{"id":814513,"date":"2026-07-20T16:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T16:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814513\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T16:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T16:39:11","slug":"your-next-obsession-the-diplomat-star-leads-new-netflix-drama-that-marks-a-first-for-the-streamer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/814513\/","title":{"rendered":"Your “next obsession”: The Diplomat star leads new Netflix drama that marks a first for the streamer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Netflix has officially begun production on Queensland, an eight-episode series that is something new for the streamer: the first-ever original show commissioned in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Set in the titular ski resort town, the show follows the wealthy elite that live and holiday there, with a focus on an especially privileged family who are currently facing an internal civil war, as well as the people who work for them and are caught in crossfire.<\/p>\n

The Diplomat actor Rufus Sewell and The Missing’s Frances O’Connor lead the cast, with Australian actor Alycia Debnam-Carey \u2013 known for Fear the Walking Dead \u2013 and New Zealand actor Te Kohe Tuhaka also starring.<\/p>\n

\"rufus<\/p>\n

Netflix<\/p>\n

Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 \u2013 including Disney+, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV<\/a><\/p>\n

Netflix’s content director for Australia and New Zealand, Amanda Duthie, said (via Tudum<\/a>): “Shooting our first locally-commissioned series here in New Zealand is a huge moment for us.<\/p>\n

“This is a bold, propulsive story of power, class and family set against the opulent world of a luxury ski town, and we can’t wait for our members to fall in love with this series the way we have.”<\/p>\n

Executive producers Jodi Matterson and Libbie Doherty added: “In [writer] Chloe Stearns, we’ve found an extraordinary new voice, and we’re thrilled to have [director] Glendyn Ivin at the helm alongside an exceptional cast.<\/p>\n

“We’re incredibly grateful to Amanda Duthie and the entire Netflix team for backing our vision to help bring what we believe will become audiences’ next obsession.”<\/p>\n

\"frances<\/p>\n

Neil Mockford\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: Exclusive: Will Ferrell reveals new Netflix golf comedy The Hawk “shut down” because cast lost thousands in bets<\/a><\/p>\n

The New Zealand Film Commission and the Screen Production Rebate are providing financial support on the show, with Duthie stating that the show is creating opportunities for local crew and businesses.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, The Diplomat released its third season last year and has been renewed for a fourth<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Queenstown does not currently have a release window, but will release on Netflix.<\/p>\n

Visit our Streaming Guide<\/a> now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.<\/p>\n

The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV<\/a> and movies<\/a> both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Netflix has officially begun production on Queensland, an eight-episode series that is something new for the streamer: the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":814514,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[49,48,181355,185157,782,285773,784,75,237154,783,285772,273948,348],"class_list":["post-814513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-collection-latest-news","tag-collection-netflix","tag-content-type-news","tag-contentid-af722129-1e2c-4e50-af9d-8f90e004254d","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-entertainment","tag-issyndicated-false","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-diplomat-star-leads-netflix-drama-that-is-first-for-streamer","tag-sponsored-false","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}