From 7pm Saturday, the election results will ooze from the pores of democracy. Toast the franchise with our exclusive election night drinking game. It works with Raro, kombucha or something stronger. Repurpose as bingo if that’s what you’re into. Illustrations by Toby Morris. Take a sip when you hear/see “Neck and neck” “Knife edge” “Volatile” … Read more
Is there still a place for a show that portrays property managers as housing market heroes? TVNZ’s Renters thinks so, Sam Brooks thinks not. Ten minutes into the first episode of season eight of Renters – that’s two more seasons than Outrageous Fortune got, folks – comes one of the most depressing things I’ve ever … Read more
The nineties gameshow Sale of the Century may be all but forgotten, but host Steve Parr’s trademark stage-left entrance will live on forever. Sale of the Century was the most glamorous game show ever made in New Zealand. It burst onto our screens back in 1989, when broadcaster and former What Now presenter Steve “Star … Read more
Disclosure are an act whose huge success comes from their sheer unpredictability. Andrew Drever talks to half of the duo to get the story behind their new album. In the long lead-up to Disclosure’s latest album, Energy, the UK dance music duo have been releasing standalone singles and EPs that are experimental, sample-heavy and strongly … Read more
The second season of TVNZ on Demand satire Educators continues to skewer New Zealand’s school system, brilliantly and brutally. Is there anything bleaker than a New Zealand high school? As local comedy Educators tells it, probably not. The show, created by Jesse Griffin, Jackie van Beek and Johnny Brugh, has returned for its second season … Read more
Pop star Benee has launched her own record label, Olive and her first signed artist is a young Raglan lad called Muroki. The Spinoff spoke to them both about their next moves. Young Benee’s having a big week. Her latest music video, for the wavy post-lockdown song ‘Snail’, was released this morning. She’s just been … Read more
Get in touch with your emotional side by reliving some of our most heartwarming commercials on TV. It’s been an emotional year, and it’s about time we had a good cry over it. Not a quiet whimper or a sneaky sob, but the kind of cathartic purging that only comes from watching a television ad … Read more
Simon Grigg writes on the phenomenon of the New Zealand records which now fetch thousands online – and details a few of the more interesting examples. Long before New Zealand had record fairs and online auction houses, we had hundreds of cluttered, dark and dusty opportunity shops, affectionately known by all as “opshops”. There’s even … Read more
Emily in Paris wants to be a homemade pain au chocolat but can barely reach the level of a store-bought croissant. For over two decades, Darren Star has had his very specific genre locked down: he makes shows about professional women trying to have it all, where all the stakes are emotional and all the … Read more
What are you going to be watching in October? 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 The Mandalorian (season two weekly on Disney+ from October 30) The Mandalorian was the surprise hit of 2019 for reasons nobody … Read more
They’ve been on the album charts for two years, they’ve had a number one single, and now they’re one of our biggest live draws too. So what comes next for L.A.B? Even in a year marked by disruption, L.A.B’s 2020 has been more eventful than most. Forced to postpone local shows and an Australian tour … Read more
While Westside has been on the air for just five years, it’s covered nearly two decades of New Zealand history. But how old are these Westies meant to be? When Outrageous Fortune began way back in 2005, nobody could have anticipated that it would develop into what is now essentially a franchise, complete with a … Read more
After more than a year of social distancing, Alex, Jane and Duncan are back in the same room for an emotional reunion and to talk about a cinematic masterpiece. Approximately a thousand years ago, the idea of The Real Pod maybe, possibly, perhaps one day recapping the Twilight movie was floated. The people heard the … Read more
Three shows in one month? Sounds ridiculous, but that’s actress Morgana O’Reilly for you. If you haven’t seen Morgana O’Reilly on your screens, chances are you’re just not paying attention. The actor has been ubiquitous for over a decade now – you may know her from indie horror Housebound or, more likely, from her 18 … Read more
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision, New Zealand’s audiovisual archive, has uncovered some clues, but needs your help in solving a 90-year-old mystery. “A Mild Case of Murder”, one title shouts. “The Wife Who Knew”, insinuates another. “Happy Honeymoon – A Near Tragedy”, warns a third. Film-making is serious business and involves many people – can … Read more
The 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards are today – screening live from midday on Vibe and SkyGo – but who are you putting your bets on? We took a look at the Neon and Sky catalogues to gain a little insight on how a show can maximise its chances. If you’re an entertainment awards fanatic, the Emmys … Read more
This week sees the first televised leaders debate between Jacinda Ardern and Judith Collins. What are the techniques and tricks Jacinda and Judith will need to win the nation’s love? José Barbosa has watched a podium-load of old debates and thinks he has the answers. By golly gum I love TV election debates. There’s a … Read more
For her Loading Docs short Going Home, film-maker Ashley Williams paid tribute to her late uncle Clive by learning to fly. Some people say I was brave to fly. I tell them my Uncle Clive was the one who had courage. He was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer at the age of 50. He had … Read more
Netflix drama Ratched aims to rehabilitate the villain from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but would do better in the electric chair. Nurse Ratched is, quite rightly, one of the most famous movie villains of all time. The source of all of McMurphy’s despair and angst in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, written … Read more
Tara Ward chats to Farmer Harry, one of the Australian bachelors looking for love on reality series The Farmer Wants a Wife. All Farmer Harry wants is a woman as reliable as his John Deere tractor, and Farmer Wants a Wife might be the answer to his farmy prayers. A chaotic mix of The Bachelor … Read more
Rose Matafeo calls Horndog a ‘silly show about love’, but what follows is a persuasive case for loving with obsessive devotion. Rose Matafeo assures us in the first few minutes of Horndog (now streaming on Neon) that it’s not a TED talk, that it won’t be one of those shows where there’s a “lesson to … Read more
Grand Designs NZ is back with a new season that promises more incredible homes, optimistic owners, and the easy charm of presenter Chris Moller. Grand Designs NZ kicked off its sixth season with a reminder that most of us will never have six million dollars to transform a heritage building into our house of dreams, … Read more
Join Michèle A’Court, Alex Casey and Leonie Hayden as they go on an odyssey of women’s rage, and find out how we can channel our anger into good. Have you ever been called a bitch? Hysterical? Stroppy? Do you find yourself suppressing warranted anger to appear more likeable? Mad as hell and don’t want to … Read more
Shrill, now streaming on Neon, is more than just a comedy – it’s a landmark in millennial feminist storytelling. Shrill is a sitcom with social grit and feminist nuance that goes where other fat-focused shows have failed to go before – straight into your heart. High on laughs and equally high on feels, the shows … Read more
With the first of the Hui Pōti 2020 debates on tonight, Mihingarangi Forbes – who’ll be keeping those vying for votes in the seven Māori electorates in line – shares some words of wisdom. As one of my impertinent children pointed out this week, I have been a journalist since “LAST CENTURY” (they’re now grounded), … Read more
‘Mapping Auckland’s Venues’ is a series by music writer and historian Gareth Shute that looks at the growth, contraction and general change in the city’s live music scene over the years. In this instalment, first published by Audioculture, Shute takes a look back at the decade where ‘Think Big’ applied just as much to shoulder pads … Read more
Snowpiercer imagines a world where the class system follows us to the grave, but in doing so, does it fail at its own goals? It was Snowpiercer, not Parasite, that was meant to be Bong Joon-ho’s big western debut, but the film had the misfortune to be picked up by the Weinstein Company. Harvey Weinstein … Read more
Grab your Factor 50 and put all your eggs into someone else’s basket, because a new season of Love Island USA just landed on Neon. Love Island is the ultimate reality show about strangers finding love on the telly, and this season comes with a shocking twist: they’re not on an island. It’s news more … Read more
It might be the most bonkers reality show of all, but The Farmer Wants a Wife is back for 2020. Tara Ward recaps the first episode. “It all begins with hope,” host Natalie Gruzlewski tells us in the opening moments of The Farmer Wants a Wife, and friends, I did not expect this show to … Read more