The Bad Seed - First Episode

It's a murder mystery but also a family drama. Right at the heart of it is this family, and then this murder happens which triggers a series of events that puts each member of the family under incredible pressure. It's like a pressure cooker for them all and we really start to see their true selves come through.

– Actor Matt Minto on The Bad Seed, TV Guide, 4 April 2019

He's super successful on the outside but on the inside, not so much. He's built all the trappings of success but underneath those is still this quite damaged kid. He is sort of desperately running from his childhood and doing all he can to keep those demons at bay.

– Actor Matt Minto on his character Simon Lampton, TV Guide, 4 April 2019

Nobody hates you. You're the most amazing woman I've ever met.

– Politician David Hallwright (Xavier Horan) comforts his wife Roza (Chelsie Preston Crayford)

It's the war against cliché and stereotype. The interest is what lies beneath. So yes if you have a group of middle-class, affluent people, it's always interesting to look at what are their origins, their secrets. What are they hiding? What do they love? Who do they love? It's not what's on the surface. It's the same with people who are not affluent. It's the same thing — the same flaws, and strengths and subtleties. It's acknowledging the society but wanting to look beyond those external labels and stereotypes.

– Author Charlotte Grimshaw on creating characters, The NZ Herald, 13 April 2019