The second, but prequel, series to The Insiders Guide to Happiness is chaos theory in action: seven young strangers whose lives intersect are linked together by a bizarre incident. Produced by the Gibson Group, The Insiders Guide mix of meta-tangle story-telling with fresh shooting and faces, saw Love become a hit with the same youth demographic as Happiness. The show went on to win a clutch of Screen Director's Guild Awards and most of the major drama gongs at the 2006 Qantas Film and TV Awards, including Best Drama, Director, Script, Actor and Actress.

Inspired by the "very uncomfortable" dating experiences of actor Holly Shervey, Auckward Love follows the love lives of four female friends in Auckland. Shervey created the series; her partner, fellow actor Emmett Skilton (The Almighty Johnsons) directs and produces. Series one cost only $5,000. It was quickly picked up by TVNZ OnDemand and screened at several film festivals, including the London International Film Festival and Los Angeles CineFest. Two more series have since been produced. The friends are played by Shervey, Lucinda Hare, Jess Holly Bates and Jess Sayer.

This series was based on a fund raiser called “Art for Love or Money” run at Dunedin Art Gallery in the early 80s by two local identities: antique dealer Trevor Plumbly and expatriate American gallery owner and basketball commentator Marshall Seifert. Television used them as panellists and added ex-newsreader Dougal Stevenson as host, and a group of regular guests to examine objects brought in by members of the public. Unlike its BBC counterpart Antiques Roadshow, Antiques for Love or Money was a panel discussion, with the owners of the pieces never sighted.

Greenstone is the tale of a beautiful, missionary-educated Māori woman (Simone Kessell) whose romantic life is subject to the shifting loyalties of her father, Chief Te Manahau (George Henare). The cross-cultural elements of this ambitious colonial bodice-ripper were reflected off-screen as well: created by Greg McGee in response to a call by TV One for a local drama 'saga', the series saw major English creative input through being developed as a co-production with the BBC. After the withdrawal of BBC funding, the Tainui Corporation helped fund the eight-part series.

Web series The Factory is the largely light-hearted tale of one South Auckland family, and their love of music — though not everyone in this family agrees which type of music deserves loving the most. A $50,000 talent prize is up for grabs, and the Saumalu family are keen to compete, on behalf of the textile factory where their father and grandfather Tigi work. Only Tigi wants them to perform a traditional Samoan number. The kids would rather freestyle. The 20-part web series was first born as a hit stage musical from theatre group Kila Kokonut Kollective.

By 1990, Billy T James, NZ’s most loved comedian, was recovering from a heart transplant - and trying his hand as a sitcom actor. His career was based on one liners and stand-up gags - but this Billy T James Show was a series of 26 half hour family based comedies with a clear debt to The Cosby Show. Billy was cast as a radio DJ with an Australian wife (Ilona Rodgers) and two daughters - but the trademark giggle was absent, the humour was gentler and the series never captured the public imagination. It was to be his last TV series — Billy T James died in 1991.

Comedy series Porters featured an impressive cast. George Henare, Peter Bland (star of Came a Hot Friday), Bill Johnson (Under the Mountain) and Stephen Judd (Bridge to Nowhere) starred as a cynical team of hospital porters who share no love for their boss (Roy Billing). In the hope of lifting the standards of Kiwi comedy, the makers of this 80s television series imported Emmy award-winner Noam Pitlik (Barney Miller, Taxi) from the US to direct. The series made comedy from hospital romances, missing patients and union representation. Only six episodes were made. 

Epitaphs on gravestones are the starting point for presenter Paul Gittins to unravel skeletons in cupboards, lovestruck suicide pacts, and fatal love letters. The series uses compelling personal stories to retell New Zealand history and effectively combines documentary and re-enactment. An actor and history enthusiast, Paul Gittins became a household name on Shortland Street (as Dr Michael McKenna) before he devised this series for Greenstone. Epitaph ran for three series, and won Best Factual Series at the 1999 NZ TV Awards.

Hosted and created by comedians Pani and Pani, this Māori Television reality show aimed to "sort the bro’s from the boys" by testing 12 Polynesian men on their ability to tackle traditional warrior skills. The popular bros-meets-The Bachelor series produced shirtless calendars and an award-winning 'Lover Boy vs Lavalava Boy' advertising campaign. As of 2017, two seasons had been made by Tiki Lounge Productions. In the second, ex-league player and Code host Wairangi Koopu joined as Games Master. Stuff reviewer Pattie Pegler praised the show’s self-deprecating approach.

Competing canines on primetime TV invoke memories of the heyday of A Dog's Show in this TVNZ series. Tux was presented and produced by dog lover Mark Leishman, with his faithful golden Labrador companion Dexter (until the latter's death in 2000). Jim Mora provides a genial and pun-filled commentary as obedience tests and obstacle courses challenge the teams of dogs, and exasperate (and occasionally delight) their owners. Titbits come in the form of dog lore and trivia, advice from pet psychologists and canine funniest home videos.