Television
The Best of the Week
SATURDAY JANUARY 4
Spartan: New Zealand v Australia (TVNZ 2, 7.00pm). Is it our imagination, or have survival shows become more brutal? Inspired by the Spartan Race phenomenon, teams battle it out on tough obstacle courses. It’s like a way less fun Wipeout. In similar style, a new season of The Island with Bear Grylls starts this week (TVNZ Duke, Wednesday, 8.30pm) – 12 Brits are marooned for 35 days on a tropical island, but to give it an added Lord of the Flies flavour, money will be parachuted in for contestants to find and/or fight over.
SUNDAY JANUARY 5
The Casketeers (TVNZ 1, 7.00pm). Francis Tipene has a new look for season three, but early publicity suggests he has lost weight, not flamboyance. Office high jinks, a new member of staff and the introduction of the youngest member of the family, baby Francis Jr, are things to look forward to – and, of course, the beautiful care and aroha that Francis and Kai bring to their funeral business.
Pilgrimage: The Road to Rome (Prime, 7.30pm). It seems as if no one is actually walking the ancient pilgrimage trails for religious reasons any more, which isn’t to say that personal and spiritual growth won’t occur. In this second season of Pilgrimage (you may remember The Road to Santiago), eight new British celebs get out their walking boots for the Italian section of the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage route since the Middle Ages. Actors Les Dennis and Lesley Joseph, dancer Brendan Cole, comedians Stephen K Amos and Katy Brand, Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford, Irish Eurovision Song Contest winner Dana and television presenter Mehreen Baig are the celebs who will truthfully be able to say afterwards, “It’s been a journey.” They begin in the Alps, at the SwissItalian border, although the crossing defeats some of the group.
MONDAY JANUARY 6
77th Golden Globe Awards (Vibe, Sky 006, 2.00pm). Ricky
Gervais hosting for a record fifth time is one reason the Golden Globes will be worth a look – the other is, naturally, Taika Waititi’s comedy-satire Jojo Rabbit, which has two nominations. It is up against Rocketman, Knives Out, Dolemite Is My Name and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood for best musical or comedy film and young Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo – has a lead actor nomination. The film with the most nominations is Marriage Story; meanwhile, The Crown, Chernobyl and Unbelievable feature heavily in the television section. But forget all that, isn’t it really about the frocks? Red-carpet coverage begins on E! (Sky 014) at noon.
The Chase Bloopers (TVNZ 1, 7.30pm). Bloopers from the year? We thought the Chasers were infallible. Talk about spoiling the magic.
TUESDAY JANUARY 7
Agatha and the Truth of Murder (Vibe, Sky 006, 8.40pm). A spot of light sleuthing on a Tuesday night in which Agatha Christie – the real Agatha Christie – is asked to help solve a murder. All fiction, of course, but Christie’s 11-day disappearance in 1926 has often been a useful source of inspiration for dramatists and Agatha’s investigation into the murder of Florence
Nightingale’s god-daughter takes place during this time. Ruth Bradley plays Agatha and the cast includes Tim McInnerny and Michael McElhatton ( Game of Thrones’ Roose Bolton) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The idea of Agatha Christie as a real sleuth has become a cottage industry for writer Tom Dalton, who has gone on to make two more Agatha dramas.
Hold the Sunset (UKTV, Sky
007, 9.30pm). Fleabag it is not. If you prefer your British comedy more slapstick than searching, Hold the Sunset is the one. John Cleese and Alison Steadman are Phil and Edith, an affianced couple hoping for a Mediterranean retirement; the many obstacles to this plan include her idiot son Roger (Jason Watkins), horrible daughter Sandra (Joanna Scanlan) and interfering cleaning lady Queenie (Anne Reid). In season two, there are more vexations in the form of Edith’s sister (Sue Johnston) and Roger’s new career, which involves busking in a rabbit suit with his crocodile hand puppet Methuselah.
The Blacklist (Three, 10.35pm). As with most TV series that have made it to seven seasons, The Blacklist is a little world all its own and entry is restricted to the faithful. We’re just surprised it’s still a thing – in fact, season eight is on the cards. Will Red Reddington’s true identity be revealed this season? It seems unlikely. Still, anything that keeps James Spader employed can’t be all bad.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8
Shades of Blue (Sky 5, Sky 005, 9.30pm). A twist on the usual crime procedural – Jennifer Lopez stars as a corrupt cop who is found out by the FBI and forced to inform. It’s not
The Shield, but Lopez does some of her better work and Ray Liotta chews the scenery as her crooked boss. Drea de Matteo ( The Sopranos) also stars, and music is by Wendy & Lisa, formerly of Prince’s backing band The Revolution.
Living with the Boss (TVNZ 1, 8.45pm). Not unlike Undercover Boss, although in this new local series, the boss actually experiences how the other half lives by staying with one of their employees. In the first episode, Just Water boss Tony Falkenstein trades Remuera for Ōtara.
THURSDAY JANUARY 9
Hairy Bikers’ Northern Exposure (Choice TV, 4.30pm). Those hairy bikers; they’re like your exciting uncles who randomly swing by, liven up your life for a while and then disappear. They’re off on a Baltic adventure in this series, with lots of hearty food such as Finnish split pea soup and Swedish meatballs. Ah, well, save the recipes for winter. The chef from Cornwall is also in that region of the world in
Rick Stein’s German Bite (Choice TV, Sunday, 4.30pm). And in other motorbike-related news, in Guy Martin’s Great Escape (Choice TV, Wednesday, 7.30pm), the former motorcycle racer attempts to recreate the famous Steve McQueen jump from the 1963 movie.
Criminal Minds (TVNZ OnDemand). The 15th and final season, hot off the satellite. Also arriving tout de suite is the second season of US supernatural mystery Manifest (TVNZ OnDemand, Tuesday), the series about an airliner that left Jamaica in 2013 and arrived in New York in 2018.