Alex Casey wrestles with the anaconda that has been 2014’s stunt television disasters. // It’s been a hell of a year for television moments. Lest we forget, it was only early this year that Travolta said “Adele Dazeem” and sent me into a laugh coma that I am yet to rise from. Since then, we … Read more
Elle Hunt takes a walk through the top ten rubber-legged lipstick-smeared music moments to grace our TV screens this year. // Acknowledging that there are few things more boring or redundant than remarks about how fast this year has gone, how fast has this year gone?! To think that this time 12 months ago, we’d just … Read more
Throughout ‘Street Week’, our tribute to the wonder that is Shortland Street, we’ve been running ‘Real Talk’, a series of very strange interviews with Ferndalers Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones, conducted by David Farrier. All eight are now out, and the MSM has finally picked up on the biggest story since Dirty Politics, so we’ve compiled the lot into … Read more
In the wake of the 2014 Shortland St Season finale, beloved Youtube recapper James Mustapic presents the inaugural Shorty Street Scandal Awards. // Congratulations to all the deserving winners. If you haven’t already, use your time wisely and watch all of James’ Shorty Street Scandal videos on Youtube here right now. After his final recap on Sunday, Shorty … Read more
Alex Casey crunches the numbers and breaks down some serious, 100% accurate Shortland Street statistics. // Welcome, you lucky few who exist within the middle of the ‘Statistics fan’ and ‘Shortland Street fan’ venn diagram. I took a look through the Shortland Street census (doesn’t exist), pulled out my abacus (untrue) and scribbled lengthy algorithms on a blackboard … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted exclusively for The Spinoff’s ‘Street Week’ by David Farrier with Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. The eighth and final episode features outtakes from the interview – the best strong strange opinions that didn’t make the cut in other clips. Mitchell on Shortland Street: “It fulfils a lot of my … Read more
As Shorty launches its own fanfic site for summer, Joseph Moore writes a FanFiction imagining Chris Warner’s sad, inevitable death in a classic season finale about five or so years into the future. // The Death of Chris Warner “Prepare to die Warner!” the gang member who was kind of good at acting yelled, a … Read more
Much like Ponsonby Road on a sunny day, Shortland Street is heaving with celebrities. Alex Casey looks back at some of the more memorable cameos. // Guardian of Our Small Claims Galaxy Kevin Milne Talk about the merging of two iconic New Zealand television worlds! In 1996, Nick Harrison appeared on Fair Go with legendary host … Read more
The Christmas cliffhanger is Shortland Street’s most glorious moment, when the show’s silliness and ambition are deafeningly amplified. Ahead of tonight’s finale, Duncan Greive spoke with key storyliner Harry McNaughton about the cliffhanging process. // Gerald Tippett was one of my favourite characters during an extremely strong Shortland Street era. A fastidious receptionist and executive … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted exclusively for The Spinoff’s ‘Street Week’ by David Farrier with Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. The seventh episode has our guys weighing in on ‘Conspiracy Theories’. “There are some things that I wouldn’t call a conspiracy,” says Mitchell. “They’re factual. Supported by archaeological evidence.” “Such as?” asks … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted exclusively for The Spinoff’s ‘Street Week’ by David Farrier with Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. Episode six has Jones (an environmentalist) and Mitchell (a Holden-lovin’ petrolhead) squaring off over ‘Cyclists’. Jones and Mitchell are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. Mitchell plays TK Samuels, the sculpted head of … Read more
Two key Spinoff writers Alex Casey and Joseph Moore share a dirty little secret: they’ve never seen any of the defining ‘important’ TV shows of our time, and are trying desperately to catch up. During this week of Ferndale appreciation, there is no more ‘important’ viewing than the first ever episode of Shortland Street. // Alex: Kia ora, … Read more
With Street Week in full swing and Christmas right around the corner, Alex Casey dredges up the very best in Shortland Street merch from the far reaches of Trademe. // Lionel’s Muffin Cook Book Lionel Skeggins was one of Shortland Street’s all-time greats. The cheery café manager played by John Leigh first appeared in a … Read more
Eli Mathewson provides in-depth analysis of Shortland Street‘s Extract 7 storyline, discovering undeniable parallels with other great cultural works of our time. // Sarah Potts died this year, and if I were Amanda Billing, I’d feel pretty bloody peeved about it. Simon Bennett, a Shortland Street producer, told stuff that the reason they had to kill her … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted exclusively for The Spinoff’s ‘Street Week’ by David Farrier with Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. This fifth instalment features the dashing lads of the ED weighing in on what they look for in a woman. Jones and Mitchell are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. … Read more
Alex Casey took a surreal trip out to the Shortland Street set, and found scoops around every corner.// When I arrived at South Pacific Pictures, I was greeted in the carpark by a giant tripod with a long brown wig balanced on the top – a sort of terrifying tribal challenge to all layman who … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted by David Farrier featuring Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. They’ll give a hot take on a series of important contemporary issues. This afternoon’s lesson is on ‘The Internet’. Jones and Mitchell are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. Mitchell plays TK Samuels, the sculpted head of the Emergency Department, … Read more
Richard Cowley had just started med school when TK Samuels arrived in Ferndale. Their uncanny resemblance has haunted him ever since. Simon Day sat down with him for a chat about his time as the real life TK. // The theatre of Ferndale has been known to imitate life. But for a young orthopaedic registrar … Read more
‘Real Talk’ is a series of interviews conducted by David Farrier featuring Shortland Street‘s Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. They’ll give the babe actor demographic’s hot take on a series of important contemporary issues. This morning: ‘the objectification of men’. Jones and Mitchell are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. Mitchell plays TK Samuels, the sculpted head … Read more
Joseph Harper recaps the KFC Fight For Life, including the powerful defeat of Ula from Shortland Street by Millie Elder Holmes. // I watched the KFC Fight for Life in the comfortable confines of Ponsonby’s ritziest sports bar, The Cavalier on College Hill. The crowd was mostly well-heeled locals in open collars and bedazzled wedges … Read more
Aaron Hawkins remembers when acid house came to Ferndale via the Shortland Street Theme Club Mix. // “This is rock’n’roll Nurse Burton. Not that hippy dippy folk stuff or whatever it is you’re into.” At the tender age of nine, I had no idea what ‘acid’ was, let alone ‘psychedelia’ or ‘club mixes’. It seems likely … Read more
In part two (here is part one) of David Farrier’s ‘Real Talk’ interview series with Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell, Shortland Street‘s bench-pressing health warriors weigh in on the internet’s ‘culture of outrage’. Jones and Mitchell are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. Mitchell plays TK Samuels, the sculpted head of the Emergency Department, while Jones is ripped ambo … Read more
Welcome to the centrepiece of Street Week: ‘Real Talk’, an eight part interview by David Farrier featuring Cam Jones and Ben Mitchell. The pair are Shortland Street’s biggest stars and hunkiest hunks. Mitchell plays TK Samuels, the sculpted head of the Emergency Department, while Jones is ripped ambo Dallas Adams. The Herald has published two dynamite interviews with Mitchell, while Jones has … Read more
Want to know why we’re dedicating a week to a mostly-maligned soap? Duncan Greive makes the case for Shortland Street as New Zealand’s most underrated piece of pop culture. // A few years ago, while working on a story for Metro magazine*, I had lunch with Shortland Street’s publicists in Ponsonby on a sunny day in autumn. They were great … Read more
Yesterday morning TV3 called for public tip-offs as to who should be New Zealand’s first ever right honourable Bachelor. They are encouraging the public to nominate “a friend, brother, cousin, colleague or son” that is looking for love. If you have anyone in mind, send their names into tipoff@thebachelor.co.nz. But also maybe check with your son first. I sat … Read more
This coming Monday The Spinoff launches ‘Street Week’, dedicated to honouring New Zealand’s greatest ever TV show, Shortland Street. We’ve been scheming on this for a couple of months, and pulled together the most ambitious set of heroic nonsense in the site’s short life. The motivation was a sense that many New Zealanders, particularly those who generally consider … Read more
Joe Nunweek moved to Australia recently, and found their reality television focused on national self-improvement. This is as insane as it sounds – but it’s working./ For better or worse, New Zealand’s reality TV outings have stopped short of addressing “the big questions”. Our flagship takes on the overseas formats (Idol, NZNTM, MKR) are typically blinders. … Read more
Survivor San Juan Del Sur: Blood vs Water 2 Power Rankings Episode 10 11) A Five Star Challenge The immunity challenge in this week’s episode was amazing. I feel like it’s a good watch – even if you haven’t seen any Survivor in your whole damn life. Almost all of the great moments from this episode … Read more
Lightbox is already over-stuffed with great shows, but they’re adding more every month. So from now on each month we’ll bring you an annotated guide to the latest arrivals to Lightbox. First up – a combo of the best new shows from November and those arriving this December.// NOVEMBER’S NEW ARRIVALS Jaquie Brown Diaries (Both … Read more