United Kingdom: home of the greatest shitty dating shows

As shows like The Bachelor and First Dates finally make their way to New Zealand screens, Zoe Scheltema presents the wonderfully bad dating shows of the United Kingdom. When you mention the UK these days, people are most likely screaming about Brexit and immigration and Kiwis being banned from doing an OE or whatever is happening re: that. But among … Read more

The Spinoff’s TV Week: Waxed Chests, Hash Brownies and Reality Rednecks

Alex Casey and Duncan Greive look back across the week in television and pick their favourite moments. 1. Come Dine With Me NZ is Perfect Right Out of The Oven There is no better illustration of MediaWorks’ maniacal new direction than its absent-mindedly plopping Come Dine With Me in the slot formerly reserved for Campbell … Read more

Fragmentary Thoughts: The Unapologetic Oddballs of Come Dine With Me NZ

Fragmentary Thoughts is a comic strip by José Barbosa, in which he’ll tackle a different television show or phenomenon each month. In this instalment, he celebrates the best bonkers moments from week one of Come Dine With Me NZ.  Among all the angst and genuine uncertainty that has come to characterise New Zealand’s TV industry, the local … Read more