HD Heads-Up: March 21-27

➢➢ Saturday nights continue to be a beacon for some of Britain’s best TV talent, at least on TVNZ 1. The latest newcomers are The Other Bennet Sister (8.05), Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend (9.35) and Leonard and Hungry Paul (10.35). Based on the novel by Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister is named after “not your typical period drama heroine“: Pride and Prejudice sibling Mary Bennet. Star Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife) says the novel “is very different in style from [Jane] Austen, but it feels like a genuine extension of Pride and Prejudice … It feels like a tragicomedy – it doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s also not afraid to delve into emotionally weighty material” …

➢➢ Alison Hammond’s Big Weekend is a chat show variation in which the star spends weekends with the likes of Luke Evans, Jimmy Carr, Sir Lenny Henry, Perrie Edwards, Mel B and Tony Bellew in the places that made them who they are. The Guardian said it proves she’s a brilliant interviewer: “Who else could get away with asking Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards if she needs to take a pregnancy test? The laughs are always there, but there’s depth too when Edwards talks about anxiety and panic attacks” …

➢➢ Leonard and Hungry Paul already streams on TVNZ+, with The Post praising the dark Irish dramedy about a Dublin board-gaming duo for its “sharp, smart, if sometimes deeply disturbing observations” …

➢➢ Other premieres include the Channel 5 documentary Andrew & Fergie: The Duke & Duchess of Excess (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Friday) and Kiwi podcast parody Small Town Scandal, which graduates from Neon to Sky Open (8.30 Tuesday). S2 of Doc gets a late-night shift (TVNZ 2, 10.50 Sunday), ahead of the double-billing of Border Patrol and Motorway Patrol (TVNZ 1, 7.30/8.00 Tuesday) …

➢➢ Ending their runs are:

• Watching You
• The Twelve
• Snapped
• Outback Crystal Hunters  
• Ted
• Build Your Dream Home In The Country
• Stranded On Honeymoon Island UK …

➢➢ Live/delayed free-to-air sport includes:

• A-League Men: Brisbane Roar v Wellington Phoenix (Sky Open, 4.30 Saturday)
• NRL: Sharks v Dolphins (Sky Open, 7.30 Saturday)
• NRL: Knights v Warriors (Sky Open, 10.00 Saturday)
• UFC Fight Night: Evlov v Murphy (Duke, 6am Sunday)
• T20 Cricket: White Ferns v South Africa (TVNZ 1, 2.30 Sunday/Wednesday)
• T20 Cricket: Black Caps v South Africa (TVNZ 1, 7.00 Sunday/Wednesday)
• Football – FIFA Series 2026: Chile v Cape Verde (TVNZ 2, 3.50 Friday)
• SRP: Moana Pasifika v Highlanders (Sky Open, 6.30 Friday)
• Football – FIFA Series 2026: NZ v Finland (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Friday)
• NRL: Warriors v Tigers (Sky Open, 9.30 Friday) …

➢➢ HD coming attractions include:

• The Lego Ninjago Movie (Three, 7.00 Saturday)
• Ugly Dolls (Whakaata Māori, 7.30 Saturday)
• 300: Rise of an Empire (Three, 9.00 Saturday)
• Sherlock Holmes (Whakaata Māori, 9.00 Saturday)
• Footloose (TVNZ 2, 10.00 Saturday)
• Brooklyn (TVNZ 2, 12.20am Sunday)
• Hop (TVNZ 2, 3.10 Sunday)
• The Bourne Identity (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Sunday)
• Birds of Prey (Three, 8.30 Sunday)
• The Place Beyond the Pines (Sky Open, 8.45 Sunday)
• The World’s Fastest Indian (Whakaata Māori, 8.45 Sunday)
• Spider-Man (Sky Open, 8.30 Sunday)
• Wayne’s World 2 (Duke, 9.30 Monday)
• Breaking (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• Koati (Whakaata Māori, 7.30 Friday)
• The Keeper (Whakaata Māori, 9.00 Friday).