All 5 Episodes to Stream Beginning Thursday, April 29
There are deep-rooted secrets in every family. Based on a series of books by award-winning New Zealand author, Charlotte Grimshaw, The Bad Seed tells the story of two brothers who have raised themselves from the desperate days of their early childhood, only to have their newly ordered lives begin to fall apart when one becomes a suspect in a murder and the police investigation draws the household into a hurricane of scandal. All five episodes of The Bad Seed will be available to binge on Thursday, April 29 via Sundance Now and the AMC+ streaming bundle.
Simon Lampton (Matt Minto, Shortland Street, The Blue Rose), a respected obstetrician, has a lovely home in Herne Bay with two daughters and a beautiful wife, Karen (Jodie Hillock, The Inland Road): a well-organized mother and pillar of their community. Older brother Ford Dean O’Gorman, The Hobbit, Trumbo), once estranged and still rough around the edges, is staying in the spare room and appears to be the only outward disruption to Simon’s controlled life. But Simon has a secret– he’s having an affair with a beautiful young woman from one of Auckland’s seediest suburbs. When Julia Stevens, the Lamptons’ neighbor, is murdered in her own home, Detective Marie Da Silva (Madeleine Sami, Super City) starts focusing on the Lampton household, and Simon’s attempt to cover up his affair begins to unravel his carefully constructed life.
To add pressure, Roza Hallwright (Chelsie Preston Crayford, Underbelly), the wife of the soon-to-be next Prime Minister (Xavier Horan, West Side), has decided to make the Lamptons her best friends, ostensibly because Simon has contributed funds to her husband’s campaign, but she too has a secret that involves the Lamptons. As Detective Da Silva digs further, Simon’s world starts to crumble. But it’s going to take more than spadework to uncover that this fall from grace is no accident, rather a careful unpicking by someone Simon thinks he can trust.
The Bad Seed was produced by South Pacific Pictures for TVNZ 1, New Zealand. The series won for Best Script: Drama at the 2019 NZ TV Craft Awards.
Episode Synopses
Episode 1 – Simon Lampton is a successful obstetrician who looks like he has the ideal life, but everything begins to unravel when neighbor and former patient, Julia Stevens, is brutally murdered and Simon’s dysfunctional childhood comes back to haunt him.
Written by Sarah-Kate Lynch and Joss King. Directed by Helena Brooks.
Episode 2 –Simon begins to lose it emotionally as police pressure intensifies and his personal life crumbles. Ford helps and hinders his brother and Roza courts the Lampton family before dropping a
bombshell on Simon.
Written by Sarah-Kate Lynch, Joss King and Michael Beran. Directed by Mike Smith.
Episode 3 – Roza finally confesses her secret to David. Karen’s had enough of Simon’s lying and kicks him
out. Ford and Simon are forced to confront their violent father.
Written by Sarah-Kate Lynch, Joss King and Michael Beran. Directed by Caroline Bell-Booth.
Episode 4 -Karen and Roza declare war. Roza has an emotional breakdown and overdoses. Simon is
suspected of the murder of an investigative journalist and Ford manipulates Simon’s misfortune.
Written by Sarah-Kate Lynch, Joss King and Michael Beran. Directed by Caroline Bell-Booth.
Episode 5- Simon has a realization about the murder but can’t convince the cops. Roza has a double
celebration on Election Day.
Written by Sarah-Kate Lynch and Joss King. Directed by Mike Smith.
About Sundance Now:
AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now is for culture craving TV watchers looking for their next series to obsess over and offers a rich selection of original and exclusive series from engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world, all streaming commercial-free. Exclusive new programs are added every week. Sundance Now has exclusively premiered several distinctive, critically acclaimed Sundance Now Original Series, including supernatural thriller A Discovery of Witches; glamorous thriller Riviera starring Julia Stiles; critically acclaimed French spy thriller crime drama The Bureau; and Swedish period drama The Restaurant, as well as Sundance Now Exclusives, such as British true crime thriller Des starring David Tennant; Australian drama Upright starring Tim Minchin; and Australian psychological thrilled The Secrets She Keeps; and riveting true crime series The Suspect, The Dakota Entrapment Tapes, No One Saw A Thing, and Killing for Love.
Facebook: @SundanceNow – Twitter: @sundance_now – Instagram: @sundancenow
About AMC+:
AMC+ is the company’s new premium streaming bundle featuring an extensive lineup of popular and critically acclaimed original programming from across AMC Networks’ entertainment networks and a number of the company’s targeted streaming services including Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, which feature content such as Riviera, Creepshow, A Discovery of Witches and Boyhood. Currently available to Amazon Prime Video Channels, Apple TV channels, Roku Channels, Comcast Xfinity, DirecTV, DISH and Sling TV customers, AMC+ features a continually refreshed new library of commercial-free content, including Mad Men, Gangs of London, The Salisbury Poisonings, Orphan Black, Portlandia, Soulmates and The Walking Dead: World Beyond, among many others.