HD Heads-Up: March 9

Three will restore some overdue dramatic integrity to its schedule with new scripted fare in the same week it launches The Bachelor NZ. The reality hit will air 7.00 Sundays and 7.30 Mondays from March 18, with Monday’s instalment leading into The Wrong Girl at 8.35. The Australian romantic comedy stars Jessica Marais (above) as the producer of a cooking segment on a morning TV show and will be paired with Chicago Med …

The Guardian dubbed The Wrong Girl “light, funny and broadly appealing, well-targeted toward a swath of young female viewers who were likely getting their romcom jollies from streaming services like Netflix and Stan”. The Sydney Morning Herald carped about “a couple of eye-rolling moments” in the premiere but acknowledged: “The good news is, there’s an awful lot more going on in this polished production that makes it easy to forgive the occasional crime against common sense” …

The next night Three will premiere season 14 of NCIS at 9.00, in-between an extra-long episode of Married at First Sight Australia and a re-run of Adele — Live in New York City. The changes mean the network will still be drama-light in primetime but at least is staking out Mondays and Tuesdays for the genre it’s hitherto neglected this year …

Two blockbuster premieres will go head to head on March 12: Pitch Perfect 2 (Three, 8.05) and Mad Max: Fury Road (TVNZ 2, 8.45). Three will debut PP2 off the back of The Bachelor NZ’s launch and will use it to help promote new shows like The Wrong Girl and NCIS …

Other coming attractions in HD that week will include: The Spiderwick Chronicles (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday), How to Train Your Dragon (Three, 7.00 Saturday), The Expendables (TVNZ 2, 8.50 Saturday), Flight (Three, 8.55 Saturday), Mardi Gras: Spring Break (TVNZ 2, 10.50 Saturday), She’s Out of My League (Three, 11.35 Saturday), The Virginity Hit (TVNZ 2, 12.30am Sunday), Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (Three, 10.20 Sunday), Straw Dogs (TVNZ 2, midnight Sunday), Exit Wounds (Prime, 8.35 Monday), Police Academy (TVNZ 2, 8.45 Tuesday) and Transporter 2 (Three, 8.30 Thursday) …

While Prime viewers wonder why it’s taking so long for the latest Top Gear and Planet Earth II to make it to air — possibly on a powerhouse double-bill — the network will premiere in its Prime Planet slot on March 19 Ireland With Simon Reeve. It debuted in November 2015 in the UK — around the same time as David Attenborough’s The Hunt, which Three will re-run 5.00 Saturdays from March 25 …

Also new that week will be the BBC documentary, A World Without Down Syndrome (TVNZ 1, 9.30 Tuesday). It explores the ethics of pregnancy screening through the eyes of Miranda star Sally Phillips, who has a daughter with Down Syndrome. The Telegraph called it “a fascinating examination of issues surrounding the development of ever more sophisticated prenatal and genetic screening. Phillips skilfully highlighted the negative attitudes of medical professionals towards Down’s births. Her suggestion that screening was as much a diversity issue – threatening the continued existence of a unique strand of humanity – was passionate and thought-provoking” …

Annette Bening, Andrew Garfield, Asa Butterfield and MP Harriet Harman will guest on the March 24 broadcast of The Graham Norton Show (Three, 8.00) …

Ending their runs in the week starting March 18 will be: Mind Over Money, New Secret Life of … 5 Year Olds, Women in Blue and Agent X …