Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including Boyd’s beautiful MRI scan and Victoria’s endless supply of bags. 1) The ‘D.I.’ in D.I. Foster’s name really means ‘Dickhead Idiot’ D.I. Foster is like a piece of overcooked macaroni: limp, pathetic and completely ineffective at solving crime. This screengrab makes it look … Read more
Our resident Blockaholic Jane Yee recaps the highs and lows from week four of The Block NZ, including Dinner Wars going down the toilet and the Wolf sticking post-its everywhere for no reason. Guest room week always has the potential to be a bit of a snorefest. Who gives a toss about a spare room … Read more
With Police Ten 7 celebrating 500 episodes tonight, Professor Allan Blackman applies rigorous scientific analysis to the show’s most iconic moment. Can it really be seven years since the world was first introduced to the hilariously deadpan Sgt Guy Baldwin on Police Ten 7? His advice to Glen – a surly teen who supposedly had the 3am … Read more
Katie Parker reopens the locker of her adolescence in Being Eve, the local teen series brimming with asymmetrical tank tops, IRL dating and fourth wall-breaking. Like all naive pre-teens, at the age of 10 all I wanted in the world was to hit adolescence. Whether I was trimming my non-existent leg hair with scissors or studying … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her Shortland Street Power Rankings for last week, including Stevie’s evolution into Houdini, Nicole’s exhausting workload and Esther’s incredible phone-based breakthrough. 1) Stevie is the amazing disappearing baby Boyd lost it when he remembered he’d left Baby Stevie alone in the hospital car park. By the time he’d retraced his steps, … Read more
The history of New Zealand television features plenty of lowlights, but few as low as the drunken and chaotic 1987 Listener Gofta Awards. Comedian Michele A’Court was there. It is possible that I am one of the few people who has fond memories of the 1987 Gofta Awards. It’s also possible that I am one … Read more
Tara Ward brings you this week’s Shortland Street Power Rankings, including Gareth’s cushion chaos and Harper’s hectic hen’s night. 1) Leanne’s spectacular party planning puts Harper in a pickle Leanne was on fire this week. Harper’s hen’s party was the event of the year, nay, the century. It was everything a hen’s night usually is: … Read more
We’ve been big fans of James Mustapic’s hilarious recap channel Shorty Street Scandal since The Spinoff began. This week, we are stoked to preview his debut Harry Warner-themed single and announce his first ever LIVE SHOW in Auckland, proudly brought to you by The Spinoff! Nearly one year ago I started working on a full … Read more
Tara Ward brings you this week’s Shortland Street Power Rankings, including Wendy’s aquatic incident and Harry’s IT wizardry. 1) Harry tinkers with science and practically splits the atom Rachel gifts Harry with his first job: Leanne’s new slave. Harry’s first task is to print the Shortland Street Christmas cards, which hopefully feature a delightfully festive … Read more
TV3’s Funny Girls, New Zealand’s funniest sketch show in years, comes to the end of its current run this week. In celebration of its triumphant first season, we asked the team to tell us the stories behind their favourite sketches. Rose Matafeo: ‘Makeup Tutorial’ This was one of the first sketches I wrote for the … Read more
The medium is now the message, even more than it has ever been. Gay writer and documentary maker David Herkt examines the tragedies and triumphs of homosexual life as reflected in the TV media culture of mid-20th century New Zealand. There was Peter Sinclair, Lew Pryme – and then there was Hudson & Halls… At … Read more
Over 20 years since it aired on TV One on a quiet Sunday night, Aaron Yap remembers Peter Jackson’s hoax-documentary Forgotten Silver. Peter Jackson might have sold New Zealand to the world as a viable enchanting Middle Earth filled with Hobbits and Gollums, but his greatest trick remains convincing us – for a brief moment – … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her contestant power rankings for week six on My Kitchen Rules NZ. This week: a gory cauliflower incident occurs and gatecrashers shake things up. We are out of the instant restaurants this week. No more funny fridge magnets, no more sensual animal art, no more Skytower-inspired decals. Things are getting serious, so … Read more
In a very recent interview, the CBS journalism legend Dan Rather opined that, “Journalists, Politicians and hangmen always do their best work after midnight.” I should like you to ponder that thought while I get on with the business at hand. The John O’Shea memorial address. John O’Shea died in 2001 and in spite of the … Read more
Tara Ward brings you this week’s Shortland Street Power Rankings, including Boyd’s boring babysitting and Esther’s terrible needlework. 1) Return of the Mac(kenna) I figured Rachel had been sucking on the nitrous gas last week, especially after she came over all feeble and let blackmailer Gareth and his dodgy medical wares into her hospital. Thankfully, the … Read more
Homai Te Pakipaki has been a mainstay every Friday night on Māori Television, encouraging people from all walks to life to “bring your keyboard and your mates for a jam”. José Barbosa went behind the scenes during the Grand Final, before the karaoke show shuts down after nine glorious years. The first time I watched Homai Te … Read more
Tara Ward brings you this week’s Shortland Street Power Rankings, including Boyd’s doodacky and Harper’s baby blues. 1) Dayna gives it a crack with Knob the Builder Call off the search: Dayna found The Knob. The Knob is actually George the Labourer, a doctor visiting Ferndale on a working visa. George is from England, which is … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her power rankings for week three of My Kitchen Rules NZ, including Paul and Laurence’s sad departure and a rare possum solution from Kimberley and Brooke. I can’t believe we’ve already lost New Zealand’s sweethearts Paul and Laurence. Despite Paul whipping out his finest horse impression, it wasn’t enough to keep our … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: TK gets gruesome, Bella gives birth and a random man makes waves. 1) Bella gives birth to a fully formed human being As if childbirth wasn’t painful enough, Bella just found out that Lucy’s handmade soap features heavily in this week’s … Read more
At the height of survey season, Jono and Ben made an attempt to cross Lake Taupo in an inflatable castle. Don Rowe watches from the sky. Some time around the year 180 AD an explosion in the Pacific turned the sky over eastern China red. The violent upheaval threw over a thousand cubic kilometres of … Read more
Alex Casey’s first power rankings for the new season of My Kitchen Rules NZ, including Pete Evans’ tan and Paul’s extraordinary cow art. The best cooking show in the world is back and I couldn’t be happier. Last year I broke my brain recapping every single episode of My Kitchen Rules New Zealand, which you … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: Bella reaches peak pregnant, Dayna is a local legend and there’s a surprise visit from a 1940s gentleman. 1) Dayna surfs her way through a sea of fools and idiots Dayna rockets up the power rankings this week for her endurance and … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: TK goes to the dogs, Drew wears a terrible suit and Queen Holt graces the halls. 1) The Holt bolts her way to the top. There she is. Hayley Holt dances her way to the top of this week’s power … Read more
Duncan Greive watches Bill Kerton and company finish the last episode of New Zealand’s reality classic Neighbours at War – airing tonight – before it heads into long-term hiatus. It starts with something shared: a driveway, a boundary, a cul-de-sac. Two sets of New Zealanders, meeting at the edge of their properties, disagreeing over noise, over … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: the soap industry sucks, storms roll in and Murray messes up again. 1) Characters we hardly know walk in the shadow of the valley of death They were dropping like flies at Shortland Street this week. First to be wheeled … Read more
Alex Casey recaps Rachel Hunter’s trip to Dubai, during which she falls in love with a camel and then eats it. This week Rachel went to Dubai, the beautiful city “that grew out of the desert”, which is an extraordinary euphemism for “was built by slaves.” Travelling to the United Arab Emirates, it honestly looks like … Read more
Everyone is churning out snackable video content these days, from SCOUT in 60 Seconds leading 3 News every night, to TVNZ announcing that short entertainment videos will be available on demand by the end of the year. Feels like we could be at snack saturation point – something which may have been confirmed with the launch of … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: Moody Michael has a sulk, Harry is robbed of his television and Drew bucks up his pun game. 1) Michael makes it hard to love him Oh, the pressures of being a tween in New Zealand. Someone call a … Read more
Tara Ward ranks her favourite moments from the past week of Ferndale hijinks. This week: Nicole and Vinnie tie the knot, Leanne seeks refuge in a toilet and TK’s thumb gives Daniel Day-Lewis a run for his money. 1) Vinnie and Nicole drop anchor in a surprise sea of love Big things were happening in Nicole … Read more