Sam Brooks 
Today, Disney launches a new part of its streaming service, Star. But what in the Mickey Mouse is it? Sam Brooks explains. So what is Star? Star is Disney’s “new entertainment brand” that launches today in multiple countries around the world, including New Zealand. In reality, it’s just another part of Disney+. The service will … Read more
Have you been duped by a Lifetime movie masquerading as a documentary? Sam Brooks is here to help you tell the difference between Britney Ever After and Framing Britney Spears. Last week, a colleague told me that she’d sat down the previous evening to watch buzzy documentary Framing Britney Spears, and was confused to see … Read more
The new Neon docuseries clears away the clutter from this messy saga and refocuses on the person it was always really about, writes Sam Brooks. The question of how to engage with art made by problematic people is one that’s never really been resolved. If you cancel the artist, do you cancel the art? How … Read more
Today, Disney launches a new part of its streaming service, Star. But what in the Mickey Mouse is it? Sam Brooks explains. So what is Star? Star is Disney’s “new entertainment brand” that launches today in multiple countries around the world, including New Zealand. In reality, it’s just another part of Disney+. The service will … Read more
Trial of the Outback: The Lindy Chamberlain Story is a potent reminder that fighting for the truth is worth it, writes Sam Brooks. “The dingo ate my baby!” If there’s one line synonymous with Lindy Chamberlain’s story, it’s that. There’s a cruel irony that it’s not even what she said after the tragic death of … Read more
With both the Rainbow Pride Parade and the Pride March imminent, Sam Brooks looks back on the schism that led to the end of the Auckland Pride Parade. What’s the difference between the Rainbow Pride Parade and the Pride March? Glance at photos from the two events side by side and you might think you’re … Read more
We Are Who We Are, the new limited series from Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino, treats this zoomer love story like it’s paradise, writes Sam Brooks. There’s a moment towards the start of the first episode of We Are Who We Are that left me genuinely breathless. The preceding hour of the … Read more
California, here we come! Definitive TV list maven Sam Brooks looks back at the wildest moments from the mid-aughts teen drama. If you are of a certain age, chances are you watched The OC. The show about the antics of rich teenage friends in southern California lasted only four seasons from 2003 to 2007, but … Read more
You’ve seen the ads, but you’re still unsure what on earth Holey Moley actually is. Here’s what you need o know about Three’s new ‘extreme mini golf’ reality show. So what’s the show? The elevator pitch is that it’s Wipeout meets mini golf. The longer pitch is that it’s much stranger than even that sounds. … Read more
Sam Brooks reviews Russell T Davies’ It’s a Sin, which tackles the Aids crisis in a powerful, intimate way. Early on in It’s a Sin, Russell T Davies’ new drama about the HIV/Aids crisis in 1980s London, the disease is still so new that Ritchie – the show’s protagonist – refuses to believe it even … Read more
Sam Brooks wasn’t allowed to watch kids TV as a kid. Now, as a 30 year old man, he watches it for the first time. My mother’s approach to parenting was unorthodox. I wrote weekly book reports on top of my actual homework, I did maths equations in Roman numerals and I briefly picked up … Read more
Zendaya has been around for a decade, but she’s gone from Disney prodigy to pop star to acclaimed actress. Here are the highlights of the 24-year-old’s already impressive career. Shaking it up: Zendaya on Disney The world’s first encounter with Zendaya was a little Disney show called Shake It Up, a series where two high … Read more
We’re only a few weeks into the year, and already there are two new seasons of Drag Race. Are we in danger of reaching peak Drag Race? In the first month of this year, there’s been more RuPaul’s Drag Race than ever. The 13th season of the flagship US version debuted on January 2nd, the … Read more
Can you figure out which of the above is the real Jacinda Ardern? Probably! But one day, that might not be true. There are many reasons to believe the internet shouldn’t exist. Social media empires exerting, intentionally or not, their control over sovereign governments. Baby Shark. Your aunt on Facebook. It pains me to give … Read more
A tribute to the sitcoms of old? In the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Yup. Sam Brooks reviews the audacious WandaVision. Nothing sends a chill up my spine like the phrase “Marvel Cinematic Universe”. Since launching in 2008 with Iron Man, the MCU has become a shambling behemoth, with over 23 films (not including a forthcoming 17) … Read more
Summer reissue: This is yet another tab clogging up your browser, and that’s fine, writes Sam Brooks. First published March 13, 2020. Welcome to this article! Chances are you didn’t read it immediately after it was published. It’s one of however many tabs filling up whatever browser you happen to be using on whatever device … Read more
Summer reissue: Has Michelle Boag finally gone too far? It won’t be the first time the question has been asked of New Zealand’s infamous right-wing PR consultant. First published on July 9, 2020 Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click here … Read more
Summer reissue: Less than half of New Zealand adults have a will. One hundred per cent of New Zealand adults die. Sam Brooks writes on why you need a will. First published February 29, 2020. Before you read any further, ask yourself this one question: If I dropped dead right now, reading this piece, would … Read more
Summer reissue: She’s an Oscar-winning actress, a widely hated celebrity and founder of one of the most successful wellness brands in the world. And all your jade egg jokes make no difference at all, writes Sam Brooks. First published January 24, 2020. A few weeks ago, the trailer for new Netflix show The GOOP Lab … Read more
Summer reissue: Twenty-two years ago, Lucy Lawless wasn’t just playing Xena, she was part of one of SNL’s greatest ever sketches. Sam Brooks pays tribute to Stevie Nicks Fajita Round-Up. First published on January 26, 2020. The year is 1998. Jenny Shipley is prime minister, we win zero medals at the Olympics, and an actress … Read more
Summer reissue: In the first episode of Melodownz’ new show, Kava Corner, John Campbell got a bit lit on kava, and it was utterly bloody delightful. First published August 18, 2020. Watching John Campbell do just about anything is guaranteed to make your day a bit better. His calm, empathetic style has been a balm … Read more
Summer reissue: It’s the third most streamed game in the world, but what the hell is it? Sam Brooks dives into the world and the many, many memes of Among Us. First published November 9, 2020. So what the hell is Among Us? The party game Mafia, but with aliens, basically. Among Us is a … Read more
Summer reissue: Definitive list maven Sam Brooks tackles 90s classic Sex and the City. It does not go well. First published May 21, 2020. Are you a Carrie? Or a Charlotte? Maybe a Miranda? Surely not Samantha? If you watched TV in the 90s, chances are you have a vague answer to this question. Before … Read more
Summer reissue: Sam Brooks, a lifelong Studio Ghibli fan, presents a guide to the Japanese studio’s animated films, including which ones to show your kids when. First published on April 5, 2020. Just heard ‘Let It Go’ for the billionth time? Sick of those class-traitor dogs that make up the cast of Paw Patrol? Look … Read more
The last big show of the year might just be its most satisfying. Sam Brooks reviews Bridgerton, the latest from Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. If you told me, 15 years ago, that newcomer Shonda Rhimes would be one of television’s biggest players, I wouldn’t believe you. But, after the juggernaut that was, and continues … Read more
Sam Brooks muses on being without family for the festive season, and creating new traditions from the ashes of the old. When you think of the word orphan, two images come to mind. One of them is an ash-faced boy who wants more gruel, and the other is of a redhead girl with implausibly clean … Read more
As part of the Spinoff Aotearoa Time Capsule of 2020 project, Sam Brooks fills up a USB with everything our descendants will need to understand the crapshoot that is life in 2020. Earlier this week, as I was in the midst of reviewing the biggest game of the year, Spinoff editor Toby Manhire assigned me … Read more
It was all set to be the biggest game of the year, but Cyberpunk 2077’s release has been overshadowed by technical hitches and multiple controversies. Sam Brooks reviews. Before you talk about actually playing Cyberpunk 2077, there are a myriad of other things you have to talk about first. More internet ink has been spilled … Read more
Another Ryan Murphy joint, another shitshow. Netflix’s The Prom, adapted from the Broadway musical of the same name, is the latest outrage from writer-director Ryan Murphy, and Sam Brooks has had enough. I’ll put this up front: I think Ryan Murphy is one of the worst things to happen to television in the past decade. … Read more