Keisha’s on tail of FBI’s most wanted
Our Keisha starts working for the FBI, writes James Croot, but it’s not on one of Britain’s biggest ever scandals.
With the nights getting longer and temperatures dropping, June is the perfect time to indulge in TV viewing. Fortunately, there are a lot of new shows to keep you entertained. Netflix has a host of returning series, including the final instalments of
13 Reasons Why (June 5) and Fuller House (June 2), as well as new editions of Queer Eye (June 5) and
The Politician (June 16).
TVNZ’s lineup includes the free-to-air debut of Netflix’s Bodyguard (June 8, TVNZ1), as well as the second series of the Anna Paquin-led Flack (June 1, TVNZ OnDemand), Rhys Darby travelogue Big in Japan (June 4, TVNZ1), and teen action series Alex Rider (June 5, TVNZ OnDemand). Meanwhile, on Sky, there’s Food Network’s selfexplanatory Amy Schumer Learns to Cook (June 16), Rialto Channel’s Finnish murder mystery All
the Sins (June 2), and a pair of drag queen-infused reality series in TLC’ s Dragnificent! (June 8), and SoHo2’s We’re Here (June 21). Also, look out for what’s billed as the final season of the Richard Ayoade-fronted Travel Man (June 15, Choice TV).
However, after pouring over the lineups, we have the 12 shows we’re most excited about.
Barkskins (June 21, National Geographic)
David Thewlis and Marcia Gay Harden headline this eight-part adaptation of Annie Proulx’s 2016 novel about a disparate group of 17th-century outcasts who must navigate brutal hardships, competing interests and tangled loyalties.
‘‘The gorgeously produced series is nevertheless sufficiently muddy, bare, and claustrophobic in its depiction of frontier life along a wild, untamed landscape. It’s also, rightfully, quite spooky,’’ wrote Paste magazine’s Allison Keene.
Beat the Chasers (TBC, TVNZ1)
A spin-off of the mega-popular British quiz show The Chase, this sees a single contestant taking on anywhere from two to five of the infamous Chasers to win cash prizes. Bradley Walsh again hosts.
‘‘The final chase makes for gripping television . . . As the onscreen clock ticked down my heart was pumping almost as fast as that of a lockdowner sneaking a picnic basket past a police patrol,’’ wrote The Mirror’s Ian Hyland.
Crazy Delicious (June 24, Netflix)
Heston Blumenthal, Niklas Ekstedt and Carla Hall are the judges for this six-part experimental cooking contest hosted by British comedian Jayde Adams. Featuring an edible set, the show challenges contestants to come up with meals boasting ‘‘originality, visual flair and extraordinary flavours’’.
‘‘It’s MasterChef reimagined by Tim Burton from an original idea by Aldous Huxley,’’ wrote
The Evening Standard’s Alastair McKay.
Dear... (June 1, Apple TV+)
Inspired by the global electronics giant’s ‘‘Dear
Apple’’ campaign, this 10-episode documentary series profiles well-known celebrities who have received letters from members of the public influenced by their actions.
The lineup includes Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Stevie Wonder, Misty Copeland, and Sesame Street’s Big Bird.
FBI: Most Wanted (June 10, Sky5)
New Zealander Keisha Castle-Hughes joins Kellan Lutz and Julian McMahon for this latest police procedural series. She plays FBI Analyst Hana Gibson, part of the organisation’s Fugitive Task Force.
‘‘The stories make timely nods to current issues such as opioid addiction but also offer a more rewarding sense of character development,’’ wrote The New York Post’s Robert Rorke.
The Nest (June 18, TVNZ OnDemand)
Five-part British thriller about a couple who, unable to conceive, decide to enlist the services of an 18-year-old surrogate. Peaky Blinders’ Sophie Rundle, Sweet Sixteen’s Martin Compston and Sex Education’s Mirren Mack star.
The Parachute Murder Plot (June 1, TVNZ1)
In this documentary, Antiques Roadshow host Fiona Bruce returns to one of the most riveting stories of her journalistic career, re-examining the case of Emile Cilliers, who was convicted of the attempted murder of his wife Victoria. An experienced parachuting instructor, Victoria suffered near fatal injuries in 2015 when her main and reserve parachutes failed.
Perry Mason (June 22, SoHo/Neon)
The Americans’ Matthew Rhys takes on the role made famous by Raymond Burr in the 1950s and 60s. Set in the 1930s, the criminal defence lawyer, originally created by Erle Stanley Gardner, finds himself at the centre of the case of the decade.
The impressive cast of this eight-part origin series also includes John Lithgow.
Proven Innocent (June 2, Lightbox)
Originally debuting in New Zealand in the dead of night on TVNZ1 last year, Kesley Grammer, Rachelle Lefevre and Russell Hornsby join forces for this US legal drama, centred around a law firm focused on overturning ‘‘wrongful convictions’’.
‘‘If some of the dialogue here is downright corny . . . at least it’s offset by a cast that meshes well,’’ wrote The New York Post’s Michael Starr.
Quiz (June 25, SoHo/Lightbox)
Michael Sheen and Matthew Macfayden headline this three-part adaptation of James Graham’s play about the TV show coughing scandal that gripped Britain in 2001. Underwhelming in the initial rounds, Major Charles Ingram then seemingly turned around his fortunes to become an unlikely Who Wants to Be a Millionaire champion.
‘‘Superbly entertaining and well constructed, this will likely make viewers rethink a story they thought they knew well,’’ wrote The Independent’s Ed Cumming.
Trackers (June 7, Neon/SoHo)
An adaptation of internationally acclaimed author Deon Meyer’s South African-set crime novel, this six-part series promises a violent conspiracy involving organised crime, smuggled diamonds, state security, black rhinos, the CIA, and an international terrorist plot.
Was such a hit on debut last year, it drew bigger audiences than Chernobyl or Game of Thrones.
The Woods (June 12, Netflix)
This six-part, adaptation from a Harlan Coben novel focuses on a Warsaw prosecutor whose hopes of a resolution to his sister’s disappearance 25 years earlier rise when a body is found.