Westside has finished for another year, but the good news is there could be at least 23 more seasons to go. Calum Henderson previews some highlights coming up between now and 2039.
Season two of Westside concluded on Sunday night with the West family right in the thick of the 1981 Springbok tour. The Outrageous Fortune prequel has struck a winning formula by weaving the story of Ted and Rita and the gang back through New Zealand history, kind of like a Kiwi version of Forrest Gump.
Funding for a third season, to be set in 1982 and broadcast next year, was recently announced by NZ On Air. Fans of the show will be heartened to do the maths and discover there are another 22 years separating Westside season three and season one of Outrageous Fortune, which began in 2005. This gives us a potential 23 more seasons of West Auckland-based crime capers to look forward to.
The best thing is the plot is already half-written. Here are some of the crucial Westside moments coming up some time between now and 2039.
Season 5: 1984 (airs 2019)
Cheryl goes into labour with Pascalle the same night Robert Muldoon calls a snap election. Rita suspects Ted of having an affair and confronts him in a movie theatre where he’s by himself watching the Vincent Ward film Vigil. Wolf goes to a DD Smash gig in Aotea Square.
Soundtrack: The Dance Exponents – ‘Your Best Friend Loves Me Too’
Season 6: 1985 (airs 2020)
After being arrested for throwing a bottle at police during the Queen Street riots, Wolf decides to go straight and gets an office job. A French couple raises eyebrows at the pub when they ask Ted if he knows where they can buy some explosives. Rita reads The Bone People by Keri Hulme.
Soundtrack: Sonny Day – ‘Saving Up’
Season 8: 1987 (airs 2022)
Wolf loses his job after the stock market crash and returns to a life of petty crime, selling bootleg videotapes of the Footrot Flats movie. Ted makes a quick buck scalping tickets to the Rugby World Cup final. Both men blow all their ill-gotten gains on New Zealand’s first Lotto draw.
Soundtrack: Jenny Morris – ‘Body & Soul’
Season 13: 1992 (airs 2027)
Van and Jethro steal a carton of apples from school on the eve of the inaugural ENZA Big Crunch. Wolf plans a heist for the day of the big Cricket World Cup semifinal. Rita smokes a whole pack of Rothmans while watching the first episode of Shortland Street.
Soundtrack: Push Push – ‘Trippin’
Season 20: 1999 (airs 2034)
Ted prepares a Y2K survival kit. Van and Munter are expelled from school after robbing the canteen to buy The General Electric by Shihad on CD. Wolf takes a cashie doing security at the Sweetwaters music festival; when he doesn’t get paid Cheryl takes matters into her own hands.
Soundtrack: Stellar* – ‘What You Do (Bastard)’
Season 25: 2004 (airs 2039)
Munter auditions for the first season of New Zealand Idol. Ted struggles to cope with Rita’s death and is barred from the pub for refusing to observe the new smoking ban. Wolf goes to jail leaving Cheryl and the family at a crossroads.
Soundtrack: The Bleeders – ‘So Lonely’
Set yourself up for the rest of your life by watching season one of Westside on Lightbox below:
