HD Heads-Up: May 23-29

May 14, 2026 0 Comments

➢➢ Sky Open is using the year’s first State of Origin match to optimise viewership of new Kiwi procedural Bust Up. It will premiere 8.30 Wednesday, ahead of the rugby league clash at 9.30. Morgana O’Reilly (Mean Mums, The White Lotus) and Roimata Fox (A Remarkable Place to Die) star in the six-part NZ-German co-pro from Lippy Pictures (The Gulf, Jean). They play former lovers who, a decade later, wind up solving crimes at the same police station in remote Northland. Can they survive 10-hour shifts side by side dealing with petty crimes and dangerous criminals? Each episode revolves around a self-contained case while the layered relationship of the mismatched cops forms a season-long arc …

➢➢ TVNZ 1 also has a new mystery: Coldwater (10.30 Sunday). Already streaming on TVNZ+, it concerns a family’s relocation to a seemingly idyllic Scottish village following the father’s failure to intervene in a violent playground incident — only to discover their neighbours have a secret of their own to hide. The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln stars in a six-part ITV thriller that The Guardian likened to “Deliverance in the Highlands … top quality nonsense”. Said The Times: “The reins are held tightly enough to make this bold and ballsy show just about work.” But the Independent argued: “Despite some interest in examining the issue of violence against women through the prism of the psychological thriller, Coldwater ends up rushed and schlocky, like so much that is carelessly put out on British TV” …

➢➢ TVNZ 1 is the only network to deconstruct the Budget at it is being read on Thursday, with the Jack Tame-fronted 1News Q+A Budget Special 2026 …

➢➢ S3 of The Marlow Murder Club (TVNZ 1, 8.15 Saturday) investigates everything from the from the sudden death of the town’s beloved mayor during a meeting to a celebrity chef found dead at the launch of his cookbook. “The TV equivalent of a garden wallow listening to birdsong while enjoying a nice cup of tea,” quipped The Times while the Daily Mail said, “These cosy crime-busters are the Home Counties’ Charlie’s Angels” …

➢➢ Also back are The Twelve S3 (TVNZ 1, 11.45 Wednesday), Killer Couples S7 (TVNZ 2, weeknights from 12.40am Wednesday) and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder S2 (Three, 9.30 Thursday). Good Girl’s Guide lands on ThreeNow a day earlier, when it releases globally on Netflix (except in NZ and Australia) — depriving fans of the chance to stream it in 4K (as you can S1 on Netflix) …

➢➢ TVNZ 2’s season-seven premiere of Michael McIntyre’s Big Show (7.30 Friday) scarcely seems worthy of its primetime slot given the BBC first screened it in January 2024. Nonetheless, tune in if you want to catch up with what Dermot O’Leary, Tony Hadley, Tom Kerridge and Jess Glynne were doing way back when …

➢➢ Speaking of blasts from the past … Duke revives Michael J Fox’s 30-year-old comedy hit Spin City (4.40 weekdays from Monday) while TVNZ 1 resurrects the slightly fresher Glenn Close legal drama Damages (overnight weeknights from 2.40am Tuesday) …

➢➢ Celebrity Treasure Island ends its latest season (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Wednesday) but if you want to see what didn’t make the final cut, hang around for the behind-the-scenes special Celebrity Treasure Island: The Cutting Room Floor (TVNZ 2, 9.05 Wednesday) …

➢➢ Also ending their runs are:

Johnny Vegas’ Little Shop of Antiques
Susan Calman’s Grand Week by the Sea
The Michael Jackson Story
Natural Born Killer
Accident, Suicide, or Murder ...

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

Rugby – South Island Secondary Schools: Nelson College v Christchurch Boys’ High School (Duke, midday Saturday)
Netball: ANZ Premiership – Steel v Magic (TVNZ 2, 4.00 Saturday)
SRP: Moana Pasifika v Queensland Reds (Sky, 4.30 Saturday)
NRL 2026: Dragons v Warriors (Sky Open, 7.00 Saturday)
Netball: ANZ Premiership – Stars v Tactix (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta (TVNZ 1, 1am Saturday-Tuesday)
NRL 2026: Eagles v Titans (Sky Open, 2am Sunday)
Sal’s NBL: Nelson Giants v Otago Nuggets (Sky Open, 3.00 Sunday)
Netball: ANZ Premiership – Mystics v Pulse (TVNZ 2, 4.00 Sunday)
State of Origin: Blues v Maroons (Sky Open, 9.30 Wednesday)
SRP: Crusaders v Hurricanes (Sky Open, 6.30 Friday) …

➢➢ HD coming attractions include the network movie premieres of The Beekeeper (TVNZ 2, 8.30 Sunday) and Becoming Madonna (Sky Open, 9.30 Sunday) as well as: