Within the series, a murdered Māori warrior, Waka Nuku Rau, is sent back to the world of the living to redeem his sins. But the world Waka returns to is ravaged by a breach between Life and the Afterlife as the spirits of the newly dead now stalk the land and hunt the living.

Waka encounters a determined young woman, Mehe, who becomes both his protégé and moral compass. Together, they navigate tribal politics, the unsettled ghosts of Ancestors and other forces both natural and supernatural, on a quest to discover who “broke the world” and how to repair it—if it’s not too late.

Starring Te Kohe Tuhaka (Monster Problems) as “Waka Nuku Rau,” Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School senior Darneen Christian in her first television role as “Mehe Te Wehiwehi,” Kirk Torrance (Outrageous Fortune) as “Kā”, and Vicky Haughton (Whale Rider, King Kong) as “Turika.”

The series is written by Glenn Standring (Six Days) who also wrote the 2014 The Dead Lands feature, which is set in the same mythical world as the series but is unconnected to its characters or story.

The eight-episode series from production company GFC Films is executive produced by Standring, Fraser Brown and Matthew Metcalfe, produced by Tainui Stephens and Liz Adams, and directed by Peter Meteherangi Tikao Burger and Michael Hurst.

The Dead Lands premieres January 23rd on Shudder (US, Canada, the UK, and Ireland) with two episodes. The series will also air on TVNZ OnDemand in New Zealand after its international debut. The following episodes will then premiere on both Shudder and TVNZ OnDemand weekly.

Will you be watching The Dead Lands? Tell us in the comments below!

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