The show centres around four main characters who are members of an elite New Zealand taskforce based in Auckland NZ, intended to be a combination of police and customs officers. Despite being an elite force, they are, as their commander Ron Maddock reminds them, under-funded, under-resourced and under the hammer. Because of this, the Roughies (as they are called) have to make sure that they perform exceptionally well to avoid being canned, as they are, after all, an experiment. Their members are: Detective Sergeant Danny Wilder, Senior Customs Officer Jane Durant, Detective Constable Zach Wiki and Noel Bullerton.

In rural New Zealand, Harry and Eric are middle-aged men whose aged, tyrannical mother runs their lives. When she dies, serious questions come to the two men.

Young Lonny comes from America to visit his Auntie Leah (Evision) and Grandfather Cooger (Lewis). There is something magical about Cooger and when he dies, he doesn't stay dead for long.

Investigative journalist Alf Winters (Morrison), meets his American girlfriend, Melissa Jones (Eilbacher), at Auckland airport. As they park outside Alf's house, it explodes. It is soon apparent that persons unknown want them dead, but the police are either skeptical or in the pay of those responsible. They play hide and seek around New Zealand with the stalkers, all the while coping with car chases, plane crashes, bullets and explosions.

A young woman searches for her identity by joining a "free love" hippie commune, against the wishes of her darkly possessive widowed father. The tensions of small town New Zealand and individual conflicts generated by intolerance and fear, unleashes forces of violence and betrayal.

Al Shaw's life revolves around motor racing and his back country junkyard, the "Smash Palace". His French wife, Jacqui, doesn't appreciate the lack of attention due to Al's obsession with cars. When Al finds her in the arms of another man, he takes his daughter, Georgie and heads for the bush, desperately hoping to hold on to the only family he has left.

Willy Nilly is a New Zealand television series originally based on a short film by the same name. It follows the lives of two middle-aged farming brothers, Eric and Harry who are catapulted into the modern world when their bossy and overprotective mother dies and Joy Full, the lovely undertaker’s assistant, comes to stay. It is set in the fictional town of Pokapoka A total of 3 series were made which have all been made available on DVD at filmshop. It was winner of Best Comedy Performance, Script and Direction - NZ TV Awards In 2002, a TV Guide poll found the series to be the most popular New Zealand comedy. The series' most prominent fan base is made up of women over the age of 60.