The Box Set
The Intern, 7.30pm, Wednesday, TVNZ2 Originally mooted as a vehicle for Tina Fey and Michael Caine, writer-director Nancy Meyers’ sweet and charming 2015 workplace comedy’s success was down to the chemistry of its two leads – Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro. Hathaway once again proved her adroitness with lighter fare, while De Niro seemed more engaged and less hammy than he has been for most of the past decade. While the story may be slight, the conversations are deep and intriguing.
Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled, 9.30pm, Thursday, UKTV
New series of this talkshow which sees the British comedian kicking off discussions about almost anything. There’s no script, no rehearsals, no agenda, just the aim of being interesting and funny. All Davies has is an amazing fact about each of his guests, which this time include Matt Lucas, Bill Bailey and Bob Mortimer.
Winter Olympics, From 9.30pm, Friday, Prime Sky TV’s free-to-air coverage of the 23rd Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea kicks off with a dose of the always popular figure skating, followed by the opening ceremony. They are promising more than 10 hours of delayed action on Prime each day until February 25, including a one-hour breakfast show (6am daily), hosted by Eric Young. Naturally, there’s a lot more live coverage on Sky Sport.
XVenture Family Challenge, 5.30pm, Sunday, Three
Simon Barnett hosts this new Kiwi series which sees 16 families competing for a top prize of $25,000. Each week, four teams take on three different challenges set around the picturesque Eagles Nest at Russell in the Bay of Island.
Making New Zealand, 8.30pm, Sunday, Prime The popular Kiwi documentary series returns for another four-part edition. This time the focus is on construction, aviation, forestry and mining. Using archival still and film footage, this week’s opening episode looks at the history of iconic buildings like the Dunedin Railway Station, Auckland’s Civic Theatre and the Christchurch Town Hall.
Adult Life Skills, 8.30pm, Sunday, Rialto Broadchurch’s Jodie Whittaker is a quirky, comedic delight in this offbeat inter-generational 2016 comedy. She plays Anna, a 29-year-old woman who still lives in her mother’s shed. Based on her Bafta-nominated 2014 short film Emotional Fusebox, writer-director Rachel Tunnard’s tale feels like a cross between Benny and Joon, Be Kind Rewind, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Son of Rambow, with its mix of pop-culture references and eccentric coming-of-age comedy.
The seven-day television listings are as accurate as possible at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date programme details, please see the newspaper’s daily listings.