HD Heads-Up: August 2-8

July 24, 2025 0 Comments

➢➢ There’s still a month of winter to go but TVNZ 1’s already in spring cleaning mode with a raft of new and returning series lined up for the first week of August. They range from a slew of whodunits to a couple of lifestyle spin-offs. Anchoring Sunday nights are Love It Or List It NZ at 7.30 and season five of My Life is Murder at 8.30. The latter is the Lucy Lawless whodunit while the former features interior designer and The Block 2014 winner Alex Walls and actor and real estate agent Paul Glover. Murder is being double-billed with the “reimagining” of ’80s hit Bergerac (TVNZ 1, 9.25 Sunday), which already streams on TVNZ+ and has been renewed for a second season …

➢➢ Radio Times called the reboot “less Death in Paradise, more Grace … The result is solid cosy crime which, a couple of character names and the Jersey setting aside, doesn’t bear much resemblance to its forebear.” Closer to home, The Post said: “Eschewing the original’s crime-of-the-week format allows this Bergerac to spend more time setting its darker tone and delving into its grief and deception-drenched tale. But while there are plenty of secrets and lies, there is also a sense of deja vu, with telegraphed twists and predictable beats abounding.” Check out other reviews here …

➢➢ Murder in a Small Town (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Saturday) is a 2024 Canadian mystery seres about an ex-cop (Donald Sutherland’s son, Rossif) who seeks refuge from the city in small-town British Columbia — only to encounter one murder after another. “Cosy as a fireplace with a dash of lethal intrigue, Murder in a Small Town fulfills its modest aims with solid execution,” was the Rotten Tomatoes verdict. Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk co-stars as his librarian love interest …

➢➢ Also new are the special, A Taste of Glory (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Monday), in which Kiwi culinary trailblazers compete in the world’s most prestigious gastronomic competition, the Bocuse d’Or, and Grand Designs Transformations (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Thursday), an eight-part Australian renovation series that gives the original a makeover. Reads the blurb: “Each episode showcases two unique stories and two stunning home reveals: be it interior design, renovation, or a landscaping makeover.” Said The Age: “The ABC has done more than just giving the iconic building show a lick of paint” …

➢➢ Not surprisingly, Sky Open has blinked first in its face-off with TVNZ 1 over duelling seasons of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces. As of August 7, Sky Open screens S11 at 8.30, to avert the conflict with TVNZ 1’s S12. Replacing it at 7.30 is S3 of Space Invaders. The changeover occurs a week before Sky Open premieres George Clarke’s Homes in the Wild, a Sky Originals commission made with NZ On Air funds it won’t want clashing with the more established Clarke series …

➢➢ The ultra-hot S7 of Love Island USA (Duke, weeknights from 9.20 Monday) not only “broke records and made stars” but also spawned a spinoff series called Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which “follows some of the show’s breakouts as they navigate their new relationships, friendships, and budding careers in Los Angeles” …

➢➢ Starting new seasons are The Travelling Auctioneers (TVNZ 1, 1.50 Saturday), Yellowstone S5b (Sky Open, 8.30 Sunday), Seal Team S7 (TVNZ 2, 12.15am Monday), Mel Giedroyc: Unforgivable S2 (TVNZ 2, 9.30 Wednesday) and Caught on Dashcam (TVNZ 2, 9.30 Thursday). TVNZ 2’s also giving an overnight shift to New Amsterdam following its SoHo and Sky Open runs …

➢➢ Ending their runs are: