A seven year old reviews Netflix game show The Floor is Lava

The Floor is Lava is a new Netflix series based on, you guessed it, the children’s game known as The Floor is Lava. Who better to review it than a seven-year-old home champion? The Floor is Lava is cool. But at first you don’t think it’s cool because they actually die in the real lava. … Read more

Emily Writes: RIP Fanimals, New Zealand’s best kids TV show in years

A few days ago, Fanimals announced it would not be returning for another season. Emily Writes, and her kids, are heartbroken. On my list of things I might write about one day it simply said ‘Fanimals’ sandwiched between ‘How old is BeckBroJack?’ and ‘Is Peter Krause the most dad-like dad on television?’ I wanted to write … Read more

Bert and Ernie are gay and I will fight you if you say otherwise

Recently, the creator of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street came out and said what we already all knew: Bert and Ernie are a lovable gay couple. But still some people deny it. Emily Writes – who watches a lot of Sesame Street – says those people are making her lose her mind.   For reasons that will … Read more

Who the fluff is Blippi??

Chances are, if you have kids of a certain age, they know Blippi – and they love him. Angela Cuming, one of Blippi’s adult fans, went on a hunt to discover what makes the ice cream loving, stupid hat wearing, US Air Force veteran tick. It’s 3am on the children’s ward at Waikato Hospital and … Read more

The Animals of Farthing Wood was the most brutal children’s TV show ever

Nearly 30 years ago The Animals of Farthing Wood debuted – and promptly traumatised a generation of children with its cavalcade of animal slaughter. Picture it: an idyllic wood, teeming with all sorts of delightful creatures big and small, feathered and furred. Thick with green leaf and underbrush. Perhaps there’s the sound of a gentle … Read more

Throwback Thursday: Did Dave Dobbyn write the greatest New Zealand TV theme song?

What is the greatest New Zealand TV theme song ever written? Our search continues with a long forgotten Dave Dobbyn masterpiece from 1989. Previously in our search for New Zealand’s greatest TV theme song: Country Calendar Any major boomer will tell you: 1980s New Zealand was a different world. A world where you could smoke … Read more

The ‘Māori’ episode of Justin Time is really, really messed up

If you’ve seen the ‘Māori’ episode of kids show Justin Time Go, you’ll know how batshit it is. Steph Matuku breaks down the mess that is ‘Let’s Haka Dance!’ I don’t care what the experts say, telly is a great babysitter. That’s especially true in the hell zone from 5pm when my kids are tired … Read more

RANKED: Gold Coast Family Theme Park Shows

Chris Ingam took his kids to the Gold Coast and reviewed and ranked every single theme park show so you don’t have to. New Zealand loves the Gold Coast! So much so that Mediaworks spent loads of money making a reality show about it! And what New Zealand loves more than anything else about the … Read more

Is Cars 3 the most feminist movie of the year?

Is Cars 3 a stealth feminist smash hit? Mum of three Angela Cuming gives her verdict on a franchise that has never been very good in the past. I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with Pixar films. As in I’ve hated how much people have loved them because to me they’ve always been a testimony … Read more

No stars out of none: A four-year-old reviews the Peppa Pig Live show

Meet our new entertainment reviewer for The Spinoff Parents: Palmerston North-based Luke, who loves live theatre and Paw Patrol. Here’s his review of Peppa Pig Live in Palmerston North. Luke’s dad Chris writes: Without a doubt, John Cleese has been one of the worst things to happen to the fair city of Palmerston North. Prior … Read more

Watch: Repressed Memories #2 – Were the mid 2000s the golden age of Sticky TV?

Please enjoy the second episode of our new online series Repressed Memories, wherein James Mustapic revisits weird local shows from his childhood (click here to watch episode one on Sensing Murder).  As far as I was concerned, Sticky TV was the best show on TV when I was a kid. Drew Neemia, Erin Simpson, and … Read more

Throwback Thursday: The maker of Terry Teo (2016) on Terry Teo (1985)

With the Terry Teo reboot arriving on television screens this Sunday, co-creator Gerard Johnstone looks back at the original series that started it all.  When my producer Luke Sharpe and I stumbled onto the idea of rebooting Terry Teo for a modern audience, it felt like a no-brainer. Even the mere mention of his name made … Read more

5 simple steps to make Pontypandy safe again

With its delinquent children, incompetent adults and profusion of flammable materials, Fireman Sam’s hometown of Pontypandy is a true health and safety nightmare. A concerned Chris Ingham has some suggestions. Wales, my ancestral homeland, has made several valuable contributions to mankind, without which modern history would be unrecognisable: daffodils, male voice choirs, Tom Jones, heroic … Read more

Throwback Thursday: Bob the Builder got hot and the world is freaking out

This Throwback Thursday, Alex Casey recalls a television scandal combining both home renovation and face-lifts that made the internet explode.  Recently, swept up by the same nauseating force of nostalgia that once saw me fork out $30 for a rusty Chupa Chups Spice Girls tin, I Googled ‘Bob the Builder’ just to see what me friendly … Read more