New to ThreeNow in October

Fans of the outback whodunit Mystery Road can start from the beginning of Detective Jay Swan’s journey when ThreeNow premieres the prequel series Mystery Road: Origin (full season, October 5).

Set in 1999, it opens on Constable Swan’s first day on the beat. Reads the blurb:

Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary. Mystery Road: Origin explores how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge, Detective Jay Swan.

“Mystery Road: Origin feels refreshingly about Jay, rather than just using him as a human pathway into a tangled web,” The Guardian said.  “The narrative expands with a very satisfying sense of overarching purpose, and feels more like a six-hour film than a series of episodes.”

Other critics were similarly impressed. Said The Times: “It is beautiful to look at, pleasingly slow, quietly menacing, culturally conscious and comes laced with the visual sensibility of a US western.”

Welcome to Flatch S1-2 (October 11) is a mockumentary about the eccentric residents of a small American town that was written and executive-produced by Jenny Bicks (Sex and the City, The Greatest Showman).

It was inspired by a UK series that has yet to air or stream here, This Country.

“This Americanised reimagining of a British sitcom doesn’t make the funniest of first impressions, but its small town scruff is endearing enough to merit sticking around and giving it a chance,” Rotten Tomatoes said of S1.

Other October highlights include Mad Men S1-7 (October 9), dysfunctional family comedy Casual S1-4 (which aired on TVNZ 2), and the first free-to-stream run of Sky’s Motherland S1-2 (October 23).