HD Heads-Up: December 14-20

December 5, 2024 0 Comments

➢➢ Desperate Measures (TVNZ 1, 10.50 Saturday) is a “heartstopping” Channel 5 thriller about a solo mum who puts her job on the line by carrying out a heist at the bank where she works. The reviews largely thought it compelling but forgettable. “A frankly implausible plot and sketchily drawn supporting characters let this bank-job drama down,” The Telegraph said. “But the ending is a satisfying if slightly daft one.” Echoed The Times: “This four-parter is not purporting to be a thought-provoking treatise on social inequity (even if there’s an undercurrent of that). Rather it’s the kind of pacey thing you keep watching” …

➢➢ On the eve of Shortland Street ending its weeknight run after 30 years — next year it will air just three nights a week — TVNZ 2 is celebrating the soap’s longevity with two specials: Shortland Street: Reflecting a Nation (9.30 Thursday), which looks at “the myriad ways” it has reflected NZ; and the behind-the-scenes bloopers sequel, Naughty Shorty (7.30 Friday) …

➢➢ DNZ: ADHD – Not Just Hyper (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Monday) follows Guy Williams through an ADHD diagnosis and explores the ADHD experience of a diverse range of New Zealanders, including the comedian’s sister Maria …

➢➢ Early Yuletide programming includes The Repair Shop Christmas Special (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Friday), Caught On Dashcam Holiday Specials (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Thursday-Friday) and the off-peak cooking show Marcus Wareing at Christmas (TVNZ 1, 2.oo Friday) …

➢➢ Greg Davies and Little Alex Horne unpack the wit and wisdom of Taskmaster in Taskmasterclass (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Monday), with help from comedians Guz Khan, Ed Gamble, Jo Brand, Paul Chowdhry and Morgana Robinson …

➢➢ New to Duke are Secrets of Penthouse (9.30 Saturday), Christmas Wars (8.00 Monday-Friday) and Supervillain: The Making of Tekashi 6ix9ine (11.25 Tuesday), a three-part take on how a New York City deli clerk named Daniel Hernandez “exploded into the tattooed face of Gen Z and hip hop’s prince of trolls”, boasting 2.6 billion streams and 15 hits on the Billboard charts. …

➢➢ Appearing on The Graham Norton Show (Three, 7.00 Thursday) are Sigourney Weaver, Nicholas Hoult, Jamie Oliver, Lolly Adefope and Coldplay …

➢➢ Returning for its fifth season is Bob Hearts Abishola (TVNZ 2, 1.05 Saturday), making its free-to-air debut is gay McCarhtyism drama Fellow Travelers (Sky Open, 9.30 Saturday), and ending their runs are:

The Dog House Australia
Trailblazers: A Rocky Mountain Road Trip
Moving Houses
Black Widow
The Body Next Door
Manifesto of a Serial Killer
Billionaire Blooms
Helicopter ER
Body Cam
Paramedics
Shark Tank
Taskmasterclass
The Summit USA
So Help Me Todd
The Good Doctor
This Time Next Year Australia
The World’s Most Expensive Cruise
Mental Samurai
Casa Grande
La Brea
Sue Perkins Into Alaska
Taylor Swift Vs Scooter Braun
Naked Education
Seven Sharp
Hunted UK
In the Long Run …

➢➢ Live/delayed FTA sport includes:

Cricket – Black Caps v England (Duke, 10.30am Saturday-Wednesday)
A-League Men: Wellington Phoenix v MacArthur FC (Sky Open, 4.30 Saturday)
Hungry Jack’s NBL25 Season: BNZ Breakers v Adelaide 36ers (Duke, 7.30 Saturday)
Premier League: Goal Rush (Sky Open, 10am Sunday)
Tauihi Basketball: SF1/2 (Sky Open, 1.00 Sunday)
NFL (Duke, 7am Monday)
Cricket – White Ferns v Australia (Duke, 10.30am, Thursday)
Hungry Jack’s NBL25 Season: BNZ Breakers v Sydney Kings (Duke, 7.30 Friday) …