New to TVNZ OnDemand in October

A CNN series about the history of Hollywood will hog TVNZ OnDemand’s limelight this month.

The Movies (October 22) is a six-part series that purports to explore American cinema “through the decades and the cultural, societal and political shifts that framed its evolution”.

But reviews were mixed. Veteran columnist and former studio chief and Variety editor Peter Bart wrote in Deadline that it represented “a smart, passionate if occasionally repetitive exercise in cinematic hubris”.

“For a 30,000 foot view of the art form, the series will serve as a great primer for anyone that is interested in learning about one of the must enduring mediums to ever exist,” argued Forbes magazine.

But conservative critics were less impressed, with National Review accusing the series of faking move history.

“As if CNN’s destruction of broadcast journalism wasn’t calamity enough, now the propaganda network is reshaping film culture.”

Also new this month will be:

From The Vault: Rugby Part 2 (October 1)

Bluey (October 1): Aussie ‘toon about a cattle dog that became the most streamed series on ABC’s iView

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK (October 4): Who will sashay away, and who will he crown as the UK’s First Drag Race superstar?

Temptation Island S2 (weekly from October 4): Couples mutually decide to live the single life while living in separate houses with sexy singles to see if they would be more compatible with another partner

Batwoman (weekly from October 7): Ruby Rose stars as military trained street fighter Kate Kane, returning to Gotham primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence

All American S2 (weekly from October 8): Spencer James, now a football State Champion, has to choose between staying in Beverly Hills to play for Coach Billy Baker and move back to South LA to reunite with his family

Legacies S2 (weekly from October 11): What will Salvatore Boarding School be like without Hope Mikaelson?

The Basement (October 17): A young woman returns to the Kiwi town where her mother, the enigmatic leader of a naturalist commune, was murdered.