Tara Ward watches British sitcom Mum, a show for anyone who has found themselves in an inescapable family mess. What’s the story? Mum is a family comedy seen through the eyes of newly widowed Cathy. The show follows Cathy as she negotiates the first year after her husband’s death, beginning in January on the day … Read more
From the genius that gave us Blade Runner, the first two episodes of anthology series Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams finally arrived on Lightbox last night. Alex Casey and José Barbosa try to piece together the meaning behind the unique, mind-bending tales. Contains spoilers and trippiness. Alex Casey: Hey José, how are you doing today? … Read more
Fascinated by the surprising and often inspired music curation on TVNZ 1’s evening news bulletin, Calum Henderson goes in search of the person responsible. It is one of the great pleasures – only sometimes guilty – of modern TV viewing: being able to identify any piece of music on any show simply by holding your phone in … Read more
The Real Pod team assemble to talk about the haphazard honeymoons of Married at First Sight NZ. Just like the Married at First Sight contestants, The Real Pod team are finally back together in the same room to gossip themselves to an early grave. The honeymoons are over, the glamping tents have been packed up, … Read more
The youngest contestants in My Kitchen Rules NZ history write the weirdest menu in My Kitchen Rules NZ history, and poor old Pete Evans has to read it out loud. From Teal and Sophie’s Wellington stately mansion we return to Auckland this week for Charlotte and Maddie’s instant restaurant ‘Fresh’. The show’s youngest contestants have … Read more
Alex Casey power ranks the third week of Married at First Sight NZ, full of cocktails, baths and deep regret. I think I was more excited for this cocktail party than any Bachelor cocktail party, real-life cocktail party, or shrimp cocktail. After being kept in The Shining-style isolation in their respective lodges, estates and glamping … Read more
Would you watch a stranger open PR packages in a YouTube video longer than the average sitcom episode? Millions of people do. Morgan Ashworth explains why. Shannon Harris is sitting on the floor in her filming room, wearing a Gucci-esque t-shirt and Homer Simpson pyjama bottoms. She’s surrounded by packages. It’s like 15 Christmases at … Read more
To celebrate the third season of Mr Robot coming exclusively to Lightbox today at 7pm, here are some of the ways you can protect yourself against the vigilante hacking groups coming for your double chin selfies. Today, after little more than a live E-Coin launch and a cryptic loaded tweet from the director to the … Read more
It’s been touted as the new Black Mirror, but there’s a lot more to blockbuster anthology series Philip K Dick’s Electric Dreams. Here’s our crash course ahead of the premiere episodes, arriving exclusively on Lightbox next Wednesday. This content, like all television coverage we do at The Spinoff, is brought to you thanks to the excellent … Read more
The second season of English drama Doctor Foster might be the best thriller on television, despite its everyday subject matter, writes Duncan Greive. Doctor Foster has headed upstairs from a party and is walking around a house in silence, picking up photos and smelling cosmetics. The stakes are not much higher than her being caught … Read more
They’re renowned hairdressers and A+ reality TV talent, but are Wellington couple Teal and Sophie any good at cooking? This week on My Kitchen Rules NZ, we find out. From Jaryd and Ben’s art deco-inspired Auckland instant restaurant we head to Wellington for the third meal of the series at Teal and Sophie’s Wellington… mansion? … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘Freedom & Whiskey’, the fifth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Sing me a song of a lass that is gone and then rocks on up again, totes out of the blue, wearing a strange coat and humming the Batman theme song. Everyone join in, … Read more
Alex Casey power ranks the second week of Married at First Sight NZ, where the glow has worn off and the rot has set in. Rip up your veil, feed the bride’s bouquet to the nearest giraffe and cast the cursed wedding rings deep into the nearest creek: true love is dead. Week one led … Read more
Calum Henderson watches ITM Hook Me Up, a new fishing show that gets local celebs out in the deep blue. Give a celebrity a fish, they might do an Instagram post about it. But take a celebrity fishing? Then you’ve got a whole TV show on your hands. Prime’s new ITM Hook Me Up! is that show. … Read more
The Real Pod team assemble in the boardroom of dreams to talk reality TV and real life in New Zealand, and this week it’s all about one show and one show only. After scrabbling around like a litter of house pigs this week, Jane, Duncan and Alex finally find some time to dissect the glorious … Read more
Alex Casey rounds up all the characters on Lightbox who are glamorous writers and examines just how accurate their portrayals of the profession are. Like many, I was led to believe that being a writer would mostly consist of calmly sitting down at my desk next to an ornate antique lamp, cranking open my laptop and tapping … Read more
Liam Maguren talks to the Mukpuddy team about the return of The Barefoot Bandits, Māori MacGyver in space and getting adults excited about cartoons again. Ryan Cooper, Tim Evans and Alex Leighton are a triforce that take the form of New Zealand animation studio Mukpuddy. I burned my shoes for them when I celebrated their … Read more
A lazy knockoff or a legal maelstrom in waiting? Jihee Junn delves into the details of Love Island vs. Heartbreak Island. Amy Winehouse once crooned that love was just a losing game. But for reality TV producers all around the world, love – in its broadest sense – has been a winning one. Over the past year, … Read more
Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘Of Lost Things’, the fourth episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. Spare a thought for Jamie Fraser, the man who cannot escape his own animal magnetism. This season, no matter where he travels or how bad his hair is, Jamie’s golden charms have proved irresistible … Read more
Alex Casey power ranks the first week of Married at First Sight NZ, including reindeer jumpers, house pigs and too many kisses. As I expressed in my sappy review of the premiere yesterday, I have fallen hard and fast for Married at First Sight NZ already. I have walked down the altar, said “I do” … Read more
A Johnny Depp lookalike, a Tourism Wanaka ambassador and ‘Paleo’ Pete Evans walk into a Great Gatsby-themed dining room in suburban Auckland. From Tash and Hera’s place in Rotorua we go to Auckland for the second of six instant restaurants: the curiously-named ‘Manhatten 667’. Manhatten seemingly a misspelling of the New York City borough Manhattan; 667 one digit higher … Read more
Alex Casey watches the first episode of Married at First Sight NZ, and falls hook, line and sinker for a 58 year old man named Mr Fluffy. Of all the things to anticipate in her upcoming marriage to a complete stranger, Claire (51) is only looking forward to one thing: sex. It’s the raunchy hen’s … Read more
With Married at First NZ beginning on Three tonight, Alex Casey recounts being in the room for the holy union of two complete strangers. The weirdest thing about being a guest a Married at First Sight wedding, aside from the obvious, is that there’s no music during the ceremony to tell you what to do. … Read more
As we bid farewell to the world’s only pub politics show, Back Benches host Wallace Chapman looks back at the series’ weird and wonderful nine years on air. Well, a big part of my life is over. I don’t want to hype the point, but that’s how it seems. We just had our last show … Read more
Is Vikings fake news or did they really have those exuberant ponytails? Before the new season comes to Lightbox in December, Tara Ward tides herself over with some learning in Real Vikings. After a marathon session of the TV series Vikings, I’m left with as many questions as Rollo has hair combs. Who were the … Read more
Fifteen years after it entertained Kiwi kids during that neverending void between school and dinner, Maha Albadrawi and Lucy Zee remember the meta mayhem of WNTV. Every millennial Kiwi remembers What Now in the early 2000s. Everyone remembers Fiona Anderson giving away popcorn machines, everyone remembers Jason Fa’afoi in drag, everyone remembers Carolyn Taylor’s perky smile … Read more
The Real Pod team assemble in the boardroom of dreams to talk reality TV and real life in New Zealand, including the return of MKRNZ, Art and Matilda’s new cats and TVNZ’s new season announcements. This week on The Real Pod, worlds collide as Lena Dunham gets onboard with The Real Housewives of Auckland, Max … Read more
TVNZ just announced their new season line-up for 2018. Here’s what TV editor Alex Casey is looking forward to the most. Tonight, TVNZ launched their big new season programme on Auckland’s waterfront, including the likes of Big Bang prequel Young Sheldon, UK nudist horror show Naked Attraction and – gird your loins – an untitled Grey’s … Read more
Superfan Tara Ward counts down the top ten moments from ‘All Debts Paid’, the third episode of Outlander season three. Contains major spoilers, obviously. [Editor’s note: Before we go any further, if you haven’t watched the third episode of Outlander and don’t want a major plot point spoiled then YOU SHALL NOT PASS. Otherwise, please enjoy.] I’m … Read more