# Queenstown (TV series)
**Queenstown** is an upcoming eight-episode Netflix drama created by writer Chloe Stearns, set and filmed in [Queenstown, New Zealand](https://www.edgepedia.org/queenstown-new-zealand), and centered on a privileged family and the people who work for them colliding over power, loyalty, and desire beneath the glamour of the town's luxury ski scene.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) It stars [Rufus Sewell](https://www.edgepedia.org/rufus-sewell) and [Frances O'Connor](https://www.edgepedia.org/frances-oconnor) and is directed by Glendyn Ivin and Roseanne Liang.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) The series is Netflix's first locally commissioned original series to be set and shot in New Zealand.[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Scripted drama, 8 episodes, produced for global release on Netflix[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) |
| Creator | Chloe Stearns (*[Wolf Like Me](https://www.edgepedia.org/wolf-like-me-tv-series)*, the upcoming *The Falling Girls*), writer and executive producer[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) |
| Directors | Glendyn Ivin (*The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart*, *Penguin Bloom*) and Roseanne Liang (*Avatar: The Last Airbender*)[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) |
| Lead cast | Rufus Sewell (*The Diplomat*, *Scoop*, *The Father*) and Frances O'Connor (*Wednesday*, *The Missing*)[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) • [2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) |
| Production companies | Silent Firework and Runaway Unicorn[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) |
| Status | In production in Queenstown as of the July 2026 announcements; no release date announced[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) • [3](https://queenstowntourism.com/film-tv/) |
| Significance | Netflix's first ANZ-commissioned series to be set and shot in New Zealand[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) |
## Premise
The official logline reads: "Beneath the glamour of Queenstown's luxury ski scene, a privileged family and the people who work for them collide over power, loyalty, and desire."[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) Netflix's announcement frames the show as a drama about a wealthy family at war with itself, set against the black diamond slopes of the Remarkables mountain range.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news) Amanda Duthie, Netflix's Australia and New Zealand Content Director, described it as "a bold, propulsive story of power, class and family set against the opulent world of a luxury ski town."[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news)
## Cast
The nine-person principal cast announced by Netflix comprises:[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news)
- Rufus Sewell (*[The Diplomat](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-diplomat-american-tv-series)*, *The Holiday*, *The Illusionist*)
- Frances O'Connor (*Wednesday*, *The Importance of Being Earnest*)
- [Alycia Debnam-Carey](https://www.edgepedia.org/alycia-debnam-carey) (*Apple Cider Vinegar*, *The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart*)
- Te Kohe Tuhaka (*Chief of War*, *The Convert*, *Kōkā*)
- [Anna Baryshnikov](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-baryshnikov) (*Cape Fear*, *Idiotka*)
- Jamie Ward (*The Gentlemen*, *His Dark Materials*)
- BeBe Orleans (*Strife*, *Spiderhead*, *Eden*)
- Alex FitzAlan (*The Hunting Wives*, *My Brilliant Career*)
- Tatum Warren-Ngata (*Head Girl*, *My Life is Murder*)
The cast was announced in two steps: Variety's 17 July 2026 production report named the leads, and Netflix's 28 July follow-up named five additional regulars, completing the nine-person lineup.[3](https://queenstowntourism.com/film-tv/)
## Production
Netflix revealed on 17 July 2026 that production was underway in New Zealand.[2](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/) Filming takes place in the New Zealand town of the same name, with support from the New Zealand Film Commission and the Screen Production Rebate; Duthie said the production is creating opportunities for local crew, businesses, and emerging talent.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news)
Jodi Matterson (*The Dry*, *The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart*) and Libbie Doherty (*Bluey*, *Tales from Outer Suburbia*, *Crazy Fun Park*) executive produce for Silent Firework and Runaway Unicorn, respectively. Creator Stearns, director Ivin, Jeremy Platt, and Erika North also executive produce, with co-executive producers Mel Turner, Ricci Swart, Andrew Low, Jon Hamm, John Wynn, and Zack Sherman, and Axel Paton as co-producer.[1](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news)
No release date had been announced as of the 28 July 2026 announcement.[3](https://queenstowntourism.com/film-tv/)
## Queenstown as a filming location
The series enters a region with a long screen-production history. Queenstown and the Southern Lakes region have hosted films and television for decades, including [Jane Campion](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-campion)'s *[The Power of the Dog](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-power-of-the-dog-film)*, the *Mission: Impossible – Fallout* helicopter sequences, three seasons of the crime drama *One Lane Bridge*, and Netflix's *[Sweet Tooth](https://www.edgepedia.org/sweet-tooth-tv-series)* and *The Letter for the King*.[4](https://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/media/filming-in-queenstown/) The Otago Southland region has hosted international feature films, television commercials, TV series, and documentaries for forty years.[5](https://www.filmotagosouthland.com/key-information/filmed-here)
The town's production infrastructure has been expanding. Screentime NZ's Remarkable Studios in Frankton, a 2,300-square-meter sound-proofed sound stage and the town's first, opened for the crime series *[A Remarkable Place to Die](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-remarkable-place-to-die)*.[6](https://www.banijay.com/blog/2025/11/27/screentime-nz-confirms-expanded-renewal-of-a-remarkable-place-to-die/) In April 2026, fast-track approval was granted for the Ayrburn Screen Hub, a proposed 7,200-square-meter film and television hub with studios, offices, and 201 accommodation units on a 26-hectare property in the Wakatipu Basin, which its developer expects to inject about $280 million into the local economy and support around 640 jobs across the wider Otago region during construction.[7](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/queenstown%E2%80%99s-ayrburn-screen-hub-granted-fast-track-approval)
## References
1. [Queenstown: Cast, Release Date, Photos, Plot of New Rufus Sewell TV Series, Netflix Tudum (28 July 2026)](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/queenstown-series-plot-news)
2. [Production Begins on New Netflix Series 'Queenstown', Variety Australia (17 July 2026)](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/news/production-begins-on-new-netflix-series-queenstown-38644/)
3. [Queenstown, on screen: Film and TV, Queenstown Tourism](https://queenstowntourism.com/film-tv/)
4. [Filming in Queenstown, New Zealand, Official Website](https://www.queenstownnz.co.nz/media/filming-in-queenstown/)
5. [Filmed Here, Film Otago Southland](https://www.filmotagosouthland.com/key-information/filmed-here)
6. [Screentime NZ Confirms Expanded Renewal of A Remarkable Place to Die, Banijay (27 November 2025)](https://www.banijay.com/blog/2025/11/27/screentime-nz-confirms-expanded-renewal-of-a-remarkable-place-to-die/)
7. [Queenstown's Ayrburn Screen Hub granted Fast-track approval, Beehive.govt.nz (14 April 2026)](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/queenstown%E2%80%99s-ayrburn-screen-hub-granted-fast-track-approval)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Crime and thriller series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license