Madam review: New Zealand sex work comedy drama is racy and pacy

In Madam, Mack (Rachel Griffiths) has just found out her husband is visiting a sex worker and she’s not exactly sure how she feels about it.

Relieved? Yeah, let’s go with relieved: while Tui (Ariana Osbourne) has to listen to bad poetry and cuddle, Mack is off the hook as far as providing for the sexual needs of Rob (Martin Henderson), a writer who’s spent most of his career creating a whole lot of not much.

The family’s brief visit to small town New Zealand (Mack is American) 15 years ago turned into a permanent stay when they realised that free medical care was exactly what they needed for their disabled son Toby (Quinn Ashton).

But now Toby’s outgrown his specialist school, their other son Noam (Angus Stevens) isn’t a kid either, and unsold copies of Rob’s books are piling up around the house.

With sex work being legal in NZ and the town’s only brothel run by a sleazebag, maybe there’s room for an ethical competitor?

Watch the Madam teaser trailer.

Madam is based on a true story, which goes some way towards explaining why Mack’s decision initially seems a little out of the blue. There’s no real need to justify Mack’s choice; if she didn’t make it, there’d be no show. But as the series progresses it becomes a little more obvious that Mack was looking for something new in her life and … well, why not run a brothel?

Coming up with a location (a few rooms in a local motel) and a staff (a mix of eager newcomers and jaded professionals) is relatively straightforward. Making the new business – named Sweethearts – into a success is easier said than done, especially when most of your knowledge of sex work comes from showing up at the local brothel and telling them your kink is having the financial side of sex work explained to you by someone having sex with a client.

Hey, it’s probably more reliable than looking stuff up on the internet.

Madam: sex work

That scene also helps establish Madam’s attitude to the sex work side of things, which is up front and explicit – verbally at least. There is a lot of discussion about the nuts and bolts of the job, which provides a lot of the comedy and not a little amount of pathos: the look on the face of older worker Goldie (Carmel McGlone) when a customer bluntly dismisses her for being old (in a scene mostly played for laughs) eliminates any romantic notions the viewer may have had about the series’ approach to being on the job.

But while the tone isn’t super-serious, there’s plenty of personal and professional drama across these ten half-hour episodes (Nine is showing two a week back-to-back). Mack’s marriage all but disintegrates due to neglect, leaving the business on the financial back foot from the start – and a forged loan document isn’t something that’s just going to vanish either.

Her vision of an ethical brothel might be good in theory, but if she’s banned every client in town because they’re creepy or a pervert there’s not going to be a business left to be ethical. The sex workers aren’t idealists either: they might like the idea of not working for a sleazebag, but it’s still work – and if the boss can’t bring in the clients, then they’re going to have to go back to the old ways.

It takes a little while for Mack to come into focus as a character. Her calm, rational, disconnected response to the news that her husband is cheating on her is a nice change from the usual drama, but it doesn’t give Griffiths much to work with at first.

Madam: pace

Fortunately Madam moves along at a rapid pace. Once the emphasis shifts to keeping Sweethearts running with the help of motel manager Jules (Rima Te Wiata), the increasingly stressed Mack comes into her own.

Future episodes feature comedy sex accidents, outrage from prudish locals, conflicts with rival sex workers with a more old school attitude – we’re looking at you, Deziyah (Danielle Cormack) – and a growing bond between Mack and Tui. With a cast of colourful characters and a strong mix of comedy and drama, it’s yet another world-class series from the land of the Long White Cloud.

Late last year Nine showed a New Zealand drama starring Rebecca Gibney; now they’re showing a New Zealand drama (well, dramedy) starring Rachel Griffith. It’s nice to see one of our commercial networks supporting Australian actors; maybe if we’re lucky, one day they’ll get around to supporting actual Australian drama again.

Madam premieres on Nine on 4 February 2025 at 9pm, with ten half-hour episodes (airing two at a time). Also available on 9Now.

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