The Casketeers

A REALITY series that documents the workings of a funeral business?

At first glance, The Casketeers may seem like a gloomy, despondent viewing experience but it is surprisingly lighthearted.

The show zeroes in on Maori couple Francis and Kaiora Tipene who run a onestop funeral service company in New Zealand.

Each episode sees the couple and their staff going about their jobs – from helping customers pick out caskets to directing a funeral service. It’s eye-opening to see and understand how much work goes into making sure a funeral goes smoothly.

But it is the cast’s colourful personalities that provide a sense of levity and really reel viewers in, particularly Francis’s.

A lot of the humour comes from Francis’s idiosyncrasies. In one episode, we are introduced to Francis’s obsession with buying a new high-powered leaf-blower, which will help him clear the grounds outside his funeral home much faster. It then cuts to a shot of his wife Kaiora telling us he already has three!

Another episode sees the thrifty Francis purchasing a shabby-looking secondhand van, against his wife’s wishes, for one of his employees. Here’s the clincher – it’s a manual-transmission van and his employee doesn’t even drive manual.

After he eventually learns to drive it, the van falls apart within a week!

Given that death and grief are central to the show’s premise, these lighthearted moments balance out the bleakness, in a way that is tasteful and respectful.

Seasons One and Two of The Casketeers are available on Netflix.