HD Heads-Up: August 31-September 6

➢➢  TVNZ 1 is airing Coronation Street 4.30 Sunday-Friday for the course of the Paralympics. The network’s nightly coverage of the Paris event is pre-empting its primetime line-up from August 29-September 9. But the long-running soap is being accommodated off-peak so fans don’t fall behind the UK broadcasts. “This is just for the duration of the Paralympics,” a spokesperson says. “We made a commitment to our viewers to continue airing Coronation Street so we didn’t fall behind this time. We also have Coronation Street up on TVNZ+ from 8am on the days the eps go to air on TVNZ 1, as per usual” …

➢➢  I Literally Just Told You (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Wednesday) is a new Jimmy Carr-hosted game show where paying attention pays off: players are quizzed on things that have happened during the show. The Channel 4 series has been running since 2021. The Telegraph deemed it “surprisingly watchable” and warned “you might be taken aback by the limits of your recall”. Concurred The Times: “Here’s the other surprise. At a time when you can’t move for lame quiz shows, this one’s not half bad” …

➢➢ There’s more new stand-up comedy with Sky Open Mic: Ramy Youseff: More Feelings (Sky Open, 11.00 Friday). The New York Times dubbed it “a captivating comedy that speaks fiercely to this political moment” while Slate said: “Youssef’s comedy isn’t just about making people laugh; it’s about empathy and understanding” …

➢➢ The latest TVNZ+ series to land late-night on linear is The Terror (TVNZ 2, 12.25am Wednesday). The AMC+ anthology has spawned three series since 2018, the first being an “enthralling and suitably terrifying” 19th century saga about two ships on a mission to locate the Northwest Passage to Canada. Ciaran Hinds, Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies star …

➢➢ Another off-peak newcomer is Animals Aboard (TVNZ 2, 1.35 Saturday), which goes behind the scenes of the multi-million dollar animal travel industry …

➢➢ Returning are Kid Sister (TVNZ 2, 11.20 Monday), Nadia’s Farm (Three, 7.00 Tuesday) and Not Even (Sky Open, 9.00 Wednesday) while ending their runs are Wheel Blacks: Bodies on the Line and Taskmaster NZ …

➢➢  Live/delayed free-to-air sports coverage includes:

• Paris 2024 Paralympics (TVNZ 1, 7.30 nightly)
• Louis Vuitton Cup Round Robins (Three, midnight Saturday-Sunday, Tuesday-Wednesday)
• US Tennis Open (Duke, 3am nightly)
• Farah Palmer Cup: Taranaki v Otago (Sky Open, midday Saturday)
• NPC: Tasman v Bay of Plenty (Sky Open, 7.00 Saturday)
• NRL Premiership: Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v New Zealand Warriors (Sky Open, 11.30 Saturday)
• Premier League: Goal Rush-Leicester v Aston Villa (Sky Open, 10am Sunday)
• Rugby Championship: South Africa v NZ (Sky Open, midday Sunday)
• Heartland Rugby: King County v Thames Valley (Sky Open, 2.00 Sunday)
• NRL Premiership: Wests Tigers v Parramatta Eels (Sky Open, 7.30 Friday) …

➢➢  HD coming attractions include:

• Around the World in 80 Days (Whakaata Māori, 7.00 Saturday)
• Beetlejuice (TVNZ 2, 8.05 Saturday)
• War Dogs (Three, 8.30 Saturday)
• My Salinger Year (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Saturday)
• Underworld: Blood Wars (TVNZ 2, 8.50 Saturday)
• Dual (TVNZ 2, 10.40 Saturday)
• Into the Forest (TVNZ 2, 12.35am Sunday)
• Despicable Me 2 (TVNZ 2, 3.35 Sunday)
• Legally Blonde (TVNZ 2, 8.25 Sunday)
• The Lost King (Whakaata Māori, 8.40 Sunday)
• God’s Country (TVNZ 2, 11.15 Sunday)
• The Whole Nine Yards (Duke, 8.30 Monday)
• Murundak: Songs of Freedom (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Monday)
• Cape Fear (Duke, 10.20 Monday)
• The Expendables 3 (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• Juniper (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Wednesday).