Camp Be Better: The timing of TVNZ’s new youth dramedy couldn’t be better

REVIEW In comedy , timing is everything. With the Government’s recent reintroduction of military-style boot camps for young offenders , the timing of TVNZ ’s new youth dramedy Camp Be Better couldn’t be better. Although it’s fair to say that the spa pool, horse-riding and Wi-Fi on offer at the luxury detainment centre of the show’s title is a far cry from what the Government has in mind.

“Most of you should be in jail. Or worse, cancelled,” the camp’s leader “Papa” Sterling says, welcoming the newest intake of privileged young offenders to his cushy camp. “But you are all promising young people with bright futures ahead.

” As well as setting up the premise, this line also doubles as a good litmus test of the show’s humour. The “cancelled” bit is a good example of the gags to come. Camp Be Better follows Niah Zhou, a 17-year-old who is sentenced to 100 days at the camp after breaking into the house of her mother’s employers, stealing some earrings and defecating on their kitchen bench for good measure.

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