HD Heads-Up: May 2 – 8

➢➢ TVNZ 1 will revamp weekends with the return of two staples and the premiere of two acclaimed British drama series. The Victim will screen 8.45 Saturdays from May 2, following new seasons of Britain’s Got Talent (7.25) and The Hotel Inspector (8.50). Said The Hollywood Reporter of the four-part Victim: “Set in Scotland and starring Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire) in a fascinating, shaded performance, this is exceptional work from writer and creator Rob Williams (Killing Eve, The Man in the High Castle), who takes an old murder and turns grief into a destructive force, showcasing a strong cast, an engaging setting and more twists than the early going would suggest” …

➢➢ The Victim revolves around a woman who posts online the identity of a man she thinks killed her first-born whereas Sunday night newcomer Flesh and Blood concerns the fall-out for adult siblings when their recently widowed mother falls in love with a man they don’t trust. “Gorge on this deliciously dread-filled thriller,” The Guardian said. “Envy, turmoil and resentment make for the perfect recipe in this Imelda Staunton-led drama, which takes in a widow’s new romance, a mountain of family secrets – and a dead body” …

➢➢ Griff’s Great Australian Rail Trip (Prime, 7.30 Sundays from May 3) is a six-part exploration of the continent aboard the legendary Indian Pacific. It will precede the Prime Rocks premiere of The Chills – The Triumph & Tragedy of Martin Phillipps and the channel’s launch of another celebrity travelogue, Ray Winstone’s Sicily (8.35 Tuesdays from May 5) …

➢➢ Prime also will double-bill new seasons of Bull and New Amsterdam from May 7 (8.30/9.30 Thursdays) while ending their runs that week will be Prison Girls: Life Inside, Keep Cooking and Carry On, Extreme Love Stories, Pooch Perfect and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown …

➢➢ The annual 48Hours film competition has a COVID-19 twist this year, when contestants have two days in which to write, shoot and edit a film up to three minutes long while self-isolating. The Madeleine Sami-hosted VF48Hours Lockdown Film Competition (TVNZ 2, 9.10 Friday) will highlight the best entries and reveal the winner …

➢➢ Spy Wars With Damian Lewis (Duke, 8.30 Wednesdays from May 6) unpacks some of the most thrilling covert missions in modern history with the help of newly declassified information, high-profile experts, and intelligence officers who were there. The Wall Street Journal thought the eight case histories “exceptionally nuanced” and said the series, which sounds as if it would be just at home on TVNZ 1, was “distinguished by the eloquence with which it evokes the times in which these events took place” …

➢➢ Three will premiere two movies in the week starting May 2: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! (7.00 Saturday)and Lady Bird (9.00 Saturday). The rest of the week’s coming attractions will include:

• Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
• The Croods (Maori TV, 7.00 Saturday)
• Jerry Maguire (TVNZ 2, 8.40 Saturday)
• Lake Placid (Duke, 9.25 Saturday)
• Stolen From Suburbia (Three, 10.45 Saturday)
• The Inbetweeners 2 (TVNZ 2, 11.15 Saturday)
• Amateur Night (TVNZ 2, 1am Sunday)
• Trolls (Three, 7.00 Sunday)
• Thor: Ragnarök (TVNZ 2, 8.05 Sunday)
• Ben-Hur (Three, 8.40 Sunday)
• Cheech & Chong’s Nice Dreams (Duke,  9.30 Sunday)
• Oculus (TVNZ 2, 11.20 Sunday)
• White House Down (Prime, 8.30 Monday)
• Full Metal Jacket (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• 101 Dalmatians (TVNZ 2, 4.15 Friday)
• Transporter 2 (Three, 7.30 Friday)
• Jackass 2.5 (Duke, 8.30 Friday).