HD Heads-Up: May 14 – 20

➢➢ The Pembrokeshire Murders (TVNZ 1, 9.30 Sunday) is a three-part dramatisation of the hunt for the killer of Peter and Gwenda Dixon, who were robbed and shot dead while walking on a coastal path in Pembrokeshire in 1989. Luke Evans (Nine Perfect Strangers), Keith Allen (Marcella), and Caroline Berry (Coronation Street) star. “The Pembrokeshire Murders is a perfect example of how to do it well,” The Guardian said. “It is sensitive when it needs to be, and never loses sight of who suffered. Ultimately, it is about how the victims were given justice, no matter how long it took, and of the painstaking, precise detective work involved” …

➢➢ The Holiday (TVNZ 1, 9.00 Saturday, full season OnDemand) is a four-part psychological thriller about a mother-of-two who suspects her husband of infidelity while holidaying with friends in Malta. The Daily Mail gave it a four-star review but viewers thought otherwise …

➢➢ Two more TVNZ OnDemand series at last will receive linear runs: Bloom (TVNZ 1, 12.55am Sunday) and Hugh Laurie’s  acclaimed 2020 political thriller Roadkill (TVNZ 1, 11.30 Wednesday). Bloom is an Australian mystery, set one year after a devastating flood kills five residents of an idyllic country town where a mysterious new plant appears with the power to restore their youth, and was hailed by trade paper Screenhub as “sophisticated and superbly acted”  …

➢➢ The Ex Best Thing (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Thursday) is a new Kiwi dating show with a true twist: five ex-couples try to matchmake their former lovers. “After all, who knows you better than your previous partner?” reads the blurb. “Will our singles strike a new match thanks to their ex, or could they re-light an old flame?” …

➢➢ TVNZ 2 will refresh late-night Fridays with new seasons of Paranormal Caught on Camera (10.30), Love Life (11.30), Kung Fu (12.10) and the network’s premiere of Evil (1am), which originally aired on Prime and can be streamed OnDemand. It’s also exhuming the 2007 flop Bionic Woman for a 12.15am Wednesday run …

➢➢ Stand-up comedy fans can look forward to two specials: Chris Parker: Back to School (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Friday; TVNZ OnDemand, from midday), which s billed as a “part stand-up, part documentary, one-of-a-kind comedy special” about the award-winning comedian’s return to his Christchurch high schools; and Ed Gamble: Blood Sugar (Three, 8.30 Thursday), which covers everything from his diabetes diagnosis to his love of heavy metal bands and his father’s unusual retirement entertainment …

➢➢ TVNZ Duke will premiere two outdoor lifestyle shows as part of a new-look Sunday night menu that will include the return of Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn (10.00): Reel Destinations, in which Namotu fishing guides Ben Wilson and Dyllon Schulz explore Australia’s best fishing spots; and Man Eats Wild (9.00), in which professional hunter, fisherman and restaurateur Mario Kalpou travels the world harvesting wild game and experiencing new cultures and cuisines …

➢➢ 10 Years Younger Changed My Life (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Thursday) catches up with the participants of 10 Years Younger in 10 Days to see how they’ve fared post-makeover …

➢➢ The Repair Shop fans may want to tune into a new Jay Blades series, Money for Nothing (Eden, 6.00 Sunday). He and co-host Sarah Moore visit recycling centres across the UK and challenge “elite artisans” to transform junk into valuable artifacts …

➢➢ Maori TV will launch Queer and Here (9.00 Thursday), in which Aniwa Whaiapu Koloamatangi presents “an adventurous journey among the queer community” …

➢➢ Also returning for new seasons will be Fear the Walking Dead (Prime, 11.30 Sunday), Naked and Afraid (Rush, 9.10 Tuesday), Batwoman (TVNZ 2, 12.25am Tuesday) and Highway Patrol (TVNZ 2, 8.00 Thursday) while ending their runs will be AP Bio, La Brea and Smother …

➢➢ Screening for the first time on free-to-air TV will be Bombshell (TVNZ 2, 8.35 Sunday) and Bad Boys for Life (Three, 8.30 Sunday). Other HD coming attractions will include:

• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
• Son of Bigfoot (Maori TV, 7.00 Saturday)
• Begin Again (Eden, 8.30 Saturday)
• Pop Aye (Maori TV, 8.30 Saturday)
• She’s Out of My League (Three, 9.30 Saturday)
• Interview With the Vampire (Duke, 9.30 Saturday)
• True Story (TVNZ 2, 11.55 Saturday)
• Aliens in the Attic (TVNZ 2, 4.00 Sunday)
• 2 Fast 2 Furious (TVNZ 2, 8.20 Sunday)
• The Catcher was a Spy (Eden, 8.30 Sunday)
• Nowhere Boy (Maori TV, 8.30 Sunday)
• Fire Down Below (Prime, 9.30 Monday)
• Straight Outta Compton (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• Wish I Was Here (Maori TV, 8.30 Wednesday)
• Hellboy (Three, 7.30 Friday).