HD Heads-Up: November 23-29

➢➢ Duke cranks up its free-to-air sport coverage with the addition of FIBA – Asia Cup 2025 qualifier match between the Tall Blacks and Chinese Taipei (6.30 Monday) and Cricket – Black Caps v England (10.30am/1.35 Thursday-Friday). Other live/delayed FTA sport includes:

• English Premier League: Goal Rush (Sky Open, 10am Sunday)
• Northern Tour: Italy v NZ (Sky Open, midday Sunday)
• A-League Men: Wellington Phoenix v Melbourne Victory (Sky Open, 3.10 Sunday)
• SailGP Dubai  (Three, 4.3o Sunday-Monday)
• NFL (Duke, 7am Monday)
• Hungry Jack’s NBL25 Season (Duke, 9.30 Thursday) …

➢➢ Daddy Issues (Three, 8.05 Thursday) is a BBC Three comedy about a hedonistic 24-year-old (Aimee Lou Wood) who discovers she’s pregnant after a random hook-up and moves in with her hapless, newly-divorced dad (David Morrissey). The Guardian thought it “honest, moving and full of laughs” while The Telegraph was on the same page: “The latest in a long line of sexually frank comedies – think Fleabag or Starstruck– Daddy Issues is deft, daft and deliciously watchable” …

➢➢ Sky Open is replacing its Friday night movie with the FTA premieres of three comedies:

• Sick Note (9.00), about a woebegone who capitalises on his doctor’s misdiagnosis of a terminal illness
• In the Long Run (10.00), a series based on Idris Elba’s childhood in 1980s London
• Mr. Mayor (10.30), in which Ted Danson plays a newly-elected mayor of Los Angeles who hasn’t a clue about what to do …

➢➢ Also belatedly making its FTA debut back is the George Clooney military satire Catch-22 (TVNZ 1, midnight Sunday) …

➢➢ Unmasking the Monsters (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Monday) is a Documentary NZ account of online child exploitation. Reads the blurb: “With unprecedented access to NZ Customs’ Child Exploitation Operations Team, this documentary reveals the complex and lifesaving work of our investigators at the frontline of online child abuse crimes; delving into the darkest areas, as they work tirelessly to rescue children from exploitation” …

➢➢ Speaking of exploitation, The Act (TVNZ 2, 12.05am Thursday) is a 2019 Hulu dramatisation of how a woman was murdered by the daughter she’d fooled — along with the pubic — into believing she had leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other fake ailments …

➢➢ And in Faking It: Andrew Tate (Three, 9.30 Wednesday), “experts pull apart the controversial influencer’s responses to accusations” …

➢➢ Appearing on The Graham Norton Show (Three, 7.00 Thursday) are Kate Winslet, Dwayne Johnson, Lucy Liu and Jennifer Lopez …

➢➢ Starting new seasons are The Block Australia S20 (Three, 7.30 Sunday/7.00 Monday-Wednesday), Secrets of the London Underground S4 (TVNZ 1, 11.35 Sunday) and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown S15 (TVNZ 2, 7.30 Wednesday), which premieres opposite The Chase: Anniversary Special (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Wednesday) ahead of King’s High Street: Inside St James’ (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Wednesday), which explores Britain’s most luxurious high street …

➢➢ Ending their runs are:

• Crazy Rich Agents
• Hunting Aotearoa
• A Remarkable Place to Die  
• Black Gold
• Hotel Custody 
• I Hate You
• Hunted Australia: Million Dollar Heist …

➢➢ HD coming attractions include:

• Meet the Parents (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
• Scoob! (Three, 7.00 Saturday)
• Dogtanian and The Three Muskehounds (Whakaata Māori, 7.00 Saturday)
• The Trip to Greece (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Saturday)
• Due Date (Three, 9.00 Saturday)
• Cocaine Bear (TVNZ 2, 9.05 Saturday)
• Waru (TVNZ 2, 11.00 Saturday)
• My Wedding and Other Secrets (TVNZ 2, 12.50am Sunday)
• Gloriavale (Eden, 8.30 Sunday)
• Angel Has Fallen (TVNZ 2, 8.40 Sunday)
• The Son (Whakaata Māori, 8.45 Sunday)
• Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (TVNZ 2, 11.50 Sunday)
• Dan Carter: A Perfect 10 (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Monday)
• Groundhog Day (Duke, 8.45 Monday)
• Twelve Monkeys (Duke, 8.30 Tuesday)
• The Justice of Bunny King (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Wednesday)
• How to Be Single (Three, 8.40 Thursday)
• Ghost Rider (Three, 8.00 Friday).