Shows to hunker down with
Shondaland’s favourite period drama is back, starstudded business rises and falls are de rigueur and a 20-year wait for gaming fans is finally over, writes
With summer now officially over and Omicron seemingly ramping up across the nation, it’s a good thing there are plenty of reasons to make yourself comfy on the couch over the next few weeks.
Fans of free-to-air television can look forward to the return of Kiwi kids quiz show
(weekdays on TVNZ 2 from tomorrow), new episodes of
(tomorrow, TVNZ 2) and the arrival of MMA-focused reality show (today, Mā ori Television) and local supernatural anthology series
(Monday,
TVNZ 2).
Meanwhile, Sky TV’s lineup includes a new reality competition in the form of
(March 11, Sky Arts), Professor Brian Cox’s latest show March 13, BBC Earth) and an adaptation of the 2011 Robert Harris novel
(March 15,
SoHo).
Among Netflix’s plethora of new programming is a further instalment of
(March 11), animated comedy
(March 18), documentary series
(March 9) and (March 16) and baking contest
(March 18).
Elsewhere, Amazon Prime Video has the second season of
(Friday), Neon boasts more
(from Monday), TVNZ OnDemand puts a different spin on the phenomenon in (Friday) and looks back at near-forgotten pop-culture moments from our past in
(March 25), Samuel L Jackson takes centrestage in Apple TV+’s
(March 11) and Maxine Peake stars in Acorn’s Hillsborough Disaster drama (Monday).
However, after looking through the schedules,
has come up with this list of the dozen shows we’re most looking forward to debuting over the next few weeks.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical (Friday, Amazon Prime Video)
Awkwafina, Don Cheadle, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Christian Slater, Simon Pegg and New Zealand’s own Antony Starr are among the vocal talent assembled for this eight-part animated anthology spinoff of the popular R-rated anti-hero series.
Each of the around 12-minute episodes will feature a unique animation style and promise to reveal unseen stories from within universe.
Bridgerton (March 25, Netflix)
Based on the book series by Julia Quinn, Shonda Rhimes’ much loved Regency era period drama is back for a second season, but without the Duke of Hastings (aka RegeJean Page). The focus this time is on Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey). Duty, desire and scandal collide when he meets his match in his intended bride’s headstrong big sister.
The Dropout (Thursday, Disney+)
Amanda Seyfried plays Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in this eight-part dramatisation, based on a popular podcast, which looks at how the world’s youngest self-made billionaire lost it all in the blink of an eye.
The impressive supporting cast includes Naveen Andrews, Stephen Fry, William H Macy, Laurie Metcalf and Sam Waterston.
Halo (March 24, TVNZ OnDemand)
After two decades of failed attempts (including a Sir Peter Jackson-produced movie) to adapt the beloved video game franchise, finally we have a nine-episode, 26th century-set series, in which Master Chief and his colleagues try to thwart an alien threat to human existence. Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone and Bokeem Woodbine are among those getting in on the action.
Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls (March 25, Amazon Prime Video)
The global superstar and, arguably, the world’s most famous flute player is on the hunt for ‘‘confident, bad-ass women’’ to join her as dancers in this reality series. The 10 hopefuls will be put through their paces during the eightpart series.
Our Flag Means Death (Friday, Neon)
New Zealand’s own Rhys Darby headlines this 10-part, 18th-century comedy from David Jenkins, the creator of
He plays wealthy landowner Stede Bonnet, who decides to blow up his cushy existence and become a pirate. It does not go well. Taika Waititi directed two episodes and plays Blackbeard. A free-to-air debut is planned for Prime later in the month.
Marvel’s Moon Knight (March 30, Disney+)
Oscar Isaac is the latest
Hollywood star to join the ranks of Marvel. He plays Stephen Grant, a mildmannered gift shop employee who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. If discovering that he shares a body with mercenary Marc Spector isn’t enough, he is then ‘‘gifted’’ the powers of an Egyptian moon god that appear to be both a blessing and a curse. The six-part series is also set to feature Ethan Hawke, F Murray Abraham and Gasper Ulliel.
Pieces of Her (Friday, Netflix)
When a trip to the mall with her mother explodes into violence, an adrift young woman’s perception of the woman who gave birth to her is forever changed in this eight-episode crime drama. Shot in Australia, the cast of this adaptation of Karin Slaughter’s novel of the same name includes Toni Collette, David Wenham, Jessica Barden and Bella Heathcote.
Shining Vale (March 15, Neon)
and star Courteney Cox returns to TV with this eight-part horror comedy about a family who move to a small town and a house in which terrible atrocities have previously taken place. Once the author of a hit ‘‘female empowerment’’ novel, Cox’s Pat Phelps quickly becomes convinced she is either depressed or possessed by her new surroundings. Greg Kinnear and Rob Morrow also appear.
Somebody Somewhere (March 20, Neon)
Eight-episode dramedy about a woman
Bridget Everett), grappling with loss and acceptance, who discovers herself and a community of outsiders who don’t fit in, but also don’t give up. ‘‘A disarmingly earnest portrait of loss, loneliness, and disappointment that nonetheless manages to be, above all, a tale of belonging and quiet hope,’’ wrote
Ciara
Wardlow.
WeCrashed
(March 18, Apple TV+)
Based on the hit podcast
this eight-part drama looks at the love story at the centre of the business that grew from a single coworking space into a global brand worth US$47 billion in under a decade. Then, in less than a year, its value plummeted. Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto star.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (March 8, Neon)
This 10-part tale dramatises how the Los Angeles Lakers became the most successful professional basketball team in the 1980s. Jonah Hill and Adam McKay are among the series’ directors, and the impressive ensemble includes Adrien Brody, Jason Segel, John C Reilly, Sally Field, Mike Epps and Quincy Isaiah. Episodes will also air weekly on SoHo from March 15.