Your guide to the week’s best on Sky and free-to-air TV
Escaping Utopia
(8.30pm, nightly from Sunday, March 24, TVNZ 1)
Gloriavale and the stories of people’s attempts to break free from what some believe is New Zealand’s most extreme religious cult are the subject of this threepart docu-series. Former and current members detail the Christian community’s inner workings, the unravelling of its leadership, the intricate planning that goes into escapes and the pursuit of justice by The Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust. “Gloriavale people have almost been dehumanised,” producer and co-director Natalie Malcon told TV Guide. “Well, this documentary is going to dismantle those misconceptions.”
Oppenheimer
(8.30pm, Sunday, March 24, Sky Movies Premiere)
Christopher Nolan’s biopic of J Robert Oppenheimer makes its broadcast debut. “If you're prepared to invest your attention and listen to what is being said, you might come out of Oppenheimer thinking you've seen, not just Nolan's best film, but one of the key films of the 21st century so far,” wrote Stuff To Watch’s Graeme Tuckett.
2024 World Wheelchair Rugby Paralympic Tournament: New Zealand v Netherlands
Wednesday, Sky Open) (3.30pm,
The Wheel Blacks will be joined by Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia,
Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland in chasing the last three spots for Paris. Upper Hutt’s NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport hosts the competition, which sees the teams divided into two pools of four, before cross-over semifinals and bronze medal match (1.30pm, Sunday) determine who heads to France. After the Dutch, the 2004 gold medallist Kiwis take on Brazil (12.30pm, Thursday) and the higher-ranked Canadians (3.30pm, Friday). Sky Sport has coverage of other matches over the fiveday event.
Sail GP
(3pm, Saturday and Sunday, March 23, Three)
Lyttelton Harbour again hosts the NZ leg of this global boating competition. Ahead of this weekend’s six scheduled fleet races and final, the ninth of 13 events, the Tom Slingsby-led Australian team are eight points ahead of Peter Burling’s Kiwi crew, with Denmark a further six points back.
The Crime of the Century
(8.30pm, Saturdays from March 23, SoHo)
Alex Gibney (Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker, Totally Under Control) directs this two-part 2021 look at “Big Pharma” and the political operatives and US government regulations that enable over-production, reckless distribution and abuse of synthetic opiates. With the help of behind-the-scenes investigations, leaked documents and whistleblowers, this aims to prove that drug companies are largely responsible for manufacturing the very health crisis they profit from. “The cinema is as exhilarating as the journalism is exhaustive,” wrote The Wall Street Journal’s John Anderson.
Leonard Bernstein – A Genius Divided
(8.30pm, Saturday, March 23, Sky Arts)
Those who watched Bradley Cooper’s Netflix biopic and found themselves wanting to learn more about the famous US composer and conductor, should check out this 2018 documentary. German director Thomas von Steinaecker, whose other subjects have included Richard Strauss and Werner Herzog, focuses on three Bernstein works in particular: Mass, the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and final opera A Quiet Place.
TheDuke
(8.30pm, Sunday, March 24, Whakaata Māori)
Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren play husband and wife in this inspired-byreal-life 2020 dramedy about British taxi driver Kempton Bunton, who stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London and sent ransom notes suggesting it would be returned safely only if the government agreed to drop the television licence fee for pensioners. It’s more than just feel-good froth – this is a comedic caper with heart.