‘Friends Like Her’ series depicts complex love-hate relationships that exist between two women friends. In this psychological drama, these two ladies have built their family lives in Kaikoura, a remote and isolated coastal town located in South Island, New Zealand.

But, they do not live happily ever after. When their verbal deal falls apart, not only it complicate their friendship, but also sours the relationships among other family members. They become bitter foes after one major disagreement arises between the two.

Kaikōura translates to 'crayfish' in Māori and is known as the crayfish capital of New Zealand. It's also known for cycling trails, stunning scenic flights and whale watching. 

(Information Source: Government of New Zealand)

‘Friends Like Her’ Is An Absorbing New Zealand Show That Captures The Best & Worst Of 2 Pals

Spoiler Free Review: Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series

The synopsis/summary

The story revolves around the lives of two women, Tessa (Tess Haubrich) and Nicole (Morgana O’Reilly). Their friendship spanned decades and becomes strained and toxic when their verbal agreement fails. It was a surrogacy deal between these two friends. Their friendship pact breaks, when Nicole decides not to give her best friend Tessa the baby she is expecting. This pivotal change leads to an emotional fallout that intensifies the existing divisions within the small town of Kaikōura. At the same time, they confront contrasting futures in Kaikōura, which is still grappling with the community rebuilding after the devastating consequences of a catastrophic earthquake. This destructive natural disaster brings people together and unifies them. But it even breaks people and rips them apart, at the same time.

At 12.03am (NZT) on 14 November 2016, Kaikōura and North Canterbury experienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that had wide reaching impacts on New Zealand’ North and South Islands. The earthquake ran from south to north and spanned an area of roughly 150km from the epicentre near Culverden. 

(Information Source: Government of New Zealand)

We liked this human drama about complicated relationships

Creator and writer Sarah-Kate Lynch has smartly used the earthquake as a metaphor, to tell this complex human tale. It was fascinating to watch, the various shades of human emotions and behaviour on display. It was good to see the depiction of the Māori community in it.

Life in a small coastal town like Kaikōura has its share of positives and negatives. Almost, every townfolk knows the personal details of each other. In the wake of the tragic earthquake, firstly, some families (like Nicole’s) began to struggle financially. Secondly, on the other hand, a few other families (like Tess’) start to reap the benefits of the windfall gains. This kind of economic upheaval widens the disparity between the people (Families) falling in the first and the second categories. Herein, all kinds of negative emotions like jealousy rise to complicate friendship. The loyalties among family and friends get tested. To add further twists to this human drama, the hidden secrets from the past begin to surface. Not to forget, a few more tragic incidents begin to take place to further complicate the relationships.

Both Morgana O’Reilly (Nicole) & Tess Haubrich (Tess) play their roles perfectly

In this female-dominated family drama series, both the lead actress Morgana O’Reilly (Nicole) and Tess Haubrich (Tess) are friends turn foes. This story chronicles the decline of a formerly strong friendship between these two women {Nicole & Tess} with dissimilar personalities, who, after their meeting in Thailand, went on to wed siblings. As we mentioned above, Nicole is carrying a child for Tess, who is unable to conceive. However, when Nicole decides against relinquishing the newborn, a rift develops between them, leading to the revelation of long-hidden dark secrets. Even though their relationships hit the high crest and low trough, thankfully, they never gave up on each other. We liked the realistic portrayal of relationships, as portrayed by the two leading actresses, Morgana and Tess, in this drama from The Down Under.

The rest of the ensemble cast – Jarod Rawiri (Liam), Vinnie Bennett (Rob), Elizabeth Hawthorne (Fran), Vanessa Rare (Winnie), Ascia Maybury (Pat), Bree Peters (Stacey), Dahnu Graham (Tainui), James Trevena (Brett), Jodie Rimmer (Andi), etc. performed well too.

The conclude

The deep study of human behaviour in it made for a fascinating watch. One of the interesting aspects of this New Zealand series is that all six episodes end with a cliffhanger. So, it forces viewers like us to sit for the proverbial marathon watch and eagerly wait for its season 2.

Rating: Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series

FM Rating

3.50/5

Poster: Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series

Key Details: Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series

Genre	Drama
Original Language	English (NZ) and the Māori language
Season	First (1st) Season
Episodes	Six (6) Episodes
Creator	Sarah-Kate Lynch
Writers	Sarah-Kate Lynch, Harry McNaughton & Joss King
Director	Joshua Frizzell
Cast	Morgana O’Reilly (Nicole), Tess Haubrich (Tess), Jarod Rawiri (Liam), Vinnie Bennett (Rob), Elizabeth Hawthorne (Fran), Vanessa Rare (Winnie), Ascia Maybury (Pat), Bree Peters (Stacey), Dahnu Graham (Tainui), James Trevena (Brett), Jodie Rimmer (Andi), etc.
Network	Three Now

Trailer: Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series

Spoilers Alert: Summary of 6 Episodes

Featured Image – Tessa (Tess Haubrich) and Nicole (Morgana O’Reilly) – from Left to Right.

Poster and Featured Image from the Friends Like Her (S1/2024) Series are credited to Three Now.

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