The New Zealand crime dramedy can’t wrangle its disparate tones into a satisfying whole.

In some ways, Far North offers viewers three shows in one. There’s the harrowing tale of a quartet of Chinese women, Bi (Xana Tang), Jin (Xiao Hu), Hui (Nikita Tu-Bryant), and Ling (Louise Jiang), trapped in a boat off the coast of New Zealand. They’re under the thumb of Cai (Fei Li), a capricious crime middle manager whose corner-cutting and incompetence have left them stranded and facing death by dehydration and starvation. Unfortunately, rescue is almost as unpleasant a prospect as dying. To be saved, Cai demands they either “pay” for the rescue by sinking themselves deeper into debt and servitude or killing one of their own.

On the mainland, a different kind of crime story is unfolding. A group of less-than-competent criminals working for Blaze (Fay Tofilau) believe they’re about to get the score of their lives. Employed by her to take in the meth the Chinese women are transporting, they think it’ll be as easy as loading up a camper and driving it a few towns away. Alas, between the delays and their lack of skills, complications rapidly arise.

Lastly, stuck in the middle are Ed (Temuera Morrison) and Heather (Robyn Malcolm). The long-married couple lives a modest, contented life of handymanning, water aerobics, and dog care. That is until Blaze’s henchmen reach out, asking for help launching a boat from shore. It isn’t long before the couple know that something is very wrong with this motley crew and do their best to alert the authorities.

Based on the true story of New Zealand’s biggest drug bust ever, Far North carries the promise of a Fargo-esque mix of black comedy and crime. Unfortunately, the series never gets its disparate pieces to work in tandem.

For one, the story of the women on the boat is too unceasingly tragic to ring laughs out of once the plot kicks in. The quartet does an excellent job with their roles, Tang especially. However, the tonal shift between their storyline and any of the others is simply too severe. It’s a problem the show never cracks.

On the other extreme are Blaze’s goons. They’re goofy, to be sure, but they’re still not generating much by way of laughter. The most comedy the show gets out of them is from others, particularly Ed and Heather, commenting under their breath about the team’s incompetence. Worse, too many of them lack depth. Only Louie (Villa Junior Lemanu), an expectant father who’s part of the team in an attempt to make good on a previous botched job, gives viewers a reason to care about the crew. Otherwise, as both comedic relief and a human face of crime, the group fails to deliver.

And yet, despite all that, Morrison and Malcolm almost save the whole endeavor. Within their two performances, they find the correct mix of the serious and the comedic. They deliver what the series seems to be aiming for–albeit more gently-but never finds a way to deliver beyond their dyad. Additionally, they have a great lived-in chemistry. They feel like a happily married couple who have reached a point of comfort in their lives. Malcolm and Morrison make their sections of the narrative a delight. Sadly, Far North spends too little time with them to save the entire endeavor.

Taken as a whole, the show just never gels. The story of the drug smuggling women is extremely well acted but far too sad for this series’ dark comedy intentions. The married couple find an enjoyable version of the show’s tone but aren’t around enough. Finally, the criminals are silly screw-ups but never especially funny. Creator David White has a great hook for a story and plenty of ambition. Far North never matches it.

Far North is currently up to no good on AMX+ and Sundance Now.

AMC+’s Far North Trailer: