HD Heads-Up: March 28-April 3 *

March 19, 2026 0 Comments

* Since posting this, TVNZ 1 has pulled A Taste for Murder.

➢➢ The pick of this week’s drama premieres are off-peak: Here We Go (TVNZ 1, 1.15 Sunday) and All Her Fault (TVNZ 1, 10.35 Sunday). Both already are streaming on TVNZ+, which may partly explain their scheduling, whereas another newcomer lands on linear before its UK premiere. A Taste for Murder (TVNZ 1, 9.35 Sunday) is a Britbox whodunit with a foodie twist set amidst the steep cliffs and fast tides of Capri: “classic Italian cuisine as the main ingredient to each episode’s central murder mystery, revealing the power of food to foster connection, community, and healing after devastating loss.” Created by Matt Baker (Patience, Professor T, Hotel Portofino), it stars Warren Brown (The Responder) and Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey) …If you haven’t yet streamed the first three seasons of Here We Go, it’s an extravagantly praised comedy about “three generations of a Bedford-based family in all its messy, dysfunctional but ultimately loving glory”. All Her Fault stars Succession’s Sarah Snook as a young mother whose desperate search for her missing son threatens to tear apart the rest of the family. The Guardian said this “terrifying thriller is an absolute pleasure to watch … All the narrative cogs turn and interlock fast and seamlessly.” But Time said the Peacock thriller “makes zero sense” while in-between was Variety’s verdict: “a middling entry in the rich mom mystery genre” …

➢➢ Variety dubbed Stumble (TVNZ 2, 11.45 Friday) “a hysterical mockumentary about the high-stakes arena of junior college cheerleading … The writers have mastered the cadence and comedic style that make series like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and, more recently, Abbott Elementary so beloved.” Other top critics agreed, save for The Hollywood Reporter: “A tonal mess, veering between underdeveloped jokes and unearned sentiment” …

➢➢ Also ex-TVNZ+ is Prosper (TVNZ 1, 11.30 Wednesday), an acclaimed eight-part Australian thriller starring Richard Roxburgh as the charismatic founder of an evangelical Australian megachurch hellbent on expanding in the US, risking a collision between ambition and faith that could destroy the church and his family (Rebecca Gibney plays his wife). “There’s plenty of plot to reel audiences in, and the scheming only increases as the series goes on,” said Screenhub. “Prosper gets crazy, but Roxburgh is always convincing,” argued The Australian while Flicks dubbed it a Succession-like “biting takedown of the false idols” …

➢➢ Antiques Roadshow meets Clarkson’s Farm in another off-peak premiere, Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop of Antiques (TVNZ 1, 12.20 Saturday). It follows the comedian-cum-curios collector as he sets up a pop-up shop called Vintage Vegas in Cheshire. The Times dubbed it “a northern Clarkson’s Farm … The comedian and his sidekick Bev had a Jeremy and Kaleb-style rapport as they trawled the country in a garish van looking for knick-knack bargains” …

➢➢ Also new are the documentary Is Your Smart Phone Spying on You? (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Wednesday) and Alan Cumming’s Most Luxurious Train … (Sky Open, 8.30 Thursday), in which the Traitors star tours his homeland aboard the Royal Scotsman. The four-part Channel 4 series won a 2025 Scottish BAFTA for Best Factual Entertainment …

➢➢ Returning for new seasons are My Family Mystery (TVNZ 1, 8.35 Sunday) and Hell’s Kitchen (TVNZ 2, 10.45 Friday) while ending their runs are:

Scandinavia With Simon Reeve
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Secrets of Britain’s Historic Houses …
Taste of Art
Jamie’s Money Saving Meals
Atomic …

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

NRL: Panthers v Eels (Sky Open, 7.00 Saturday)
Cricket – White Ferns v South Africa (Duke, 1.30 Sunday/10.30am Wednesday)
A-League Women: Wellington Phoenix v Western Sydney Wanderers (Sky Open, 4.00 Sunday)
Football – FIFA Series 2026: Cape Verde v Finland (TVNZ 2, 3.50 Monday)
Football – FIFA Series 2026: All Whites v Chile (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Monday)
SRP: Crusaders v Fijian Drua (Sky Open, 6.30 Friday)
A-League Men: Adelaide United v Auckland FC (Sky Open, 9.30 Friday) …

➢➢ Leading into Easter Weekend, the networks unspool a choice of Friday night movies, including the first broadcast of the Harry Potter movies on Three: