The best on the box
Top television picks for the week ahead.
James Croot’s Paterson 8.30pm, Saturday, Rialto
With its on-screen cursive, laconic voice-over and fly-on-the-wall style observational film-making, this 2016 dramedy is another understated gem from Jim Jarmusch. Like Broken Flowers, Night on Earth and Coffee and Cigarettes, this offers up a series of dramatically rewarding encounters, rather than a truly driving narrative. Structured as a week in the life of Adam Driver’s public transport worker, it’s the repetition and variations that form part of its charm.
Life of Brian 8.30pm, Sunday, Rialto
Perhaps Monty Python’s finest hour-and-a-half, this sees the comedy troupe take on more than a few sacred cows in telling the story of a man born on Christmas Day – in the stable next door. ‘‘It has been said that a Monty Python movie is only successful if it offends everyone in the audience at least once. By that measuring stick as well as nearly any other, Life of Brian is an unqualified triumph. It makes us confront our foibles and laugh at them,’’ wrote Reel Views‘ James Berardinelli.
Home Fires 8.30pm, Monday, Vibe
Season two of this pre-world War II rural British drama follows the village as the conflict takes hold. ‘‘Even more in the second season than the first, Home Fires is an ensemble piece. It’s precisely this approach, telling lots of little stories whose war connections differ widely, that gives Home Fires a ring of truth,’’ wrote The Huffington Post‘s David Hinckley.
The Ground We Won 9.30pm, Tuesday, Maori TV
The 2015 Kiwi documentary that took a fresh look at our national game. Film-makers Christopher Pryor and Miriam Smith watch the Reporoa Rugby Club’s 2013 resurgence from the sidelines, inside the dressing room and at the after-match functions, creating a warts-and-all look at a fast disappearing way of life.
Delicious 9.30pm, Tuesday, UKTV
Dawn French, Emilia Fox and Iain Glen star in this four-part British drama series about food, love and infidelity in Cornwall. ‘‘Offers a visual feast but it’s the sure-footed storytelling and strong central performances that has got me hooked,’’ wrote Radio Times‘ Ben Dowell.
The First Monday in May 8.30pm, Wednesday, Rialto
A fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at the inner-workings of the New York Metropolitan Museum as it planned and prepared to launch its blockbusting 2015 exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass. Naturally the camera is drawn to the fundraising, star-studded Met Gala and the controlling presence of museum board member Anna Wintour.