Sep 297 min read

n00b: From TikTok to the Big(ger) Screen

ENTERTAINMENT | INTERVIEW | NOSTALGIA

Written by Nabeelah Khan (she/her) | @nabeelahkhann | Contributing Writer

“Will you do me the honour of putting this beer…up your ass?” That’s not a request from me, but the opening line from the trailer for n00b, an upcoming teen comedy. The show feels like Sex Education procreated with Derry Girls and had their spawn adopted by a quirky Kiwi couple. Set in 2005 in the small town of Gore, dubbed in the show as the “epicentre of NZ’s homosexual community”, it’s a nostalgic dive into early internet chaos and adolescent misadventures.

n00b has all the makings of a teen comedy hit. It’s complete with classic high school archetypes: the closeted popular boy, the hot mean girl, the clueless himbo, the zealous Jesus freak, and the brooding emo loner. But these characters are more than just The Breakfast Club stereotypes. The ensemble of Gore College teens have plenty of heart, but they won't think twice about getting up to mischief.

From TikTok to TV

Victoria Boult, the series creator and director of n00b, joins our morning interview from the comfort of her home. She had endured several exhausting late nights directing another upcoming project. Despite this, her infectious, effervescent energy can be felt through the screen. It's hard to believe she's running on little sleep.

The genesis of n00b started when Boult and producer Rachel Fawcett were paired through a development program which connected writers and producers. Their first meeting was through a screen in a fast-paced Zoom call. “We had just six minutes to introduce ourselves,” Boult recalls. “She [Fawcett] was fading out at the end, and said, ‘This is my number—call me!’”

Boult and Fawcett shared a vision to create a TV show by young people, for young people. Over coffee, they conceived n00b, sparked by a shared frustration at the lack of high-quality youth content in the country. “There wasn’t anything for young people that was professionally made by young creatives,” Boult says.

The show draws inspiration from mid-2000s internet culture—Y2K fashion, music, and early days of social media—which Millennials and Gen Z now view with wistful nostalgia. “There hadn’t been any stories exploring the impact of social media’s rise on young people,” Boult explains. “We thought, ‘It’d be fun to make a TikTok series about that’”

Despite Boult’s initial scepticism about TikTok, thinking it was just for “dancing teenagers,” the series hit 1.5 million views on the app since its launch in mid-2022.

After n00b’s breakout success on TikTok, Boult and Fawcett were eager to take the show to the next level. Their passion didn’t go unnoticed—New Zealand On Air saw it too. In 2023, they received the news that n00b had secured funding to expand into a full comedy series on ThreeNow and Three. Boult vividly recalls the moment: “I ran downstairs with Rachel, we opened the email, and I just started crying.”

Tears, Triumphs, and Turning 17

Boult was not the only n00b member who had emotions run high throughout the making of the show.

Actress Felicia To'a answers my call on her phone. She has thick, long brown hair, which frames her face like a mane as it cascades over her shoulders—a feature she was encouraged to embrace in her role on n00b. During our interview, she was wearing a classic white “I Heart NY” t-shirt, a souvenir from her sister's recent visit to the Big Apple. To'a’s personality is as vibrant and playful as the character Clara she brings to life.

To'a recalls a tearful audition process that landed her role in n00b. After first hearing about the series through her agent, she went through three rounds of callbacks before securing the part. "I got a second callback to meet the actual directors and producers," she says. It was during this round that she met Shervonne Grierson, who plays Lauren, her best friend in the series. The two were paired together for a pivotal, emotional scene in the audition room.

“I was like, ‘Damn, I gotta bring everything,’” To'a admits, recognising the gravity of the moment. Luckily, her chemistry with Grierson made the scene even more powerful. By the end of it, both actors were in tears. “I ended up bawling my eyes out, and I was like, ‘I killed that. I crushed it.’”

In addition to n00b being her first acting gig on TV, To'a celebrated another milestone on set—her 17th birthday. Reflecting on the day, she fondly remembers the cast and crew making it truly special. "They all sang 'Happy Birthday,' and we ate cake," she recalls. "I thought, 'Wow, this is my family!'”

To'a recalls her most cherished moment on the set of n00b came at the wrap party. She handcrafted lolly lei necklaces for everyone and created an elaborate flower Kahoa (garland) for the show’s creators. “I gave a huge speech, thanking everyone, and of course, I started crying,” she says with a laugh. “Then I put the Kahoa on the creators, and they cried too. We ended up having this massive group hug, and pretty much everyone was sobbing.”

The young actress infuses her portrayal of Clara with a powerful personal connection. Like her character, To'a is Tongan and Catholic and has also experienced a sense of isolation in her school environment. “I know what that feels like,” To'a shares.

“Clara has her foot in two different worlds,” To'a explains. “The person she is at school and the person she is at home are two different people, and I felt that growing up—it was a big struggle.”

Having moved around Australia, where she and her sisters were often the only brown students, To'a understands the challenge of balancing two worlds—assimilating into the white culture at school while staying rooted in her traditional heritage at home.

When the Web Was Real

One of the characters Protagonist head boy Nikau channels his unattainable sexual desires into fanfiction, while ‘it girl’ Lauren curates a polished, idealised version of herself on her Myplace, the show’s version of Myspace. The way this group of outlandish and othered teens navigate their online personas mirrors how today’s adolescents use social media. It’s a form of escape.

However, Boult disagrees. “I think the Internet serves a completely different function today”.

In n00b, each character turns to the internet to escape, using it to connect with a more genuine version of themselves that they can't reveal in real life. Boult contrasts this with how the internet is used today, where platforms are more about curating a polished, controlled image rather than fostering authentic self-expression. The show taps into this earlier iteration of the web when online spaces were a refuge for young people to discover their true identities and explore themselves without fear of judgement.

“It's interesting to think about how the Internet has changed from a place which is an escape to essentially just a more magnified version of a judgmental reality,” Boult points out.

Boult acknowledges the powerful allure of nostalgia, not just for millennials but also for Gen Z, who seem to be yearning for a return to the past. However, she and her crew were careful to strike a balance. While n00b taps into the charm of the mid-2000s, they didn’t want to gloss over the era’s more problematic aspects. From the early stages of pre-production, there were clear discussions about authentically depicting the nuanced experience of growing up in a small conservative town during that time.

Caffeine, Collaboration and Connection

Boult shares her morning rituals on set, which involved waking up early for a mandatory coffee and mentally preparing for the day ahead. “I was very into Barbie at the time we were shooting this. One of my best friends got me a T-shirt that says, ‘Written and Directed by Greta Gerwig.” “I wore that all the time on set,” she recalls with a smile as we bond over our shared love of Lady Bird.

Contrary to the common belief that television shows have large budgets, n00b, as a Kiwi production, operated under tighter financial constraints. This meant that shoot days were fast-paced, and adjusting to the rapid tempo took her some time. By the end of filming, Boult and her team had developed an almost telepathic connection with her crew. This allowed them to tackle scenes seamlessly despite the demanding shooting schedule.

Kiwi Voices, American Dreams and Familial Influence

With Aotearoa’s strong appetite for American media consumption, Boult is eager for audiences to see the young adult narrative told through a distinctly Kiwi perspective. “I feel as though we really suffer from cultural cringe in this country,” she says. “We hate seeing Kiwi accents on screen—yuck. I definitely had that as a teenager, always wanting an Americanized version of my own coming-of-age story.”

While n00b depicts the lives of small-town teens, Boult also acknowledges the fantasy of wanting to be an American teenager—a dream many Kiwi adolescents share. The series nods to iconic mid-2000s pop culture, weaving in elements of Mean Girls and 90210, tapping into that desire, but also writing a love letter to the beauty and charm of small-town Aotearoa.

Boult has a deep affection for all the characters in n00b, but one stands out in particular. James, played by Jaxson Cook, is named in honour of her brother. “James was struggling with coming out in small-town Aotearoa, and he was unapologetically himself. He was an emo, wore black nail polish to school, and was very proud of who he was.”

Her brother's journey has had a profound influence on Boult's life. “I genuinely believe that without him, I wouldn't be doing what I do right now,” she shares. “The only way I could think to thank him for that was to name a character after him and to write a character based on him.”

This love for n00b and its characters is evident. The show is as heartfelt as it is outrageous, with an affection for the angst and awkwardness of a generation who grew up online. Move over Sex Education and Derry Girls. n00b is here to spice up your screens.