HD Heads-Up: September 2-8

➢➢ TVNZ 1 is burning off the latest season of Rose Matafeo’s critically acclaimed romcom Starstruck as a “comedy binge event” on Saturday night. Season three’s six episodes will play back-to-back from 8.30 and launch the same time on TVNZ+. The first two seasons screened on TVNZ 2 but tanked in the ratings. For the latest, which follows Jessie (Matafeo) as she explores a new single life having parted ways with film star Tom (Nikesh Patel), TVNZ 1 is using the same tactic it deployed over Easter for two other series that were too significant to write-off late-night but were never going to rate here: Nolly and Am I Being Unreasonable. Saturday is the lowest rating night of the week so bingeing a series like Starstruck allows the network to unload the property in one hit where it can do least ratings harm while warming up traditional free-to-air viewers to the programming strategies of the streaming era that may increasingly modernise linear schedules …

➢➢ Family Faith Footy – A Pasifika Rugby Story (TVNZ 1, 8.30 Sunday) promises “special access” into the Samoan, Tongan and Fijian rugby teams as they prepare for the 2023 Rugby World Cup while telling “their own inspirational, and compelling stories in a way you’ve never seen before”. The two-hour documentary spearheads a big week for FTA sport that includes the premiere of The Greatest Rivalry (Sky Open, 9.30 Wednesday), which examines the fierce competitiveness between the Springboks and All Blacks, and live coverage of the first One Day International between NZ and England (TVNZ 1, 11.15 Friday), another T20 game between the two sides (TVNZ 2, 5am Wednesday), and continuing US Tennis Open and FIBA Basketball on Duke … …

➢➢ Sky Open also is using the 2023 RWC to overhaul Thursday nights. Leading off at 7.00 is Rugby World Cup on Island, in which Oscar Kightley and former Pasifika rugby comment on how Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga are performing at the 2023 World Cup. It’s being paired with re-runs of This Could Go Anywhere (7.30), in which cricket legends Phil Tufnell and Brendon McCullum tour the country, and Extreme Nightmare Tenants (8.30). Quantum Leap jumps to 10.30 and The Crowd Goes Wild moves back to 9.30. Law & Order: Organised Crime is being dropped …

➢➢ Sky Open also will premiere Bryan Bruce’s one-off documentary The Food Crisis (8.30 Sunday). He investigates why one-in-seven Kiwi kids go hungry when our farms produce enough food to feed 30 million people. It was to have repeated on Thursday but now will re-run the following week. Other last-minute changes include the surprising return of vintage Frasier in primetime and the relegation of Monday sitcoms Night Court and American Auto to later slots  …

➢➢ Deep Water Salvage (Duke, 7.30 Thursday) follows four of the best marine salvage teams in the world as they race against the clock to recover ships wrecked by fierce storms across the US, Central America and the UK …

➢➢ New to Whakaata Māori are West Coasters (7.30 Monday) and Whetū Mārama – Bright Star (8.30 Monday). The former explores the essence of Te Tai ō Poutini while the latter is a movie-length documentary about Sir Hekenukumai Busby …

➢➢ Returning for new seasons are Wild Kai Legends (Duke, 7.05 Sunday), Eat Well for Less NZ (TVNZ 1, 7.30 Tuesday), Love Island Australia (Sky Open, 11.40 weeknights from Tuesday) and Bel Air (TVNZ 2, 12.25am Friday) …

➢➢ The Traitors NZ ends on Tuesday but fans can catch up the same week with The Traitors UK (Three, 7.30 Thursday and Friday). Also ending their runs are The Amazing Race, Dog Squad Puppy School, The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds, Yellowstone, Bradley Walsh & Son: Breaking Dad and Travel Man …

➢➢ HD coming attractions for the first week in September include:

• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (TVNZ 2, 7.00 Saturday)
• My Spy (Three, 7.00 Saturday)
• Navigator – A Medieval Odyssey (Whakaata Māori, 7.00 Saturday)
• On the Road (Eden, 8.30 Saturday)
• This Town (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Saturday)
• Shooter (Three, 8.50 Saturday)
• Bad Grandpa (TVNZ 2, 9.15 Saturday)
• Paranormal Activity – The Marked Ones (Duke, 10.40 Saturday)
• Fatherhood (TVNZ 2, 12.10am Sunday)
• Father Figures (TVNZ 2, 2am Sunday)
• Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (TVNZ 2, 4.20 Sunday)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (TVNZ 2, 7.0o Sunday)
• Invictus (Eden, 8.25 Sunday)
• Spider-Man: Far From Home (Three, 8.30 Sunday)
• The Words (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Sunday)
• Jaws (TVNZ 2, 10.45 Sunday)
• The King of Comedy (Whakaata Māori, 8.30 Wednesday)
• Bloodshot (Three, 8.45 Friday)
• Spider-Man (TVNZ 2, 8.55 Friday).