New to TVNZ+ in August

The Undeclared War, an acclaimed political thriller set at the end of a global pandemic two years from now, will stream as a full series from August 17 on TVNZ+.

About a team of UK analysts trying to ward off a foreign cyber-attack on the country’s electoral system, it stars Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Mark Rylance and Alex Jennings.

The Guardian thought it “glacially paced” and Enid Blyton-ish but other critics hailed the six-part series as “powerful intriguing”, “Impressive”, “slick, confident” and “exceedingly well made”.

“While The Undeclared War isn’t as convincingly brainy as it purports itself to be, it satisfies as a well-acted and visually dynamic cybercrime thriller,” was the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.

SkyMed (August 5, full series) is a Canadian drama about the nurses and pilots of a remote flying air ambulance service.

Said Decider of the Paramount+ attraction: “SkyMed is nothing revolutionary, but it doesn’t make us cringe, either. For a show of this type, that’s saying a whole lot.”

Another Paramount+ series, Players (August 5, full series) is a mockumentary about  the world of competitive e-sports from the creators of American Vandal.

Reviews were mostly favourable, although the top trades had polar opposite verdicts: “a sharp new mockumentary, minus the mocking” (Variety) vs “more mildly amusing padded ad for esports than satire” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Misha Brooks (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Da’Jour Jones (That Damn Michael Che), Ely Henry (Roadies), and Holly Chou (The Blacklist) star.

Barons (August 26, full series) is a nostalgic Australian series about two best friends who become surfware rivals during the social and sexual upheavals of the early ’70s.

According to Flicks, “Barons has its charms: a great cast, an intriguing milieu, a cracking soundtrack (courtesy of late Mushroom honcho Michael Gudinsky, an executive producer here), and some impressive surf cinematography from Taylor Steele.

“But it feels less than the sum of its parts, and the lasting impression is that while Barons makes a decent fist of portraying this specific era and scene, it doesn’t really have much to say about it.”

Foreign language drama The King (August 23, full series) is named after the ruthless director and lawmaker of an Italian prison where his power is waning. Reads the blurb:

Set against a backdrop of personal conflict and international terror, this searing prison drama interrogates the authority of power and justice, and the perils of accepting small acts of evil in the name of a higher cause.

Joining the true-crime line-up will be:

• Smiley Face Killers (August 13), an NYPD investigation into how since 1997 hundreds of college-aged athletic men have mysteriously drowned after a night out drinking with friends.
• Mystery of the Man on the Moor (August 20), the year-long investigation into one of Britain’s most baffling cases

Also watch for License to Kill, The Disappearance of the Millbrook Twins, The Piketon Family Murders and Catching a Serial Killer: Bruce McArthur.

Catch-up highlights will include 2017 E! drama The Arrangement S1-2 (August 3), Miranda S1-3 (August 10), Power S1-6 and Power Book II: Ghosts (August 26), and the 2011 MTV comedy I Just Want My Pants Back (August 28).

TVNZ+ movie premieres for August will include Panic Room, The Bone Collector, 13 Going on 30, Are We There Yet?, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl and Daddy Day Care.

New to the branded channels from August 1 will be:

Filmstream

Roxanne
Zana

iWonder

Love Between the Covers
Russia’s Cyber Army
Objector
Songs of War: Music as a Weapon

Lifetime

The Bling Ring
Disappearance in Yellowstone
Single Black Female
Line Sisters
Cocaine Godmother
Anne Rule’s A House on Fire
Anne Rule’s Circle of Deception
Abducted: The Carlina White Story
An Amish Murder

Outdoor

Nick’s Wild Ride S1
Diamond River Hunters S1
Gold Fever S5

OUTtv

Camp Wannakiki S3a
GoGo for the Gold S1b
The Gauntlet of Games S1b
F*cking Smart S1b

Pulse

Oceans Apart: Greed, Betrayal and Pacific Rugby
The Russian Five
Return To Gandhi Road
Kubrick By Kubrick

Baby
The Oratario
My Darling Vivian
You Cannot Kill David Arquette