I'd somewhat agree with July 10 reviewer - not a must see, but sure better than some of the sugary, silly down under series I've seen. It's a fairly interesting set of circumstances with a family dealing with grief of a very dramatic death of the mother. To turn a new direction they move from AU to NZ - I certainly didn't know there was such angst between the two close neighboring lands. Short on scenery, no hint of the multitude of relocated Scots to NZ.

The nasty teenage behavior may be more realistic than I remember dealing with & most definitely more sexually active. Gez, what happened to the happy teen years? Too much exposure to adult themes so rampant? Who knows, just glad I don't have to deal with it anymore. I felt rather sorry for the widower trying to cope with new attitudes. The son seemed to have a good head on him. Teen girl rather surly even with her grief.

I have a major issue with the spoken word as every word seems to be a question with the 'up' sound, one never knows when there is a question with any given speaking part. Yes, I'd probably view Season 2 out of curiosity.

From experience living in a rather closed/tight community of small populace & some reigning families, I'd agree with this family's initial reaction to gossip & the rapidity of repeated conversations or misinterpreted words.

I am going to do a "recommend" on this one (not a "must see") because it tries a bit too hard. It is not the Aussie version of "This is Us" but it is a well told tale of a family trying to fit into a new town in New Zealand. Other than a few glimpses of the ocean, there isn't much in the way of scenery, so it may actually be filmed in large part on sound stages. Still, it is a fairly good story with lots of angst (teenage and widower) and rebellion (teenage, widower, and employee) and a little bit of humor (that feel more like Aussie putting down Kiwi). I enjoyed it and binge watched the first disk. The second disk took four evenings to view, and either the show gets better as it goes, or I got more engaged with the characters.

Have been binging this great show on AcornTV, and really love it! This is a relationship-driven show, with endearing characters, good writing and a gorgeous location. This is not a shoot-em-up, so some viewers might lose interest. I have friends in New Zealand, and 800 Words captures their love of life and generosity of spirit. Now that I've finished the 2nd season, waiting on the 3rd, I feel like I've lost touch with old friends. Hurry!

Rated 4/10. Quite a mediocre series with matching acting. It is billed as a comedy-drama, but doesn't have much comedy in it. Mostly just a lot of drama.

I have mixed feelings whether I would bother seeing the subsequent series, should they come to our library system.

Meh.

After all of the hype I have heard about this series, I was disappointed a bit with how shallow the storyline actually was. I believe this would appeal more to teens/20's than mature adults.

This is one of my favorite TV series. The first couple of episodes slowly unfolded, and revealed a whole host of quirky characters that live in the town of Weld. In a way this show reminds me of Doc Martin, in which characters that are social inept struggle to get through life, sometimes in very humouros ways and at other times very poignant ways.

The show gets you hooked as you watch. I've already started season 2 and there are several interesting twists and turns in the plot.

If you are looking for something very different from what is typically available in North America, then you may want to try this charming series. Set in New Zealand, it is the story of an Australian family who relocate after the tragic death of the mother. The teenagers and the dad now must adjust to small town surf life. The characters are complex, likeable, and there is plenty of beautiful scenery and pretty good stories on each episode. We went through it fairly quickly as we found it quite captivating. They do have some nudity, implied sexual activities and offensive language, so not for the younger crowd.

Love this show! It's pretty new so maybe there will be more seasons of it made. It's got a bit of romance, mystery and great character development. Not exactly BBC but Australan - New Zealand and takes a similar approach as many BBC TV shows.

I have only watched the first (4) episodes of this series and I love it. Such interesting characters like Woody the handyman; the policeman who is also the taxi driver after the fundraiser for the fundraiser wine and cheese party. Those of you waiting in line for this DVD will not be disappointed. I hope the library also acquires season two of this series.

A pretty-good series! Humorous and dramatic! Filmed in New Zealand!