It has been lauded for its inventive storytelling, with the plot told partly in flashbacks and partly in the present day.

The Herald’s Karl Puschmann commented that the series “leaves your head spinning like you’ve had one drink too many and is as dark and relentless as a fierce hangover”.

“There are no easy truths to be found in After the Party but you better believe it’s one of the year’s best shows,” he said.

Duncan Greive of The Spinoff called it “NZ’s best TV drama in years”, praising it for its “dark, tense and highly provocative” nature and saying it would “rattle uneasily around your mind for days”.

The series was produced by Lingo Pictures and Luminous Beast, and was filmed on location in Wellington.

Cross-continent fame for After the Party comes soon after another major international deal.

ABC TV and iview in Australia picked up the series from April 28, 2024, bringing it further international acclaim and landing Malcolm a best actress award at Series Mania, France, for her role in the drama.

Speaking to NZ Women’s Weekly, Malcolm revealed she enjoyed the experience of sitting down with her friend Taylor and creating a realistic character from scratch.

She said it was her “scariest role yet”.

“We knew we wanted to put a woman in her 50s at the centre of it. And we knew we wanted to make sure she was somebody that we’ve not seen on screen before.

“At her age, women are supposed to be wise and sage, but often we’re not. I’m so pleased that note is striking a chord with so many women who are getting alongside the story.”

Malcolm also revealed that when she had some free time, she and Taylor were going to write another series. Not a follow-up to After the Party, but something fresh.

“We both have a lot of ideas, and we can’t wait to get started.”

After The Party is now streaming on TVNZ+