After ten weeks of furious villa renovation and TV production, The Block NZ finished on Sunday night in a flurry of six-figure profits at the live auction finale. Calum Henderson went along to kick the tyres of New Zealand’s richest reality TV franchise. Five minutes before they assembled on the balcony of the Rendezvous Hotel … Read more
‘Good Night to Good Morning’ is a three part series farewelling the iconic TVNZ variety show. In part one, Steve Braunias recalls a recent appearance on a show that once gave him cakes and grapes, and always gave New Zealand reliably good viewing. This is the way Good Morning ends: not with a green room, but a vast, deserted … Read more
Superheroes and socio-political champions, cold-blooded killers and murderous polar bears – the year’s best television had something for everyone, says Aaron Yap. And then there was True Detective… In 2015, there were no shortage of momentous occasions in the world of prestige TV. Mad Men came to a satisfyingly wistful close after seven seasons, granting … 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
Tonight marks the 200th episode of TV3’s flagship comedy show 7 Days. Calum Henderson was in the audience for the show’s marathon filming at the Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday night. I always wanted to be part of a live studio audience. Specifically, I always wanted to be part of the ‘Tool Time’ studio audience … Read more
The Block NZ is all over bar the auction room shouting. There’s time for one last round of Pita Pit, and one last Power Rankings, before Houses 1 through 4 go under the hammer on Sunday night. 1. Brooke & Mitch – House 4 What would The Block NZ have been without Brooke and Mitch? … Read more
In 1999 Spinoff Editor Duncan Greive featured in a music documentary called Sweet As. 16 years later it was innocently suggested by Throwback Thursday’s new sponsors NZ On Screen for post, with the newsy hook being that we headed into festival season. Against his better judgement, he agreed to re-examine what is without doubt most publicly embarrassing thing he’s … Read more
The Good Wife is the best least talked about show on television, says Aaron Hawkins. Considering diving in and lawyering up? Here’s all you need to know. What’s the story? Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) is married to states’ attorney Peter Florrick (Chris Noth), who gets caught with his pants down and his wallet out in … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her contestant power rankings for week eight on My Kitchen Rules NZ. This week, we farewell the face of Nando’s and Ali G comes to kitchen HQ. A dark cloud has come over me. It is shaped like a Nando’s chicken wing, and has been raining down stinging tears of peri peri sauce … Read more
Inside the Lightbox is a sponsored post where we mine the extensive Lightbox catalogue for shows you might like to watch. This week we line up all the cool new shows coming in December. COMING IN DECEMBER: Transparent (S02E01, Dec 1) The first episode of the second season of Emmy-winning drama Transparent arrives to Lightbox … 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
It’s smartly written, hilariously weird and gloriously LGBT-positive. Sam Brooks explains why Ru-Paul’s Drag Race is the most uplifting reality show on television. “Gentlemen, start your engines! And may the best woman win!” How do you cover a show like RuPaul’s Drag Race, a show about to go into its eighth season with its own … 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
The Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi, describes some of his favourite episodes from Doctor Who‘s 50 year history. Do you have a list of favourite episodes? I hate doing the favourite game, because it betrays a lot of the other ones. But there are things that I think are great; and I always forget there … Read more
The newest show to come to Lightbox is Deutschland 83, a spy thriller set during peak Cold War tension with a banging ’80s soundtrack to boot. For Paul Casserly, it brings with it a sharp reminder of a childhood full of named nukes and mushroom cloud dreams. Germans get a bad rap for all manner of … 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
Bringing together the best, worst and weirdest TV moments of the week, including HDPA’s strange mouse story and a visit from Peter Capaldi. Marvel’s Heroically Addictive New Superhero Show The flow of eminently bingeable TV shows is coming thick and fast from the US these days. Last week it was Master of None, this week … 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
Somebody pops the question next week on The Block NZ – but is it Jeremy proposing to the love of his life Cat, Sarah’s boyfriend to Sarah, or Mitch to this bit of GIB board he’s weirdly infatuated with? No idea, sorry, but here are the Power Rankings all the same. 1. (Last Week: 3) … Read more
Inside the Lightbox is a sponsored post where we mine the extensive Lightbox catalogue for shows you might like to watch. We don’t celebrate it here New Zealand, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gorge upon a mighty platter of great Thanksgiving episodes from your favourite Lightbox shows. The Mindy Project (S01E06 ‘Thanksgiving’) Two of Mindy’s … Read more
(Music: Please Listen Carefully (Jahzzar) / CC BY-SA 4.0) We met in a fancy hotel on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. I was the short, big boned chap with creased and crinkly clothes; he was the tall Scot wearing an immaculately pressed suit, sans tie, shirt buttoned to the top. “I’ll sit anywhere that works for you,” he … Read more
Alex Casey delivers her latest MKRNZ power rankings, including a beautiful union between rugby and couscous, and the most violent kitchen utensil yet. We lost a lot of good contestants out there this week, as well as a lot of fingertips by deathly mandolin. Seriously, when did MKRNZ become The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, gathering together … Read more
Alex Casey binges the entire catalogue of WatchMe, NZME’s brand new on demand local video platform. Following in Family First’s footsteps, today NZME launched their own video on demand service, with a focus on 100% locally-made shows. Starting first with the comedy genre, the platform promises zero cost, zero pesky apps (are apps actually pesky?). … Read more
In Monitor this week, Aaron Yap takes a look at The Evil Dead’s first foray into television. Almost 35 years after the franchise made its cult classic debut, has the magic survived the move to the small-screen? Those who defend Hollywood’s obsession with churning out sequels like to reassure you that sequels don’t – and … Read more
Inspired by The DNA Detectives, Spinoff staffers Alex and Don embark on a spit-fueled scientific journey to uncovering their deepest genetic secrets. The finale of DNA Detectives airs on TV One this week, a series that has traced the ancestry of Kiwi personalities from Ray McVinnie to Sonia Gray. Hosted by Richard O’Brien, celebrities are sent around … Read more
Tara Ward brings you this week’s Shortland Street Power Rankings, including Curtis the quiche thief and a rogue doppelgänger from The Block NZ. 1) Sport was the winner on the day At last, the day we’ve been waiting approximately three episodes for has arrived: The Shortland Street Fun Run/Outdoor Quiz/Sack Race/Three Legged Race Fundraiser for … Read more
Calum Henderson helps the bloke from 800 Words finish writing his column, then sends it to three New Zealand editors to see if they’d give him a job. The main character of TV One’s Thursday night comedy-drama 800 Words is a middle-aged Australian bloke called George Turner, who has just moved to a small town … Read more
Bringing together the best, worst and weirdest TV moments of the week, including tributes to Jonah Lomu, inside Parris Goebel’s empire and VNZMA madness. Open Mic Madness on The Block NZ Funny to think there once was a time we all thought Dinner Wars was a highlight of The Block NZ season, that the show … Read more
Everyone sort of loses their minds as terrifying new creative performance challenge ‘Block Stars’ consumes Backyard Week on The Block NZ: Villa Wars. 1. (Last Week: 2) Cat & Jeremy – House 3 While technically Brooke and Mitch are probably still ‘winning’ The Block NZ, it’s good buggers Cat and Jeremy who hold all the … Read more