New to View: January 10 – 16

A weekly guide to what’s new of note on air and online

Sunday

➢ A Perfect Planet TVNZ 1, 7.00

“A near-perfect programme. The cinematography is as awesome in scale and majesty as anything that has gone before, capturing both vast panoramas of tropical atolls and the tiniest wrinkly detail of a giant tortoise’s backside. The theme of the series is clever and novel, each episode analysing one of the great forces of nature that have created ‘the only planet in the universe, so far as we know, where there is life’ – the sun, weather, oceans and so on … The usual climate crisis sermonising is in there (and quite right too), but not until about halfway through, and not too hectoring; it is a delicate balance between entertainment and education.” — Independent.

➢ Life TVNZ 1, 9.15

“Screenwriter Mike Bartlett’s soapy new BBC drama [gets] off to a great start. (And when I say ‘soapy’, I don’t mean that in a bad way at all.) Set within a large subdivided house in Manchester (rather than a soap-style street or square), this six-part drama follows the inhabitants of the building’s four flats on their different – but ultimately interconnecting – storylines. Plus there are some soap-style bombshells, which range from the brilliant to the slightly-daft.” — Radio Times.

➢ A Discovery of Witches SoHo, 9.30/Neon

➢ Shortland Street TVNZ 2, 7.00

Also back for its 29th season, with an hour-long resolution of last year’s cliffhanger — in which a rogue cop shot Chris Warner in the heart. Star Michael Galvin, who’s been a Shorty staple since the start, told The TV Guide: “How many more lives does Chris Warner have? Hopefully, at least one more, but we’ll see.”

➢ American Gods Amazon Prime Video

“This season attempts to copy the aesthetics of previous seasons without matching the intent behind them. CGI isn’t just what made American Gods beautiful, it was the meaning and artistry behind the visual choices. Although the visuals this season can still be interesting at times, they can also ring hollow. Slowed-down blood droplets flying across the screen have little impact if they are just there to look cool and not to further the story.” — Paste.

Tuesday

➢ DNA Rialto, 8.30

“DNA, in Danish, French and Polish with subtitles, is, I’m convinced, our new The Bridge … It’s every bit as enthralling as the Saga Norén chiller – indeed, this eight-parter is from the imaginarium of the co-creator of The Killing, Torleif Hoppe … It’s also got Charlotte Rampling as the incroyably chic older French investigator.” — The Guardian.

Wednesday

➢ Prodigal Son TVNZ OnDemand

The #1-rated series of the 2020 US TV season returns for its second season, complete with two new cast members: Tony Award-winner Christian Borle (Little Shop of Horrors) and Michael Potts (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom). The latter joins as a therapist and the former as “Friar Pete”, a mass murderer who’s in the same psychiatric ward as Michael Sheen’s serial killer-cum-crime solver. Also express from the US today is S3 of The Resident.

➢ Yellowstone SoHo, 8.30

If you subscribe to Neon, you can binge on the first three seasons; otherwise, you can watch Kevin Costner’s modern-day ranching drama unfold weekly. “Frequent drone shots remind us we’re in Big Sky Country, and while some of the dialogue is decidedly ripe, with Costner at his compelling best, it’s hard not to get swept up into this binge-worthy cowboy saga.” — Stuff.

Thursday

➢ The Windsors: Inside the Royal Dynasty BBC UKTV, 8.30

“CNN’s fascinating series confirms why the dysfunctional royal family still rules. Why can’t we quit the royals? This soapy docuseries sheds light on the clan even odder than yours … Combining subtle reenactments — shots that suggest the key players rather than show them outright — archival footage, and interviews with historians, friends, and distant relations, The Windsors follows a comfortingly familiar format.” — Salon.

➢ Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President Sky Arts, 8.30

“A potent and poignant reminder of how some things used to be and may never be again. A fun soulful documentary that’s rarely ever invasive, depicting the type of statesman we’re sorely missing today.” — New York Times.

Friday

➢ The Stand Amazon Prime Video

“Stephen King’s post-pandemic allegory about good and evil … is a car on cinderblocks. It looks great. If you glance under the hood, you can see all of the work that’s been done on the engine. But no matter how ready it seems to peel out onto the road, it isn’t going anywhere. Very rarely is the Benjamin Cavell-steered adaptation, with Josh Boone directing the pilot, actively bad, but it’s very frustrating.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢ WandaVision Disney+

Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Vision (Paul Bettany) are happily married in idyllic suburbia. Or are they? “Of course, beneath the monochrome, there’s a twist: Wanda and Vision’s double life as super-powered beings begins to creep into their domestic bliss, and villains lurk behind every manicured lawn and under every sewer grate.” — Rolling Stone.

➢ Servant Apple TV+

“Where did the baby go? Was there ever really a baby to begin with? Questions like these hang over the upcoming second season of M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘slow-burning nanny nightmare‘.” — Entertainment Weekly.

➢ Bling Empire Netflix

“Follows the journey of LA’s extremely rich Asian Americans that are blessed enough to spend money on things like people breathe air. This will literally scream the Kardashian-Jenner vibe to you in all senses. It shows how lavishly a certain percentage of the community are living their lives.” — Binged.