Must-see TV shows
From next month, Kiwi viewers will have more television viewing options than ever when two new major global streaming services arrive – Apple TV+ and Disney+. The former’s November 2 opening slate includes the Jason Momoa drama See and space race series For All Mankind. The debut of Disney+ will include all your favourite Mouse House movies, as well as a new version of Lady and the Tramp and High School Musical: The Series.
For its part, Netflix has Japanese-set episodes of popular reality series Queer Eye
(November 1) and more
The End of The F…
World (November 5). Amazon Prime Video has new seasons of Jack Ryan (November 1) and The Man in the High Castle (November 15).
Sky TV’s SoHo channels see the return of Ray Donovan
(November 18) and Pose
(November 1), while
Jones! boasts We’re Doomed! The Dad’s
Army Story (November
13) and the star-studded Norman Lear celebration Live in
Front of a Studio Audience
(November 18).
Fans of free-to-air TV are also catered for via new series of The Simpsons (TVNZ2, November 3) and The Great New Zealand Bake Off (TVNZ2, November 3), a celebration of 50 Years of TVNZ News (TVNZ1, November 1), a Grand Designs-spinoff subtitled The Street (TV3) and the BBC’s latest nature series, Serengeti
(TVNZ1).
Here are the eight TV shows and movies we’re most excited about diving into.
The Crown (November 17, Netflix)
It’s all change for this beloved period drama tracing the life and times of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. Claire Foy is replaced by Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, as the action now focuses on the tumultuous period between 1964 and 1976. Look out for Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.
Dickinson (November 2, Apple TV+)
The Edge of Seventeen and Bumblebee’s Hailee Steinfeld plays American poet Emily Dickinson in this 10-part black comedy which mixes modern sensibilities with its mid-19th century setting. It’s created by Alena Smith, one of the writers for The Affair and The Newsroom.
His Dark Materials (November 5, SoHo2)
HBO attempts to fill the giantsized Game of Thrones hole in its schedule with this lavish adaptation of Philip Pullman’s much-admired series of books set in an alternative world where all humans have animal companions called daemons. A co-production with the BBC, the cast of this first, eight-part season includes Ruth Wilson, James McAvoy, LinManuel Miranda and Logan’s Dafne Keen.
The Mandalorian (November 19, Disney+)
Live-action Star Wars comes to the small screen with Jon Favreau’s space western set five years after the fall of the Empire as depicted in Return of the Jedi and 25 years before the emergence of The Force Awakens’ First Order.
The eclectic list of actors include Nick Nolte, Carl Weathers, Werner Herzog and our own Taika Waititi.
The Morning Show (November 2, Apple TV+)
Hollywood heavy hitters Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell combine for this 10-part TV newsroomset dramedy.
Aniston plays a veteran anchor who is struggling to retain her job after her co-presenter is fired because of a sexual harassment scandal.
Mrs Fletcher (November 28, SoHo 2)
Based on the novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta (Election, Little Children, The Leftovers), this comedy focuses on a woman (Bad Moms’ Kathryn Hahn) facing a midlife crisis. While her son heads off to college, she experiences a sexual reawakening. ‘‘Offers up wit, intelligence and a remarkable central performance,’’ wrote The Guardian’s Benjamin Lee.
The Report (November 29, Amazon Prime Video)
Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Michael C Hall, Tim Blake Nelson, Maura Tierney and Jon Hamm all play key roles in this ensemble docu-drama that looks at the Senate Committee’s investigation into the CIA’s use of torture after 9/11.
‘‘A darkly authentic political thriller that leaves you chastened and inspired,’’ wrote Variety’s Owen Gleiberman.
The World According To Jeff Goldblum (November 19, Disney+)
The star of Independence Day, Jurassic Park, The Fly and Thor: Ragnarok hosts this new National Geographic documentary series, in which he explores the parts of the globe he’s most interested in.
That means viewers will be getting to see how tattoos, icecreams, bicycles and sneakers are developed.