Wellington Paranormal

TV Series Review

The paranormal world is something entirely…other. 

That can make it oddly hard to spot when it collides with our own. Sure, many authors have penned novels about what they believe happens when the supernatural and natural collide, but how accurate are they? And if paranormal activity is happening all around us, why aren’t there more witnesses? I mean, are folks just too busy living their normal, everyday lives to realize what’s right in front of them? 

Seems so. 

Good thing Sergeant Maaka of the Wellington police force in New Zealand understands what goes on in plain sight. 

Ever since he was young, he’s paid attention to every random drawing and weird sighting in the sky. You say that’s a hubcap soaring through the air? Think again. It’s most likely an alien spaceship. 

There’s a lot to prove and a lot of work to be done, especially in Wellington where the supernatural is … well, natural. That’s why Maaka has assigned two of his trusty employees to the paranormal unit–officers Minogue and O’Leary–to keep tabs on what goes on in their small town.

A day’s work now consists of wrangling invisible monsters, interviewing werewolves and taking down evil clowns. And you’ll not find two more unobservant, clueless officers in all of Wellington that still manage to get the job done. 

All’s Well In Wellington 

In 2018 Wellington Paranormal launched on TVNZ 2 in New Zealand. Now, three years later, Americans are getting a taste of some good ole’ kiwi humor. Airing on the CW, and available one day later on HBO Max, this series is a spinoff from director Taika Waititi’s 2014 film, What We Do in the Shadows. 

This show is a straight up mockumentary: Think of a combination of The Office and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. And then mix in the utter self-awareness and ridiculous “horrors” of something like the Scary Movie films. 

But unlike a few of the shows listed above, this one here stays pretty PG throughout its seasons. While the fourth season is only available to stream outside the U.S., the third season holds a rating of PG to TV-14, with each episode varying depending on content. 

The show can be quite hilarious, especially if you enjoy deadpan humor, quick wit and spot-on writing. It never takes itself seriously, which makes its shortcomings forgivable, even charming. It seems as though the show never spends more than $100 on each episode, and it ekes by with minimal plot, as well. 

In some ways, it seems far more innocent than most things on television. But it’s not completely innocent. Viewers will be exposed to slapstick violence, some innapropriate sexual jokes, the occasional crude exclamation and some questionable outfits.

And, of course, the spiritual and supernatural take center stage (hence the title).

In the first episode, officers Minogue and O’Leary deal with a demon-possessed girl on whom they must perform an exorcism. We meet aliens, ghosts, mediums, werewolves, evil clowns, UFOs, zombies, sea monsters, hairy creatures and a handful of other creepy entities. 

None of it’s meant to be taken seriously, of course, but parents should still be aware of these potential paranormal problems.