Highlights
SATURDAY The X Factor UK Go South TVNZ 1, 7pm
It’s time for Simon Cowell (left) to fold away his eleventy-billion V-neck T-shirts for another year, returning them to what must surely be the world’s largest chest of drawers. The judges have had their say and now it’s up to the British public to decide who will take out the title and win a recording contract with Mr Plunging Neckline himself.
Midsomer Murders Prime, 7.30pm
It’s surprising that there’s anyone left to kill in Midsomer and yet this popular series is celebrating 20 seasons of weird and whimsical murders. Tonight, the latest victim meets his maker by way of a brewery vat incident. Could the ancient curse of a vengeful monk (Justin Pierre, above) be to blame for his gruesome demise? Or is it just a keen brewer taking experimentation in the craft beer market too far?
Prime, 9.30pm
Climb aboard for a rolling railroad ride through the Southern Alps, all while comfortably seated on your own sofa. This special takes you on a journey into ‘slow TV’, a genre popular in Norway, which consists of hours of footage of the mundane – think long ferry rides and cosy fireplaces. This three-hour train ride might just rock you to sleep but if you’re looking to be soothed for longer, the extended 12-hour journey will air on Sunday at 1.30am.
SUNDAY Dynasties TVNZ 1, 7pm
Sir David Attenborough’s latest series explores relationships within animal families and inter-generational bonds and rivalries. From Emperor penguins in Antarctica to the painted wolves of Zimbabwe, this spectacular series, which took four years to make, intimately reveals the challenges and triumphs of these family units.
MONDAY Breakfast TVNZ 1, 6am
Hayley Holt and Jack Tame return to wake up the nation. Daniel Faitaua is also back on the news desk and Matt McLean resumes brolly duty so you no longer have to stick your head out the window to find out if it’s raining.
Three, 7pm
Kanoa (right), Jesse and Jeremy return to inform, entertain and sometimes even incite debate. The trio keep their fourth chair spinning with guests from across the spectrum of news and popular culture.
Love It Or List It Australia Living Channel, 8.30pm TUESDAY 1968: The Year That Changed America Prime, 8.30pm
This documentary series takes a look at a seminal year in In the Australian version of this popular series, Neale Whitaker (The Block Australia) and his sidekick Andrew Winter conduct a tug of war for the hearts, minds and purse strings of families trying to decide whether to sell the family home or stay put.
American history. Divided by the seasons, this four-part series explores music, film, politics and the Vietnam war and examines how one year affected the nation forever.
WEDNESDAY Cricket: New Zealand v India Prime, 2.30pm
Cricket takes the spotlight in New Zealand’s Art Deco capital today as the Black Caps play India in the first ODI, live and free to air from McLean Park, Napier. It is also live on Sky Sport 1.
TVNZ 2, 7.30pm
Wedding season is upon us and with it comes dress stress, bridal registry regret and seating chart anxiety. But don’t panic. It could be much worse, as evidenced by this compilation of clips which captures terrible, and terribly funny, marital mishaps.
Waco SoHo2, 7.30pm
The 1993 Waco siege made world headlines, but what really happened during the 51-day stand-off between the US law enforcement and a small religious community? This six-part drama tells the story of the attack from the perspectives of the FBI and Branch Davidian leader David Koresh.
THURSDAY FRIDAY TVNZ 1, 4pm The Split TVNZ 1, 8.30pm Spectre Three, 7.30pm
This is Daniel Craig’s most recent and perhaps penultimate adventure as 007. (Craig, above, has suggested the next James Bond movie will be his last.) In the 26th instalment of the franchise, Bond tangles with a mysterious terrorist organisation called Spectre.
T20 Black Clash
Rugby and cricket meet in this unusual clash but you won’t see some weird crigby/rucket hybrid. Stephen Fleming and Sir Graham Henry have chosen the sides in this sporting mash-up in which rugby players, including Kieran Read and Richie McCaw, put down the oval ball and pick up the bat. They will face cricket stars such as Brendon McCullum and Grant Elliot in this T20 match. In this British drama, divorce lawyer Hannah Stern (Nicola Walker) is a woman whose plate is so full it makes a buffet table look like a light snack. Hannah has trouble on all fronts including work, home and everything in between. And then her estranged father reappears.