As Shortland Street’s mysterious new ‘Back in Black’ season starts tonight, Tara Ward explains exactly what’s going on in Ferndale. 

What’s all this then? 

Back in Black is the name of Shortland Street’s new mini-season, which begins tonight. In 2025, the long-running soap is dividing the year into four “mini-seasons”, each focussing on one or two particular storylines that involve the show’s core characters, and each climaxing with a one hour special. 

So we’ve already had a mini-season? 

Yes. Shortland Street kicked 2025 off with “New Blood”, which introduced several new characters to Ferndale and signalled a shift in the show’s direction. Shortland Street returned as a fast-paced medical drama, with nearly every scene set in the hospital. Over the last few weeks, characters have dared to venture outside the hospital again with a few scenes set in houses and the local bar, but the drama continues to focus on one or two self-contained medical storylines each week. 

Last week, viewers watched the New Blood one-hour finale episode, where a storm forced several medical staff out of their comfort zones to save lives, loves, and probably the world.

So what else has been happening in Ferndale? 

The year began with hospital staff grieving the death of Dr Harper Whitely and processing their shock at nurse Nicole being imprisoned for murder. New medical staff Poppy, Cleo and Mana struggled to cope with the pressures of dealing with an endless stream of dying people, as well as putting up with their grumpy colleagues. Most recently, we waved goodbye to nurse Madonna, who moved to the Philippines with her baby daddy Thaddeus. 

And what’s the vibe so far? 

Now that it’s on three nights a week, Shortland Street has stepped up the pace and intensity and a soundtrack of up and coming New Zealand artists has provided a more contemporary feel. The show has never looked better, but as we wrote in March, the focus on medical cases has made Shortland Street feel both slick and bleak. The show looks glossy and modern, but the characters are perpetually stressed and miserable, which makes for a heavier viewing experience than traditional Shortland Street fans might be used to. 

What do we know about the new mini-season Back in Black?

“Back in Black” might refer to the big storm that ended the last mini-season, where the hospital was put into an emergency “code black” status. There’s also an impressive and slightly terrifying image going around of the surgeons all wearing black, which suggests this season will focus on the surgical expertise (or lack of) of the doctors. 

Or maybe the black refers to mourning? Perhaps some more All Blacks are going to turn up in Ferndale (it’s happened before)? Or maybe Shortland Street is referring to dead receptionist Leanne, whose last name was Black when she first arrived in Ferndale? Is Ghost Leanne about to bless us with her ethereal presence once again?! 

But seriously, what’s going to happen?

Gird your loins and grab your tissues, because it sounds like the new mini-season will be just as intense as the first. Shortland Street revealed to The Spinoff that Poppy, Cleo, and Mana will “grapple with the harsh realities of life at Shortland Street: the failings, the heartbreak, and the relentless death.” Fun!

But amid all that misery, it seems Shortland Street staff are going to find….their family? “As the rest of the staff wrestle with their grief, their fragile bonds start to fracture, and relationships are pushed to their breaking points,” they added. “In the chaos, our team will learn that their true family isn’t always the one they’re born into – sometimes it’s the one they choose. Sometimes it’s the only one they have.” 

Wow, that does sound like fun. Where can I watch all this grief and heartbreak? 

The Back in Black season starts tonight. Shortland Street screens Mondays to Wednesdays on TVNZ2 at 7pm, and streams on TVNZ+.