Picks of the week

Phoenix Monday, 8.30pm, Rialto

From the actor-auteur combination who wowed audiences with 2012 Cold War thriller Barbara, comes another atmospheric tale of love and loss. German writer-director Christian Petzold’s loose adaptation of the 1961 novel The Return from

the Ashes offers lush visuals, slowburning, compelling drama, and a rich, evocative soundtrack.

Our Big Blue Backyard Tonight, 7.30pm, TVNZ1

The second season of this New Zealand nature series ventures further afield this time: to the Kermadec Islands, 1000 kilometres north east of Northland; the active volcano White Island; the Chatham Islands; Canterbury’s Banks Peninsula; Fiordland; and one of New Zealand’s Sub Antarctic island groups – the Auckland Islands.

Humans Monday, 8.35pm, TV3

The second-season of this sci-fitinged drama begins with Niska still at large and in possession of the consciousness code. The rest of her synth family are each trying to find their place in the world.

The Young Pope Monday, 9.30pm, SoHo

Lenny Belardo, aka Pius XIII, is the first American Pope in history. Young and charming, his election might seem the result of a simple and effective media strategy by the College of Cardinals. But, appearances can be deceptive.

Michael Moore in TrumboLand Tuesday, 9.30pm, TVNZ1

The show Ohio Republicans tried to shut down. Made in just a matter of days, The Oscar-winning documentarian offers up a daring and hilarious one-man show, deep in the heart of Republican Party presidential nominee Donald J Trump territory.