Summer reissue: Last December, Side Eye cartoonist Toby Morris joined The Beths in the studio while they recorded ‘Just Shy of Sure’ off their 2020 album Jump Rope Gazers. First published July 10, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click … Read more
Summer reissue: In the last year, Benee has taken the world – or at least TikTok – by storm with her viral hit singles ‘Glitter’ and ‘Supalonely’. Ahead of her debut album release, the young star spoke to Elle Hunt about going international from her Auckland home. First published November 13, 2020. This time last … Read more
Summer reissue: If you’ve listened to New Zealand music from the last decade-and-a-half, chances are you’ve heard the influences of Josh Fountain. He has collaborated with Benee on a string of hits. He’s just collected the Aotearoa Music Award for producer of the year for the second year running. And he’s achieved it all with … Read more
Summer reissue: Claire from McLeod’s Daughters died in 2003 and Tara Ward is still not over it. First published July 20, 2020. The unexpected death of Claire McLeod is the most tragic event you’ll see on television. It was a miserable day when that white Brumby bolted across the road and made Claire drive off … Read more
What are you going to be watching in January? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand. The biggies Good Lord Bird (on Neon from January 20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Tm63y-S4s “Anti-slavery campaigner” doesn’t even begin to capture the extreme reality of John … 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: In the latest episode of Final Mix, Yadana Saw and The Phoenix Foundation’s Samuel Flynn Scott road test new songs from the band’s forthcoming album Friend Ship. First published August 31, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism is funded by its members – click … Read more
Summer reissue: In Final Mix, music journalist Yadana Saw chats with local musicians and listens to their latest tracks in the ultimate testing ground: the car. This episode is with young-gun hip-hop duo Church & AP. First published April 14, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism … 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: In Final Mix, music journalist Yadana Saw chats with local musicians and listens to their latest tracks in the ultimate testing ground: the car. The first episode is with cross-Atlantic country maven Tami Neilson. First published April 1, 2020. Independent journalism depends on you. Help us stay curious in 2021. The Spinoff’s journalism … Read more
Sam Hammington was discovered after raising his hand on a whim to be an audience participant at a comedy show. Now he’s one of the biggest names in Korean television. In 2013, a fan approached Sam Hammington for a selfie on a crowded street in Itaewon, a cosmopolitan neighbourhood near the centre of Seoul. It … 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
Looking for something great to watch on broadcast television this Christmas? Good luck. It’s been a grim year, and if you’re facing Christmas without streaming options like Netflix or Neon, then you should prepare for the worst. There’s nowhere grimmer than free-to-air TV this festive season, unless you like repeats of Tipping Point: Lucky Stars, … Read more
From the comforting to the confronting, the uplifting to the bizarre, telly kept us sane in this godawful year. Of all the heroes we looked to this year, there’s one that doesn’t get the respect it deserves: the humble television screen. This year when we retreated to our homes to stay safe, old mate telly … Read more
After a quarter of a century of loyal fandom, Jane Yee took a three-year hiatus from Shortland Street. Tonight she revisited Ferndale for the dramatic annual Christmas cliffhanger. Full disclosure, I’ve been off the Shorty wagon for about three years, save a couple of months during the first lockdown in which I brought myself up … Read more
Sesame Street returns to New Zealand screens this week, and nobody is more excited than Grover, the show’s friendly blue monster. If there was ever a year when we needed a furry blue superhero to rescue us, it’s this one, and Sesame Street has no time left to waste. The 48th season of the beloved … Read more
All this week we’re looking back at some of the best videos published on The Spinoff in 2020. Today, Alice Snedden’s Bad News looks at how well we’re honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi. As Taika Waititi once said, New Zealand is racist as fuck. To find out what he meant, Alice and Kura (Ngāti Porou) … Read more
Despite frustrating dialogue and outlandish drama, Amazon Prime Video’s The Wilds makes for a compulsive, emotional binge watch. I’m sure I’m not alone in that I often imagine what I’d do if I was stranded on a deserted island. The practical and philosophical dilemmas presented by such a scenario are endlessly fascinating, as evidenced by … 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
It’s the soap opera we all know and love, and it turns 60 years old this week. Coronation Street’s cast share why they think the show has endured for so long. It would take over 175 days to binge watch the 10,101 episodes of Coronation Street made since 1960. We can all agree that’s half … Read more
After a three-year wait, Imugi 이무기 have just released their sophomore EP, Dragonfruit. Matt McAuley caught up with the Auckland band to learn what they’ve been up to since their 2017 debut. Attending Rangitoto College on Auckland’s North Shore in the mid-2010s, Yery Cho and Carl Ruwhiu first entered each other’s orbits mostly because they’d … Read more
On the back of the arrival of his debut album late last month, we caught up with the fast-rising young New Zealand artist to learn how it came together and what’s led him to this point. Niko Walters grew up immersed in music, but it wasn’t until he left the country that he found himself … Read more
There’s a new Chaser in town, and it’s finally time to meet them. At the start of every episode of The Chase, amiable host Bradley Walsh introduces the Chasers. Only one of these five quiz brain boxes can stroll through the giant C, ready to smash hopes and dreams with their infinite powers of wisdom … Read more
Let’s travel back in time to 1999, when Location Location Location was a Mike Hosking-fronted documentary about Auckland property – and a three-bedroom house there cost $159,000. Great news New Zealand – the best time to buy a house was 20 years ago. A recent report found that if you bought property in 2000, you’ll … Read more
David Fincher marks his feature film Netflix debut with Mank, a biopic about the man who co-wrote Citizen Kane. It’s more interesting than it sounds, and his loosest effort yet, writes Christopher Smol. Can one word explain a whole life? Citizen Kane is structured around that question, and the answer is “not really”. Lives are … Read more
Beams is Anna Coddington’s fourth solo outing, and her first since the acclaimed Luck/Time dropped in 2016. We asked her to explain what’s changed since then, and what inspired this new batch of songs. 1. Motherhood (Part 1: Sleep Deprivation) Before I became a parent, I thought I’d be okay with being tired. I’m a … Read more