What to watch on Sky and free-to-air TV this week
Will Arnett is back to for another season of Lego building, Patrick Gower takes on another drug and the Gamestop scandal goes under the microscope. Alex Behan reports.
I assumed Lego Masters USA (Thursday, 7.30pm, Three) would star kids. Turns out its big kids (adults) competing in this show for all ages hosted by the biggest kid of them all, Lego Batman himself, Will Arnett. Teams of two are given challenges like building an earthquake-proof tower, a theme park, a fashion show, or a demolition derby in an elimination competition. With unlimited lego blocks presorted into colours and sizes this is every kid’s (big or small) fantasy.
Grace works at a birthing centre in a busy Sydney hospital, doing all the amazing things midwives do. The epitome of calm, competent and capable, her life becomes infinitely more complicated when the baby she gave up 17 years ago comes in to give birth to her own child. Supporting the daughter she’s never met and unexpectedly becoming a grandmother,
Amazing Grace (tonight, 8.30pm, TVNZ 2) is a heartwarming new drama about family, new life and the choices we make.
Marijuana might be a gateway drug after all, because after his informative series on weed, one Kiwi journalist is stepping up to Class A drugs.
Patrick Gower: On P (tonight, 8.30pm, Three) investigates the meth epidemic in New Zealand that’s ruining lives, families and teeth at an alarming rate. Talking to those on both sides of the law, examining how it’s imported, how it’s policed and the devastating effects on users and communities, this is essential viewing about a topic that desperately needs addressing.
He isn’t a nice person – and watching this story of his life won’t make you think otherwise – but documentary 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez (from Saturday, on TVNZ OnDemand) is an interesting look at how gang culture and a quest for fame almost killed rapper Tekashi69. At times feeling like a real-life gangster drama, it shows how easily fame can be achieved and is a cautionary tale for those who do. Hernandez forced his way to popularity, but got on the wrong side of dangerous people and his life became even more expendable when he became an informant to try to save his own neck.
If you can manage to restrict yourself to just one episode a night The Killing (from Sunday, TVNZ OnDemand) is nearly three weeks of Scandi-noir heaven waiting to heat up your winter evenings. The murder of a young woman draws the isolated detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) back into a job she was trying to leave. The show was so successful, they made an American version that won six Emmys and ran for three seasons, but this is the dark, original show that began it all.
Eight of Aotearoa’s top heavyweight kickboxers compete in an elimination event to decide who will be 2021’s King In The Ring (Saturday, 7.30pm, Duke).
Broadcast live from Auckland, fighters square off for a $10,000 prize, the coveted title and eternal glory. With names like ‘‘Hard Knox’’, ‘‘Maverick’’ and ‘‘Punisher’’, this is no Logan Paul/Floyd Mayweather fundraising event. This is the real deal. People are going to get hurt and there’s guaranteed to be a winner.
Initially it felt like the stock market was getting its comeuppance, like the many were reclaiming the power of the few. But soon it became clear the keyboard warriors were not going to win and people started losing money fast. Gamestop: The Wall Street Hijack (Friday, 9.30pm, Three) started when a savvy group of internet trolls decided to deliberately inflate the stock of a video game retailer. Their aim was to do to big time investment firms what they do to small players. It worked beyond their wildest dreams, but no-one foresaw the consequences. The simple idea got complicated, quickly. This documentary explains how it happened, with insights from ‘‘The Wolf of Wall Street’’ himself, Jordan Belfort.