List of Outrageous Fortune episodes
Outrageous Fortune is a New Zealand comedy-drama television series that premiered on 12 July 2005[1] and concluded on 9 November 2010 on TV3 in New Zealand. 107 episodes of Outrageous Fortune aired over the course of six series'. All six series' have been released on DVD in Region 4.
The series follows the lives of the Wests, a family of petty criminals living in west Auckland, New Zealand. Mother Cheryl (Robyn Malcolm) is the family matriarch, desperately trying to keep her family out of trouble, who decides to put an end to their criminal ways and become respectable citizens, when her husband Wolf (Grant Bowler) is sent to jail for four years. This is met with much resistance from twin sons Van and Jethro (Antony Starr), older daughter Pascalle (Siobhan Marshall), younger daughter Loretta (Antonia Prebble), and father-in-law Ted (Frank Whitten).
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 13 | 12 July 2005 | 4 October 2005 | ||
| 2 | 16 | 5 September 2006 | 19 December 2006 | ||
| Special | 26 December 2006 | ||||
| 3 | 22 | 17 July 2007 | 11 December 2007 | ||
| 4 | 18 | 17 June 2008 | 14 October 2008 | ||
| 5 | 19 | 2 June 2009 | 6 October 2009 | ||
| 6 | 18 | 13 July 2010 | 9 November 2010 | ||
Episode list
Series 1 (2005)
The first series opens with the introduction of the Wests, known far and wide as a small-time crime family. When patriarch Wolf is sent to prison for four years, his wife Cheryl decides that she wants better for her children and tells the family that they're all going legit from now on. However, she finds that it's not easy making an honest buck in this world, and the rest of the family must fight their natural instincts to stay on the straight and narrow, especially when Wolf is still pulling the strings from inside.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Slings and Arrows" | Vanessa Alexander | James Griffin | 12 July 2005 | |
| When Cheryl's husband Wolf is sentenced to prison, she declares that the West family is out of the crime business for good. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "The Rub" | Vanessa Alexander | James Griffin | 19 July 2005 | |
| Van ends up working for the Hong family to pay off his debts. Pascalle is forced to get a job, and Cheryl sticks up for her coworkers. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "A Little More Than Kin" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 26 July 2005 | |
| Pascalle has a new career, Jethro lies about having Māori heritage and Cheryl receives some undesired attention. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "The Cause of This Defect" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 8 August 2005 | |
| Wolf is on day release from prison to attend a funeral, and all hell breaks loose for the West family. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "The Infants of Spring" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 9 August 2005 | |
| As Cheryl starts to realise that going straight it harder than it looks, the family tries to help out in the only way they know how. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "But Never Doubt I Love" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 16 August 2005 | |
| Pascalle realises she has a secret admirer, while Grandpa finds love. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Foul Deeds Will Rise" | Jonathan Brough | James Griffin | 23 August 2005 | |
| Loretta has to attend school again; Jethro and Caroline (Katrina Browne) announce themselves as a couple, while Grandpa says he is moving away with Margaret (Jane Collins). | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "My Dearest Foe" | Jonathan Brough | James Griffin | 30 August 2005 | |
| Pascalle discovers all is not beautiful in the modeling world, Grandpa takes up poker and Cheryl has yet another job. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "When the Blood Burns" | Michael Bennett | Maxine Fleming | 6 September 2005 | |
| 10 | 10 | "The Fat Weed That Roots Itself" | Michael Bennett | James Griffin | 13 September 2005 | |
| 11 | 11 | "It Cannot Come to Good" | Jonathan Brough | James Griffin | 20 September 2005 | |
| The crime of the century, Van West style; Cheryl is the victim of rumor and innuendo; and Pascalle gets a taste of fame. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "To Be Honest as This World Goes" | Jonathan Brough | Maxine Fleming and James Griffin | 27 September 2005 | |
| In the fallout from the Tongan job, Van's having problems with the woman in his life; Cheryl's having problems with the men in hers; and Wolf is presented with a 'Get Out of Jail' ticket. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Go, Bid the Soldiers Shoot" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 4 October 2005 | |
| Van and Draska (Aidee Walker) are kicked out of the Doslic family home and are also on the run from the law. Despite this, Draska is still determined to carry on with the wedding and enlists Pascalle as her bridesmaid. Cheryl has bottomed out but finds Judd may be Van's saviour. | ||||||
Series 2 (2006)
The second series picks up the story of the West family and their attempts to stay out of trouble, but one major thing has changed: Wolf is out of prison and on home detention. And he, for one, never bought into Cheryl's grand plan for his family. Cheryl must deal with constant opposition from her husband Wolf to stay straight. Although she deals with the occasional temptation to veer from her chosen path, Cheryl leads by example and tries to keep her family on the same track.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | "Thy Name Is Woman" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 5 September 2006 |
| 15 | 3 | "Think Yourself a Baby" | Simon Bennett | Tim Balme | 12 September 2006 |
| 16 | 3 | "The Secrets of My Prison House" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 19 September 2006 |
| 17 | 4 | "This Two-Fold Force" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 26 September 2006 |
| 18 | 5 | "Shall We to the Court?" | Mark Beesley | Tim Balme | 3 October 2006 |
| 19 | 6 | "The Affliction of His Love" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 10 October 2006 |
| 20 | 7 | "All That Fortune, Death and Danger Dare" | Mark Beesley | Jan Prettejohns | 17 October 2006 |
| 21 | 8 | "The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven" | Mark Beesley | Nick Ward and James Griffin | 24 October 2006 |
| 22 | 9 | "To Be, Or Not to Be" | Murray Keane | Michael Bennett | 31 October 2006 |
| 23 | 10 | "The Indifferent Children of the Earth" | Murray Keane | Rachel Lang | 7 November 2006 |
| 24 | 11 | "Get Thee to Bed" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 14 November 2006 |
| 25 | 12 | "By a Brother's Hand" | Mark Beesley | Tim Balme and James Griffin | 21 November 2006 |
| 26 | 13 | "An Old Man Is Twice a Child" | Murray Keane | Gavin Strawhan and James Griffin | 28 November 2006 |
| 27 | 14 | "Fathers, Mothers, Daughters, Sons" | Murray Keane | Kate McDermott | 5 December 2006 |
| 28 | 15 | "O God!" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 12 December 2006 |
| 29 | 16 | "Now Cracks a Noble Heart" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 19 December 2006 |
Special (2006)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 17 | "Wherein Our Saviour's Birth Is Celebrated" "Outrageous Fortune: The Movie" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 26 December 2006 | |
| Wolf's in prison to stay, Judd's in prison and trying to get out. The family goes to Tutaekuri Bay for their annual summer holiday. | ||||||
Series 3 (2007)
The third series sees West family matriarch Cheryl still battling to keep her family (and herself) on the straight and narrow. Both the men in her life are inside, Wolf, after turning himself into the cops as part of his master plan to frame Judd; Judd, because he fell in love with the wrong woman. As Cheryl ploughs on regardless, balancing the needs of family with those of Hoochie Mama, her burgeoning naughty knicker business, her offspring are going their own merry ways. Van is still managing the Lucky Dollar Store and planning his dream wedding with Aurora Bay (Claire Chitham). Jethro is branching out from defending the scum of the Earth (and his family) to working for property developer Gary Savage (Aaron Jeffery). Pascalle is enthusiastically embracing both her new-found vocation in caring for the elderly and her new-found love for Dr. Bruce Khan (Jacob Rajan). Loretta is happily ensconced with her older man, Hayden Peters (Shane Cortese), and is gleefully plotting her directorial debut, helming the next great erotic film, especially for women.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 1 | "What Loss Your Honour May Sustain" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 17 July 2007 |
| 32 | 2 | "While the Grass Grows" | Mark Beesley | Tim Balme, James Griffin and Rachel Lang | 24 July 2007 |
| 33 | 3 | "Most True, She Is a Strumpet" | Rachel Lang | Simon Bennett | 31 July 2007 |
| 34 | 4 | "Contagious Blastments" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 7 August 2007 |
| 35 | 5 | "What Did You Enact?" | Michael Bennett | James Griffin | 14 August 2007 |
| 36 | 6 | "Put the Strong Law on Him" | Michael Bennett | Tim Balme | 21 August 2007 |
| 37 | 7 | "I Dare Damnation" | Britta Johnstone | Jan Prettejohns and James Griffin | 28 August 2007 |
| 38 | 8 | "Oh Horrible! Most Horrible!" | Britta Johnstone | Kate McDermott and Rachel Lang | 4 September 2007 |
| 39 | 9 | "No Noble Rite" | Murray Keane | Fiona Samuel and James Griffin | 11 September 2007 |
| 40 | 10 | "Feats So Crimeful" | Murray Keane | Michael Bennett | 18 September 2007 |
| 41 | 11 | "Unpregnant of My Cause" | Mark Beesley | Rachel Lang | 25 September 2007 |
| 42 | 12 | "Good Friends, As You Are Friends" | Mark Beesley | Nick Ward and James Griffin | 2 October 2007 |
| 43 | 13 | "To Sleep; No More" | Britta Johnstone | James Griffin | 9 October 2007 |
| 44 | 14 | "Natural Magic and Dire Property" | Britta Johnstone | Gavin Strawhan | 16 October 2007 |
| 45 | 15 | "Bow Stubborn Knees" | Murray Keane | Michael Bennett | 23 October 2007 |
| 46 | 16 | "A Jig or a Tale of Bawdry" | Murray Keane | Tim Balme | 30 October 2007 |
| 47 | 17 | "The Secret Parts of Fortune" | Peter Burger | James Griffin | 6 November 2007 |
| 48 | 18 | "Who Calls Me Villain?" | Peter Burger | Rachel Lang | 13 November 2007 |
| 49 | 19 | "Most Free and Bounteous" | Mark Beesley | Tim Balme and Rachel Lang | 20 November 2007 |
| 50 | 20 | "Something Is Rotten" | Mark Beesley | Gavin Strawhan | 27 November 2007 |
| 51 | 21 | "The Corrupted Currents of This World" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 4 December 2007 |
| 52 | 22 | "Where the Offence Is, Let the Great Axe Fall" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 11 December 2007 |
Series 4 (2008)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | N.Z. viewers (thousand) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 1 | "Thinking Makes It So" | Mark Beesley | Rachel Lang | 17 June 2008 | N/A | |
| Cheryl attempts to get custody of Loretta's baby, Pascalle returns home, Wolf attempts to bring his errant family back into line. | |||||||
| 54 | 2 | "The Edge of Husbandry" | Mark Beesley | James Griffin | 24 June 2008 | N/A | |
| Wolf is suspicious of Pascalle's new husband, Milt (Michael Saccente), but doesn't have long to be act on his hunch; Van continues to miss Aurora while Cheryl and Wolf's divorce starts to get messy. | |||||||
| 55 | 3 | "As Much Containing" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme and Rachel Lang | 1 July 2008 | N/A | |
| A mysterious container belonging to Wolf arrives on Cheryl's doorstep; Judd investigates before Van and Munter destroy the contents; Pascalle organises a memorial for Milt. | |||||||
| 56 | 4 | "Revenged Most Thoroughly" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 8 July 2008 | N/A | |
| 57 | 5 | "Remorseless, Treacherous, Lecherous" | Peter Salmon | James Griffin | 15 July 2008 | N/A | |
| 58 | 6 | "A Good Child and a True Gentleman" | Peter Salmon | Tim Balme | 22 July 2008 | N/A | |
| 59 | 7 | "What Is a Man?" | Britta Johnstone | Kate McDermott | 29 July 2008 | N/A | |
| 60 | 8 | "Guilty Creatures" | Britta Johnstone | Fiona Samuel | 5 August 2008 | N/A | |
| 61 | 9 | "Most Foul, Strange and Unnatural" | Simon Bennett | Jan Prettejohns | 12 August 2008 | N/A | |
| 62 | 10 | "The King, The King's to Blame" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin and Rachel Lang | 19 August 2008 | N/A | |
| 63 | 11 | "Most Valiant" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme | 26 August 2008 | N/A | |
| 64 | 12 | "Let Them Throw Millions" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 2 September 2008 | N/A | |
| 65 | 13 | "Your Chaste Treasure" | Richard Barr | Gavin Strawhan | 9 September 2008 | N/A | |
| 66 | 14 | "Rest Her Soul" | Richard Barr | Jan Prettejohns and Rachel Lang | 16 September 2008 | N/A | |
| 67 | 15 | "Affection! Pooh!" | Britta Johnstone | James Griffin | 23 September 2008 | N/A | |
| 68 | 16 | "A Sister Driven Into Desperate Terms" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme and Rachel Lang | 30 September 2008 | N/A | |
| 69 | 17 | "Dangerous Conjectures" | Peter Salmon | Rachel Lang | 7 October 2008 | N/A | |
| 70 | 18 | "Who Comes Here?" | Peter Salmon | James Griffin | 14 October 2008 | N/A | |
Series 5 (2009)
The fifth series begins with the aftermath of Ted's fateful wedding day. Newly pregnant Cheryl and boyfriend Wayne Judd must adapt to the ever-changing family dynamic. Van gets the short end of the stick during a raid on the West house. But it isn't a West that newcomer, Detective Sergeant Zane Gerard (Charles Mesure) is after. Sheree Greegan (Tyler-Jane Mitchel) is arrested instead for robbery, after trying to acquire cash for her unborn babies. However, it turns out Gerard is not after Sheree, but instead has a personal vendetta against her brother, Nicky Greegan (Craig Hall). He's doing whatever it takes to put Nicky behind bars, including blackmailing Van to give up information regarding Nicky. Meanwhile, Loretta hooks up with her brother Jethro and her ex-boyfriend Hayden, with whom she had a child, Jane. They conspire to sell a newly manufactured drug named Excellence, before it becomes illegal.
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | N.Z. viewers (thousand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | 1 | "All My Sins Remember'd" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 2 June 2009 | N/A |
| 72 | 2 | "The Fatness of These Pursy Times" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 9 June 2009 | N/A |
| 73 | 3 | "A Rat, A Rat" | Murray Keane | Tim Balme | 16 June 2009 | N/A |
| 74 | 4 | "Drive His Purpose" | Murray Keane | Kate McDermott and Rachel Lang | 23 June 2009 | N/A |
| 75 | 5 | "What Company at What Expense?" | Britta Johnstone | Jan Prettejohns and Rachel Lang | 30 June 2009 | N/A |
| 76 | 6 | "We Will Our Kingdom Give" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme | 7 July 2009 | N/A |
| 77 | 7 | "Inform Against Me" | Richard Barr | James Griffin | 14 July 2009 | N/A |
| 78 | 8 | "Some Vicious Mole of Nature" | Richard Barr | Rachel Lang | 21 July 2009 | N/A |
| 79 | 9 | "Honour's at the Stake" | Simon Bennett | Tim Balme and Rachel Lang | 28 July 2009 | N/A |
| 80 | 10 | "O Villany!" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 4 August 2009 | N/A |
| 81 | 11 | "A Serpent Stung Me" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin and Rachel Lang | 11 August 2009 | N/A |
| 82 | 12 | "Unpack My Heart" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme and Rachel Lang | 18 August 2009 | N/A |
| 83 | 13 | "Constant to My Purpose" | Britta Johnstone | Gavin Strawhan | 25 August 2009 | N/A |
| 84 | 14 | "The Power to Charm" | Murray Keane | Tim Balme | 1 September 2009 | N/A |
| 85 | 15 | "Mine Own Room" | Murray Keane | James Griffin | 8 September 2009 | N/A |
| 86 | 16 | "O Wonderful Son (That Can So Astonish a Mother)" | Murray Keane | James Griffin | 15 September 2009 | N/A |
| 87 | 17 | "They Bleed on Both Sides" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 22 September 2009 | N/A |
| 88 | 18 | "How Like an Angel!" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 29 September 2009 | N/A |
| 89 | 19 | "I Have a Daughter!" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 6 October 2009 | N/A |
Series 6 (2010)
John Campbell appeared as himself in a small cameo in "What a Rash and Bloody Deed Is This".
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | N.Z. viewers (thousand) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | 1 | "What a Rash and Bloody Deed Is This" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 13 July 2010 | N/A |
| 91 | 2 | "Do Your Mother's Commandment" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme | 20 July 2010 | N/A |
| 92 | 3 | "To a Radiant Angel Link'd" | Murray Keane | James Griffin | 27 July 2010 | N/A |
| 93 | 4 | "Make Mad the Guilty and Appal the Free" | Murray Keane | Maxine Fleming and James Griffin | 3 August 2010 | N/A |
| 94 | 5 | "The Power to Seduce" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 10 August 2010 | N/A |
| 95 | 6 | "When Both Contend" | Simon Bennett | Tim Balme | 17 August 2010 | N/A |
| 96 | 7 | "Go Seek Him Out" | Murray Keane | James Griffin | 24 August 2010 | N/A |
| 97 | 8 | "Help, Help, Ho!" | Murray Keane | Fiona Samuel and James Griffin | 31 August 2010 | N/A |
| 98 | 9 | "Follow Her Close" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang | 7 September 2010 | N/A |
| 99 | 10 | "Thy Loving Father" | Simon Bennett | Jan Prettejohns and Rachel Lang | 14 September 2010 | N/A |
| 100 | 11 | "Make Love to This Employment" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme | 21 September 2010 | N/A |
| 101 | 12 | "Let the Door Be Lock'd" | Britta Johnstone | James Griffin | 28 September 2010 | N/A |
| 102 | 13 | "Look Here, Upon This Picture" | Murray Keane | Gavin Strawhan and James Griffin | 5 October 2010 | N/A |
| 103 | 14 | "Their Grand Commission" | Murray Keane | Rachel Lang | 12 October 2010 | N/A |
| 104 | 15 | "Desperate Undertakings" | Britta Johnstone | Tim Balme | 19 October 2010 | N/A |
| 105 | 16 | "Give Me Up the Truth" | Britta Johnstone | Rachel Lang | 26 October 2010 | N/A |
| 106 | 17 | "Blood and Judgment" | Simon Bennett | James Griffin | 2 November 2010 | N/A |
| 107 | 18 | "Tis So Concluded" | Simon Bennett | Rachel Lang, James Griffin and Tim Balme | 9 November 2010 | N/A |
References
- "All of Outrageous Fortune streaming on 3NOW". 3 News. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- "A Series Perspective". NZ on Screen. Retrieved 27 January 2010.