Hera. Our own Cliff Curtis is chill yet stressed Poseidon and David Thewles is harassed old Hades. The story centres on the Orpheus and Eurydice myth and how their rupturing of the rules of the underworld profoundly unsettles the dominance of the Gods of Olympus. The contemporary setting in 'Krete' is vibrant and heady and perfectly contrasts to the sleek, black and white underworld of industrial purgatory. Great acting, super storylines, highly recommend. [Enjoy it while you can: this week Kaos was cancelled after just one season]. / Claire Mabey
Before we pop off…
“Hum the tune, and most New Zealanders 40 and under should be able to sing the lyrics back to you”: I loved this story that introduces us to the unsung hero behind the lyrics of iconic school song ‘Fish and Chips’.
South Pacific Pictures are developing a new limited drama series called The Mysterious Death of Pauline Hanna, which centres on the eight week trial that saw Philip Polkinghorne found not guilty of his wife’s murder in 2021.
Why are New Zealand music festival crowds so unruly? Lyric Waiwiri-Smith wants to know.
If you’re looking for a heartwarming read, don’t miss Alex Casey’s interview with the Southland principal who made a feature length fantasy film starring his whole school.
That’s it for Rec Room for this week. If you liked what you read, why not share Rec Room with your friends and whānau.
