Sam Brooks 
Last year, Oddly Even won TVNZ’s inaugural New Blood web series competition. This year and $100K later, the series launches. Sam Brooks talks to Oddly Even’s three lead actresses about the experience so far. Oddly Even is a cute web series. There’s an SPP-lite feel about the endeavour, with enough new-generation flavour to keep it from feeling … Read more
Amazingly, Dancing with the Stars NZ continues despite Naz’s untimely and controversial departure from the show. And as surely as the sun rises and sets, the power rankings come in. ELIMINATED: Zac Franich (and Kristie) – Paso Doble We bid adieu to the third Bachelor! The one thing I will give Zac Franich is that he seems … Read more
Sam Brooks explains his decision to cut all men out of his comedy festival diet. Yeah, that’s a clickbaity headline. The fact is, this year I saw a fraction of the comedy festival shows I usually see. Last year, when I was the comedy editor here at The Spinoff, I saw 42 and reviewed almost … Read more
Half sports tournament, half trade show, all technology, all vaguely foreign to him. This is gaming editor’s Sam Brooks’ diary of the Intel Extreme Masters tournament in Sydney. If you don’t need to be convinced that eSports are a thing, skip down to Day One. If you need to be convinced, read on. The Intel … Read more
As of today, there’s a bunch of new ways to Lightbox! Sam Brooks counts them all, including premium subscriptions, movies, downloads and a kids corner. So you’ve got Lightbox. It’s your favourite place to stream The Handmaid’s Tale, Suits, UnReal and a range of other great shows. It sponsors your favourite TV section on the internet. It’s … Read more
It’s week three but it feels like we’ve never had a world without Dancing with the Stars. We’re down one Real Housewife™ but there’s still eleven contestants left. We power-rank those who remain, and farewell one more star. ELIMINATED: Naz Khanjani (and Shay) – Cha cha Naz had something that nobody else in this competition had: a … Read more
Commute Week: Sam Brooks muses on the commutes of his life – what they meant to him at the time, and what they mean now. As a near lifelong Aucklander, I’m also a near lifelong participant of the Auckland commute – a commute which I will apparently spend 20 working days in each year. This is … Read more
Alice Snedden’s Bad News is a new TVNZ OnDemand show in which Alice Snedden investigates the issues she’s interested in – and makes it all about herself. Sam Brooks talks to her. Alice Snedden is a special comedian. I remember the first time I saw her perform, in the 2016 RAW Comedy Quest; she came onto … Read more
We’re two nights into the dance off, and now we’ve seen all the acts. So with a lot of trash talk, but absolutely no back-walking or mascots, we’re going to do a power ranking. Dance off. These are the power rankings for the first week of highly anticipated not-dropping-dancer-celebrity show, Dancing with the Stars NZ. In … Read more
They challenge you to a dance-off. No trash talk, no back walk. Dance off. These are the power rankings for the first episode of highly anticipated celebrity-moving show, Dancing with the Stars NZ. From its first moments, it was clear Dancing with the Stars NZ came here to play. They knew they had stars, they knew … Read more
Long-lost siblings? A high-stakes and seemingly pointless quest? A fake death? Sounds like a good time. Sam Brooks celebrates the forgotten Kiwi drama Seekers. Before Filthy Rich was even a glimmer in Gavin Strawhan’s eye, Seekers brought the unpredictable and improbable drama to New Zealand primetime television. Straight off the bat, Seekers is an extremely weird high-concept premise for … Read more
All seven seasons of Prime Suspect drop on Lightbox today, and Sam Brooks is here to tell you why its central character Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is one of television’s most significant characters – ever. Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison doesn’t show up until five minutes into the first episode of Prime Suspect, which came out way back … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today: what is this Fortnite: Battle Royale thing that your kids keep talking about? Gaming editor Sam Brooks has you covered. So what… is it? Fortnite: Battle Royale is a video game developed and released by Epic Games! Think Pong, … Read more
With all 12 Dancing with the Stars NZ contestants now announced, Sam Brooks already knows who is going to win based on their promo videos alone. These are his absolutely correct predictions. They’re all out now. I’ve watched them all at least 20 times each, especially the first one, and my hard drive is stuffed … Read more
Xbox have announced a re-release slate of old games, including one that is little spoken of now: the mythic Chinese fantasy Jade Empire. Sam Brooks writes about the game’s reception 13 years ago, and why it’s all but forgotten now. It’s 2005. BioWare are coming off Knights of the Old Republic, a Star Wars RPG that … Read more
Buck House was an edgy sitcom from the 70s that manages to still be edgy and different now, though not for the right reasons. Sam Brooks muses upon the distinct pleasures of Buck House. When I think of the 70s, I think of Yakety Sax, Mary Tyler Moore and a show where a guy had to pretend … Read more
The new show by Ryan Murphy, Feud: Bette and Joan, hits Lightbox next week. Sam Brooks runs down which great current-day actor is playing which star of Hollywood’s golden age, and where to check out their best work. For a self-identified actressexual like myself, Feud: Bette and Joan is a goldmine. The miniseries follows the making of … Read more
After seven seasons, the characters of Modern Family have gotten themselves into some wild, wacky and straight-up weird situations. Sam Brooks collects the best of them. Modern Family is one of the most successful sitcoms of the current generation of TV. It’s won boatloads of awards, always gets great ratings and has never had a drop … Read more
On her new album, Kylie Minogue goes acoustic and courts a sub-Sheeran faux-country sound. It does not go well. Sam Brooks reviews. Kylie Minogue is one of our most enduring and unique popstars. This is an objective fact. She’s been making pop music – honest-to-god mainstream pop music – since the 80s. She’s made one of … Read more
Despite five numbered entries over eleven years, Suikoden remains a much loved but little known RPG series. Sam Brooks writes about one of his favourite video game series ever, and what makes it so special. If there’s a niche that I occupy that very few other people do, it’s that I love video games based on 14th-16th … Read more
A spy thriller by the woman who wrote Fleabag starring the woman who made you cry as Cristina Yang. Why wouldn’t you want to watch that? Sam Brooks reviews. There’s a moment about ten minutes into Killing Eve where Eve (Sandra Oh) and her boss Bill (David Haig) are legitimately, honest-to-God hungover and slogging it through work anyway. It’s … Read more
With the latest entry in the Far Cry series, Ubisoft has shown they can master open world gameplay – but when are they going to master telling a story? Sam Brooks reviews. Far Cry 5 starts off engagingly enough. Taking a well-worn page out of the Elder Scrolls book, you’re placed in a highly controlled and cinematic scene and … Read more
A game where two dudes break out of prison isn’t groundbreaking, but A Way Out still tries to play with expectations. But is it successful? Sam Brooks reviews. About a third of the way into A Way Out’s five hours there’s a classic co-op game moment. You and your heroes have to navigate your way up two opposing … Read more
Wikipedia has it on its list of the worst sitcoms of all time. But how bad is it? Sam Brooks watched the first episode of Melody Rules to find out if the notorious Kiwi comedy has been unfairly maligned. The answer is yes, but also no. For those of you who are not in the know about … Read more
Last night, the Dancing with the Stars NZ Facebook page dropped the first bizarre, post-apocalyptic and surprisingly dance-free promo for the new season. Sam Brooks watched it very closely. 00:01 – White paper blows across a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Is it a metaphor for broadcast TV? The state of affairs when the first people you announce … Read more
Sam Brooks picks out what you should watch this long Easter weekend when you’re too full of chocolate and can reach no further than your trusty remote. Easter is upon us! The four day weekend, or the weekend when you inexplicably can’t buy alcohol on Friday or Sunday in this country, full of chocolate, full … Read more
In the space of 13 years, the Yakuza series has turned from a clone underdog into a cult classic, and the latest game is their most anticipated yet. Sam Brooks reviews Yakuza 6. It’s 2005. I’m wandering in the United Video in Papakura trying to find a game to rent out for the weekend – … Read more
The second half of season seven of Suits hits Lightbox tomorrow! But what would it look like… in New Zealand? Like real, flyover country New Zealand. Sam Brooks imagines this beautiful scenario. We all know Suits. It’s the show where lawyers outwit those around them, fall in love, fall in almost-love and wade in the murky waters between … Read more
Anika Moa’s new show Anika Moa: Unleashed launches today at midday on TVNZOnDemand with an interview with National deputy leader Paula Bennett. It’s a perfect showcase for two strong personalities, writes Sam Brooks. Anika Moa is one of the greatest interviewers in our country, and she does it in the skin of an internet troll. … Read more