The Box Set
QI, 9.45pm, Tuesday, Prime
Finally, only three years after it aired in the UK, we come to series L of this popular UK panel show. This week, Stephen Fry takes a look at the animal kingdom, from lonely whales to larval locomotives, with Sarah Millican, Ross Noble, Colin Lane and Alan Davies.
Chronesthesia, 8.30pm, Wednesday, Rialto
Wellington-based writer/director and star Hayden J. Weal’s debut 2016 feature is, as Stuff‘s own Graeme Tuckett put it, ‘‘a very assured and impressive calling card’’. ‘‘Weal the writer has put together a romantic comedy that flirts with the conventions of a horror movie and a drama of dislocation and amnesia.’’
The Peanuts Movie, 7pm, Saturday, Three
While the prospect of a computer-generated animated movie based on Charles M Schulz’s much-loved comic strip elicited many a cry of ‘‘good grief’’, thankfully the 2015 result was no Marmaduke or Garfield. Instead, director Steve Martino and company came up with a delightful homage to
Peanuts that captures its spirit and tone. Despite going a little heavy on the ‘‘flying a kite’’ metaphor and following a fairly traditional rom-com path, it is filled with wit, invention and the warm humour that made the comic-strip so beloved by readers of all ages.
The Big Blue, 8.35pm, Saturday, Ma¯ ori TV
Jean Reno and Roseanna Arquette star in Luc Besson’s 1988 French drama about the rivalry between two childhood friends turned world-renowned free divers. ‘‘Mystical and intriguing,’’ wrote Los Angeles Times’ Kevin Thomas.
The Crystal Maze, 7.30pm, Sunday, TVNZ2
Reinvention of the 1990s British game show (originally hosted by our own Richard O’Brien) which sees a team of five courageous contestants journey through four fantastical zones to tackle a variety of epic games and win time in the iconic Crystal Dome. Richard Ayoade is the new host. ‘‘A revamp that fuses DIY adventure with deadpan charm,’’ wrote The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan.
Boyhood, 8.30pm, Sunday, Ma¯ ori TV
The magnum opus of one of the most creative directors of the past two decades is also perhaps the ultimate comingof-age story. This 2014 tale is the culmination of 12 years of filming, bringing together ideas from Richard Linklater’s back catalogue, resulting in a clever and compelling watch from start to finish. Almost Dickensian in style and scope, it is the story of the education of Mason Evans Jr, (Ellar Coltrane, who eventually comes to resemble Peter Dinklage’s giant brother) from the age of 6 to 18.
The seven-day television listings are as accurate as possible at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date programme details, please see the newspaper’s daily listings.