New to View: July 5 – 11

SUNDAY

My Big Family Farm | Sky Living, 7.30

AKA Our Yorkshire Farm, this series follows a couple as they raise nine children and more than 1000 sheep over four seasons on one of Britain’s most remote and spectacular farms.

Blood (S2) | Rialto, 8.30

“With its carefully formulated blend of medical intrigue and family dysfunction, suffused with slow-release dread, the first season of Blood felt like a shot in the arm for Irish TV drama … The new series is a handsome and hook-rich thriller that seems carefully engineered to deliver a decent supply of twists, shocks and cliffhangers. But it bears only a passing resemblance to the original.” — The Times.

TUESDAY

Inside Taronga Zoo  | TVNZ 1, 7.30

This Naomi Watts-narrated series goes behind-the-cages at the famed Sydney Zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. Reads the blurb: “No part of Taronga’s sprawling 28 hectares – set on spectacular Sydney Harbour – is off limits in this gripping series which tracks the 240 keepers and vets who care for more than 4500 animals.”

Gordon Ramsay: Unchartered (S2)| National Geographic, 7.30

“As with season one, each of the sophomore season’s episodes ends with Ramsay and a local chef cooking a feast for their guests, who either compliment or critique Ramsay’s attempts to cook their culture’s dishes. However, Uncharted season two boasts a somewhat more relaxed pace than the show’s first go-around.” — IndieWire.

The ABC Murders | Prime, 8.30

“The intersection of John Malkovich and Hercule Poirot is a curious place to spend a few hours, partly because there’s almost no physical resemblance at all between actor and character. But it’s also because Mr. Malkovich—who has never exhibited any discernible aversion to overacting—mines Poirot’s nature rather quietly, even mournfully, putting his own spin on a figure that Christie herself was calling ‘insufferable’ as early as 1930.” — Wall Street Journal.

Devils | SoHo, 9.30 (Neon from July 15)

New 10-part financial thriller from Sky Italia that’s been given “extra resonance” by the COVID-19 crisis. Patrick Dempsey plays the boss of an international bank who recruits a ruthless head of trading (Suburra’s Alessandro Borghi) embroiled in a global conspiracy.

WEDNESDAY

The Kinks – Echoes of a World | Prime, 8.30

How the band’s 1968 album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, became one of the most influential works in rock after bombing on the Billboard charts.

Snow Animals | BBC Earth, 9.35

“A diverting enough look at the strategies used by animals to survive and thrive during the most hostile season … This was CBBC fare, rather than David Attenborough class, but who can resist a spot of undemanding festive fluff?” — The Telegraph.

Stateless | Netflix

“The Cate Blanchett-led ABC series offers a psychologically charged and nail-biting depiction of immigration detention … Focused predominantly on four strangers from various backgrounds, all entering new chapters in their lives, Stateless brings them into the same physical space – an Australian immigration detention centre – while exploring the circumstances that starkly differentiate them.” — The Guardian.

THURSDAY

Bulletproof | SoHo, 9.30 (Neon from July 21)

UK TV spin on the Lethal Weapon formula that’s spawned two seasons (both of which will be available to binge later this month on the new-look Neon). “Bulletproof, an adrenaline cop show from British broadcaster Sky, has two appealing leads, first-rate action sequences, Freamon from The Wire, and real cinematic style.” — PrimeTimer.

What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael | Rialto, 8.30

“Rob Garver’s beautifully crafted documentary channels the timeless headiness of Pauline Kael, arguably the greatest film critic who ever lived.” — Variety.

Guilt | TVNZ OnDemand

“Written by Neil Forsyth (Urban Myths, Bob Servant) this four-part mini-series from BBC Scotland is a pin-sharp black comedy about two brothers who find themselves facing a dark moral dilemma … Forsyth’s tightly written screenplay means the action never sags, and it’s frequently very funny.” — Evening Standard.

The Passage | TVNZ 2, 11.30

“It’s a slow road to apocalypse in the absorbing, if derivative, opening chapters of this Stephen King wannabe based on the epic horror trilogy by Justin Cronin.” — TV Guide.

FRIDAY

The Mallorca Files | TVNZ 1, 8.30

“Set on the sunny Spanish island of Mallorca, this 10-part BBC daytime drama (co-produced with German channel ZDF) is written by Good Karma Hospital‘s Dan Sefton and features a brilliant partnership in the form of uptight British cop Miranda Blake (Elen Rhys) and laid-back German policeman Max Winter (Julian Looman).” — Radio Times.

The Twelve | Netflix

“The accused is a respected school principal. She’s charged with the murders of her young daughter and best friend. But that won’t necessarily be at the forefront of your mind in this brilliant new series from Belgium.” — SBS.

SATURDAY