New to TVNZ+: December 6-12

Under the Bridge (December 9) is the latest Disney+ series you can binge for free on TVNZ+ (albeit not in 4K or ad-free).

It dramatises the true story of Reena Virk, a 14-year-old who went to a party and never came home.

Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six) plays a writer who teams with a local police officer (Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone) to investigate the hidden world of the young girls accused of the murder.

Variety called it a “dark, gripping … heartbreaking murder mystery …

“Sharp and devastating, with a ’90s hip-hop soundtrack laced throughout, Under the Bridge is an absorbing examination of cruelty, why some people receive empathy over others and how our own biases can prevent us from recognising the truth.”

But The Guardian argued:

Though it assiduously dodges some of the worst of the so-called ‘dead girl’ tropes, it falls prey to the most irksome ones of prestige streaming TV: bloated episode counts, multiple timelines, blurry formal shifts, portentous voiceovers, mistaking correct politics (on racism, incompetent law enforcement, trauma and more) for nuanced, compelling craft.

Confessions of a Steroid Gang (December 7) is a three-part BBC dramatisation of how a father and son’s backyard steroid empire in North Wales became a global operation – and a ticking time bomb:

Including testimony from steroid users, experts and those affected by the culture, Confessions of a Steroid Gang shows how image-obsessed social media, testosterone supplements and a booming black market collided and highlights the health risks of unregulated steroid use and addiction.

New movies to stream from December 10 include The Princess Bride, The Neverending Story and Spy Kids 4.

Live sport ranges from the second BlackCaps-West Indies test to the FIFA World Cup drawer (5.55am December 6) while making their linear debuts, as previewed here, are Sydney’s Killer Cop, Location Location Location S28 and Rob and Romesh VS.