Dark City: The Cleaner

Dark City: The Cleaner is a New Zealand crime fiction television series based on author Paul Cleave's 2006 novel The Cleaner. The series was co-produced by John Barnett and Chloe Smith, with Cohen Holloway and Chelsie Florence starring as the two man characters Joe Middleton and Melissa Flowers. Dark City: The Cleaner was funded by Lionsgate, the New Zealand Film Commission, NZ On Air, Sky Television and ChristchurchNZ's Screen CanterburyNZ fund. The series debuted on 4 March 2024 on Neon, Sky Go and SoHo.

Synopsis
''By day, Joe is a cleaner at the police station, where no one notices him. But by night he has another line of work – a serial killer who's been dubbed The Christchurch Carver. When another woman is murdered in her own home, police suspect The Carver – but Joe knows it wasn't him. He sets out to find the copycat killer. But as he searches, he finds he is also being hunted – by an adversary who is more clever and more dangerous than he is.''

Episodes
The first season consisted of six episodes.

Production
Dark City: Night Cleaner was co-produced by John Barnett and Chloe Smith. Cohen Holloway and Chelsie Florence were cast as the two main characters Joe Middleton and Melissa Flowers. Other cast members included David de Lautour and Dea Doglione.

Filming for the series commenced in Christchurch on 27 February 2023, with filming expected to be completed by May 2023. According to Screen CanterburyNZ manager Petrina D'Rozario, the production employed 100 crew members over the 100-day production period and spend NZ$3.5m in the Canterbury Region. Mayor of Christchurch Phil Mauger visited the production set on 27 March 2023.

The series was funded by Lionsgate, the New Zealand Film Commission's NZ$50 million Premium Productions for International Audiences Fund, NZ On Air, Sky Television and a NZ$200,000 regional production grant from ChristchurchNZ's Screen CanterburyNZ fund.

Release
The series' first season debuted on 4 March 2024 on Neon, Sky Go and SoHo. Lionsgate handled the series' international distribution.

Reception
The Spinoff reviewer Duncan Greive gave Dark City: The Cleaner a positive review, describing it as "an eerie, pitch black and totally original Christchurch crime drama." He praised the performances of Cohen Holloway, Dea Doglione, and Chelsie Florence. Greive was critical of the occasional use of cliches' in the show's writing and the "deadpan" delivery of Holloway's narration scenes. Despite his criticisms, Greive praised the series' high production values, which he attributed to funding from central and local government film subsidies.

The Press reviewer James Croot compared the protagonist Joe to Jeff Lindsay's character Dexter Morgan. He praised the series for its plot twists, black comedy and the performances of Holloway, Florence and Doglione.

Flicks.co.nz's reviewer Katie Parker gave the series a positive review, describing it as "an unexpectedly audacious and instantly addictive series that perfectly showcases Aotearoa's talent for taking dark subject matter to delicious new depths." Parker also described the series as a murder thriller underpinned by black comedy.

The New Zealand Herald Karl Puschmann gave a positive review, writing that "the series does not squander this killer idea. It's unique and, due to its graphic nature and off-kilter premise, is quite an unexpected show to be made here. It's full of terrific performances, and having been shot on location around Christchurch, it feels distinctly Kiwi." He compared the series' serial killer premise to the American crime drama Dexter.