WATCH: Shortland Street’s Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones discuss women with David Farrier

For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars and thinkers – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss women and gender.  “The feminist movement…sometimes it takes a bit of that feminine radiance of out them” Click here … Read more

The Women Tell All went behind the magic of The Bachelor – for about one second

Alex Casey watches The Bachelor NZ’s ‘Women Tell All’ special, and finds a fittingly tame end to the season.  Will we ever forget the moment that Naz stomped onto The Bachelor NZ’s Women Tell All stage last year, brandishing her manicured fingers like knives and effing and jeffing up a storm? It was better than … Read more

‘Not enough food, no running water’: a NZ Bachelorette tells all about life in the mansion

Serious production issues – ‘not enough food, no running water’ – have been alleged by season two bachelorette Ceri McVinnie in a blog post we have republished with permission below. MediaWorks have been approached for comment, and we will update as soon as we receive a response. The below is an updated and amended version … Read more

WATCH: David Farrier interviews Shortland Street’s Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones about the origins of life

For the Shortland Street 25th anniversary week, we’re reissuing David Farrier’s phenomenal 2014 ‘Real Talk’ interview series with two of the soaps’s biggest stars – Ben Mitchell and Cam Jones. Today, the trio discuss the origins of life.  “The pyramids: how the f- did they get there? Who put them there?” This content, like all … Read more

There’s no better time to dive back into Top of the Lake

Alex Casey explains why you should make Top of the Lake your gloomy weekend binge-watch.  Here’s the truth: we should all be screaming about Jane Campion’s masterpiece Top of the Lake all day everyday, because it’s some of the best television to come out of New Zealand ever (apart from this and maybe also this). Filmed … Read more

America’s Next Top Model has lost the sparkle in its smize

Longtime America’s Next Top Model fan Kelly Ana Morey tracks the various nips and tucks the series has had in its 23 seasons.  I’ve been watching America’s Next Top Model since it first began screening on New Zealand television in 2004. Pretty girls, combustible personalities, amazing photo shoots and the extraordinary Tyra Banks. What wasn’t … Read more

More reasons why Abby Lee Miller from Dance Moms should have gone to jail ages ago

With Dance Moms supervillian Abby Lee Miller heading to the slammer for income fraud, Tara Ward puts her on trial for a few more crimes. Abby Lee Miller reckons “when a parent opens their mouth, they are ruining their child”. It’s advice to live by, and the reason why all parents should be locked in a … Read more

Review: The team behind Filthy Rich take on terrorism in Hyde & Seek

The New Zealand showrunners behind Filthy Rich jump the ditch to make Hyde & Seek, a show which seeks to blend a sprawling Homeland-style mystery with the breakneck pace of CSI/SVU. “You’re on your own,” says Nick, a boyishly handsome homicide cop to his partner, heading off toward a murder victim’s van. Which promptly explodes. … Read more

The Real Pod: The Beanboozled challenge meets The Bachelor overnights

Jane Yee, Duncan Greive and Alex Casey gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. ‘Twas the night before The Champagne Lady’s party and The Real Pod gang are preloading with disgusting flavoured jellybeans and unfounded claims about Avril Lavigne being dead. Before tackling the … Read more

Fecal horror and more: Gutsful puts the realest New Zealand on TV

Calum Henderson reviews Gutsful, the new factual series from the brains behind Neighbours at War.  When Neighbours at War wrapped up last year after eight seasons it left an unexpectedly big gap in the local television landscape. Where else on telly were we going to find the real, unfiltered version of New Zealand the show’s … Read more

Gus Fring is back and Better Call Saul has never been better

Midway into season three, says Simon Wilson, the Breaking Bad prequel Better Call Saul is cruising in its own greatness.  Gus is back. Take a moment to digest. Gustavo Fring, so polite, so self-effacing in the short-sleeved shirt and the beige tie, Gus, the fried chicken guy aka vengeful drug lord. It’s so good to … Read more

Celebrating Norma Bates, television’s greatest and definitely worst mother

In the lead-up to Mother’s Day, Aaron Yap collates the best moments of his favourite TV Mum, Norma Bates of Bates Motel.  Unless you’re totally fine with showing your mum a modern Gothic soap with Oedipus complex themes, Bates Motel wouldn’t be my first recommendation to binge over tea and cake on Mother’s Day. But … Read more

‘Janice’s email stood out for its dazzling ignorance’: Jack Tame on the racist email which made him snap

Jack Tame reflects on his reaction to a very stupid email on Breakfast – which has now had over one million views on Facebook – and explains why we still need our bubbles burst.  I think it’s time to lay off Janice. She cannot have expected this response: Multiple Janice-from-Friends memes, ‘Living Next Door to Alice’ … Read more

All Star Family Feud revealed Dom Bowden’s troubled, troubled soul

Breaking news: All Star Family Feud just proved that romance is not dead. Nay, it is alive and kicking its way through a warm trans-Tasman current of love while wearing a new pair of Orewa Life Saving Club budgie smugglers. Praise be to Eros or whatever TV god decided to throw The Bachelor NZ and Married at … Read more

The telly legend behind Neighbours at War is back with a brand new show

The unmistakable voice of Neighbours at War, Bill Kerton tells Calum Henderson about making his new show Gutsful and how he cut his TV teeth directing Havoc and Newsboy at the height of their infamy. “I’ve sort of only really got one setting,” Bill Kerton admits. He is talking about Gutsful, the new TV show … Read more

The Real Pod: Anne the Champagne Lady wants YOU to come to her party

Jane Yee, Duncan Greive, Alex Casey and Anne Bloody Batley Burton from The Real Housewives of Auckland gather around the oval table to talk about the latest happenings in New Zealand television and real life in New Zealand. This week we drain some delicious bottles of Champagne Jacquart with New Zealand’s greatest reality television star, Anne … Read more

The tribe has spoken: The Survivor NZ voting papers are simply too crisp

Our superfan think tank weighs in following the premiere of Survivor New Zealand on TVNZ 2 last night.  Luke Harries on the voting paper scandal We need to talk about the paper. During the inaugural tribal council of Survivor New Zealand, I noticed something seemed off – and it wasn’t the rotten papaya. I realised … Read more

A brief history of Survivor’s most shocking moments

Ahead of the premiere of Survivor New Zealand tonight, Holly Hunter rounds up 10 of the most groundbreaking moments in the history of the reality franchise. In April this year, after 34 seasons and 17 years of Survivor, the show met its most hated contestant. Jeff Varner broke the unspoken rule of Survivor – don’t … Read more

Who will outwit, outplay and outlast in Survivor NZ? A superfan predicts

Survivor superfan Joseph Harper shares some well-informed* predictions for the coming season of TVNZ 2’s Survivor New Zealand.  Reality TV juggernaut Survivor, has been rolling along in the United States for 17 years. Last year, Australia finally had a crack at the beautiful game, and now at last we get a shot. It’s huge news for … Read more

Where are the stars of 2001’s Celebrity Treasure Island now?

Before there was Survivor, there was New Zealand’s own reality juggernaut Treasure Island. Calum Henderson revisits the first episode of 2001’s Celebrity Treasure Island and finds out what the contestants are doing with themselves now. There were nine whole seasons of Treasure Island and all anyone remembers is the time Lana Coc-Kroft nearly died from … Read more