What to watch on Sky and free-to-air TV this week
A cult American drama is back after a long absence and Jamie Oliver has another new cooking show to share, writes Alex Behan.
It’s rare for a television drama to return after 10 years, but the highly acclaimed In Treatment (Monday, 8pm, SoHo) has done just that, with a new lead character. Gabriel Byrne is replaced by Uzo Abuda (Orange Is The New Black) as psychologist Dr Brooke Taylor, whose weekly sessions with patients frame each episode. This reboot takes place post-pandemic, with themes of isolation, identity and the dawn of the Zoom-therapy era.
The film that divided fans and almost broke the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Sunday, 9.25pm, TVNZ2) is either your favourite Star Wars movie, or you loathe it. Director Rian Johnson twisted expectations and opened up new possibilities (like you don’t have to be a royal Skywalker to be special) which some people just did not like.
My two cents? They should have let Johnson direct the third one and thrown
J J Abrams in the sea for the smoke monster to devour.
Is the media’s portrayal of ‘‘gang culture’’ damaging ethnic communities? That’s the question asked in the 2017 documentary Apex Gangs (Sunday, 7.30pm, Ma¯ ori TV), which looks at the stigma faced by African communities in Melbourne. With a perceived increase in crime from people with African appearance, there is a tendency to label and blame, but this investigation digs deeper to strip away preconceptions.
Best known as Gollum, King Kong and the incredible Caesar from the Planet of the Apes trilogy, Andy Serkis is also a fledgling director. His first film, the epic romance Breathe (Sunday, 8.40pm,
Ma¯ ori TV) is based on the true story of Robin and Diana Cavendish. Sporty and adventurous, Robin (Andrew Garfield) contracts polio on their honeymoon and becomes paralysed from the neck down, aged just 28. Thanks to the support of his wife (Claire Foy), he fights to improve polio treatment for all and advocate for disabled rights.
They became fast friends on the set of Outlander and their shared love of Scottish countryside and culture has sparked a very successful, lucrative travel show. Men In Kilts with Sam and Graham
(Wednesday, 7.30pm, Vibe) is wholesome, charming fun, full of food, drink and tourist traps, with two fellas laughing lots, flirting with locals and one-upping each other.
Jamie Oliver wants us to believe he’s a common bloke. Sure, he’s a millionaire restaurateur but, except for that, he is just like us. In response to global lockdowns, he’s created another television series, Jamie’s Easy Meals For Every Day (Saturday, 7pm, TVNZ1). It purports to ‘‘give a glimpse into the Oliver household’’ while we learn to make hearty, healthy meals
like cauliflower cheese pasta, sausage and mash pie, Korean roast chicken and even common-old fish and chips.
The Music Of Strangers (Monday, 8.30pm, Ma¯ ori TV) tells the story of cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the philosophies that led to the creation of his Silk Road Orchestra. Made up of musicians from all over the world, it exists to bridge borders, break barriers and use music to celebrate cultural differences and similarities. This documentary is an uplifting profile of Ma and a universal story about how music brings us together.