Hold onto your hoodies as José Barbosa hacks into the astounding hidden gems of Mr Robot. Get out your magnifying glass and search for more hidden clues by watching Mr Robot, exclusively available on Lightbox This content, like all television coverage we do at The Spinoff, is brought to you thanks to the excellent folk at … Read more
Alex Casey talks to TV writer and author Steve Hely ahead of his appearance this weekend in the WORD Christchurch festival. Steve Hely has written for some of the most iconic television comedies of the golden TV era, so it was only fitting that I give him a call whilst wearing a Liz Lemon-style slanket … Read more
In the second episode of our Real Housewives of Auckland podcast, Jane, Duncan and Alex assemble on the swing day bed to dissect the first week of New Zealand’s greatest reality show. The Housewives are in full swing this week, the drama spiralling out of control faster than Michelle’s handrail-free staircase. Luckily, the #realpod team are … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh atThe Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. Click here for the first instalment. 1) Marley Blanchard Just when you thought Real Housewives couldn’t get any … Read more
After bonding over their shared love of The X-Files and cryptids, David Farrier speaks to pal Rhys Darby about how he annoyingly ended up on Farrier’s favourite show. I met Rhys Darby years ago when I interviewed him for TV3’s Nightline about his starring role in HBO’s new show, Flight of the Conchords. We filmed our talk in … Read more
The timing of a show about the wilful extravagance of the ultra-rich could not be worse. But the show couldn’t be better, says Duncan Greive. There are only two things you need to know about The Real Housewives of Auckland. Firstly, it is absolutely appallingly timed: a show featuring some of the city’s wealthiest residents … Read more
This is Auckland, where new money meets old. Alex Casey is going to try and laugh at The Real Housewives of Auckland through her weekly power rankings – because if we can’t laugh then all we have is the void. The first episode of The Real Housewives of Auckland left me reeling in shock, clinging to the … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including Leanne’s facelift, Rachel McKenna’s pashfest and Damo’s stark white thighs. 1) Rachel makes a startling announcement “I’m not made of fingers, Damo!” The strain of being a drug-dependent alcoholic who couldn’t make her computer print got to Rachel, and she began to unravel like an out-of-control … Read more
Will The Real Housewives of Auckland meet the glitzy standards of the international franchise? Angella Dravid creates a handy infographic to help us manage our expectations. The Real Housewives of Auckland will be on our screens tonight. To those unfamiliar with the show, a camera crew follow six wealthy women in Auckland – like Big Brother meets … Read more
Duncan Greive watches The Hard Stuff with Nigel Latta, TVNZ’s new series that boldly explores some of the most complex issues facing New Zealanders today. Content warning: this article contains discussion of mental health and suicide Nigel Latta is a weird fish. A diminutive and thin fellow, he’s a psychologist by training, but has evolved into an … Read more
Our new weekly podcast about what looks to be a tentpole reality TV series, The Real Housewives of Auckland. Your old idiot mates are back to talk about what is already indisputably the greatest reality show in New Zealand’s history. The Real Housewives of Auckland debuts on Monday – but host Jane Yee and her loyal servants … Read more
With an exciting new cast photo coming out of Ferndale this week, Tara Ward digs through some of the finest offerings from Shortland Street‘s archives. Forget the Olympics, ignore the housing crisis, pay no heed to Justin Bieber deleting his Instagram. The big news of the week comes from Ferndale, where the Shortland Street 2016 cast photo … Read more
Pete Douglas looks at two of the great capitalists of our times, Donald Trump and 30 Rock‘s Jack Donaghy, and wonders if they really would get along like a house on fire IRL. One of the best plot devices on my all-time favourite show 30 Rock is the conflict (and eventual friendship) between … Read more
Two brilliant pieces of longform current affairs just showed up on Stuff within hours of each other. Duncan Greive looks at the work of Stuff Circuit, and asks why it is that we leave the production of this critical style of journalism largely to chance. The year 2015 saw a great bloodletting at TV3, once … Read more
The Block NZ held its most profitable auctions over the weekend. But while the four teams celebrated their record-breaking profits, Madeleine Chapman saw a housing crisis in action. There’s nothing like a bit of reality television to take your mind off the fact that you may never be able to afford your own home in … Read more
Westside has finished for another year, but the good news is there could be at least 23 more seasons to go. Calum Henderson previews some highlights coming up between now and 2039. Season two of Westside concluded on Sunday night with the West family right in the thick of the 1981 Springbok tour. The Outrageous Fortune … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including cheese dreams, sharp jaws and virus-laden horse stables. 1) Leanne orders a takeaway burger stuffed with Phyllovite and a side serving of crazy “You’re not a turkey!” Nicole yelled at her mother. “Gobble, gobble, gobble!” replied Leanne. Leanne’s bloodstream was 100% Phyllovite, meaning she hooned around Ferndale … Read more
New research from NZ On Air has confirmed that television audiences have moved aggressively toward online platforms. So why are we still waiting for the funding to catch up? “Where are the audiences?”, asked a new piece of research commissioned by NZ On Air and published late last month. It’s arguably the signal question of our … Read more
Māori Television premiered The Stage – Haka Fusion last week. Madeleine Chapman went along to the auditions and saw the bones of a potential dance revolution. In the past 10 years New Zealand has embraced reality television talent quests. New Zealand Idol, X Factor: NZ, New Zealand’s Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance? All these shows … Read more
Kanoa Lloyd’s job is to present the weather for us every night on TV3, so why do people care so much about her clothes? Anny Ma tells armchair fashion critics everywhere to sit down and shut up. I can safely say that my life is made more spectacular from seeing Kanoa Lloyd’s face light up … Read more
With The Block NZ all but wrapped up for another season, Jane Yee discovers that absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder. I thought this was going to be the best day of my life. I imagined feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders, a sense of liberation like I’d never known. Eleven weeks … Read more
With a premiere date set for The Real Housewives of Auckland on Bravo, we have a special announcement of our own… Guys! The Real Housewives of Auckland is arriving to our screens on August 22nd, which also signals the much-anticipated* return of our most reliable reality TV podcasting troupe. Jane Yee, Alex Casey and Duncan Greive will … Read more
Patrick Hunn fondly remembers shambolic local young adult series The Tribe. The things you read, watch, play or listen to when you’re a kid stick with you, because kids are dumb and have brains made of a pliable grey paste. These squawking, colourful things leave marks that are baked into your memory by the general, … Read more
For his Monitor column this week, Aaron Yap looks at the spectrum of Psycho reboots from the terrible ’80s sequels to the unhinged prequel series Bates Motel. There’s a good chance Hitchcock might have balked if he heard what A&E had done to Norman Bates, the oedipally unhinged monster of his groundbreaking 1960 horror masterpiece Psycho. … Read more
With UnREAL season two coming to an end tonight, Alex Casey shares her favourite moments of producer manipulation, contestant craziness and pant-pooping in all of dating show history. The finale of UnREAL season two arrives to Lightbox tonight, further unraveling the vipers nest of manipulation, lies and corruption on which the twinkling lights of fictional dating show Everlasting … Read more
Tara Ward brings you her rankings for Shortland Street last week, including Leanne’s new vitamin business, a spoiled roux, and a pillow made of kiwi feathers. 1) Cam is the Chad Johnson of Ferndale Cam’s been in Ferndale for five minutes and has already fallen in love with Kylie. How nauseating. Thankfully, Kylie rebuked Cam’s creepy advances by insulting his … Read more
Duncan Greive watches Māori Television’s new dating show Finding Aroha, and finds a surprisingly authentic reality quest for love. As a highly-paid television columnist, I am in possession of piercing insights which will rock you back in your seat. Buckle up, there’s a whopper coming. You ready? You sure? Here goes: The Bachelor NZ is not … Read more
Alex Casey snacks on this year’s Loading Docs selection, ten locally-made documentaries under 3 minutes in length. Love documentaries but hate all the sitting, watching and listening? Destined to take 100 pee breaks and snack stops during the average 90 minute runtime? Fear not my fellow cinema pests, Loading Docs is the perfect solution if your … Read more
Our resident Blockaholic Jane Yee recaps the highs and lows from week 10 of The Block NZ, and gets an exclusive tour of 95 St Johns Road from none other than Niki and Tiff. And just like that we’re down to the last few days on The Block for 2016. This season has flown by … Read more