New to View: June 28 – July 4

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

SUNDAY

MasterChef: Back to Win | TVNZ 2, 7.00

“Personalities aside, the programme has not varied even a pinch from its not-so-secret recipe for success. The steely determination of contestants, moments of vulnerability and self-doubt, semi-candid vox pops, tears, cheers and fireballs are all back and set to a rousing orchestral soundtrack. It’s still early days, but if anything was going to return MasterChef Australia to the rare air it enjoyed in its glory days, this would be it.” — The Guardian.

Big Brother Australia | Three, 7.00

Big Brother Australia is back after a five-year hiatus. “The Channel Seven reboot featured tears, tantrums, outspoken contestants, a gravity-defying challenge and a shock elimination all in the first episode.” — Daily Mail.

Beat the Chasers | TVNZ 1, 8.30

“It’s better the Family edition, not quite as entertaining as the Celebrity version, and unlikely to replace the original in the hearts of true Chase fans. But as a short-run, occasional switch-up, it could prove to be highly addictive.” — Stuff.

Head High | Three, 8.30

“Head High focuses on the conflict between two (fictional) South Auckland high schools, Southdown and St Isaac’s, and their rugby teams. The Southdown team has just been promoted into the 1A division, and St Isaac’s is poaching them. It’s a show that uses rugby more as a setting to discuss a range of other things: privilege, race, class, even gender.” — The Spinoff.

The Lawyer (S2) | TVNZ OnDemand

As London’s Evening Standard said of the first season: “Complicated cops, smouldering looks and ice-blue skies … bask in the new Scandi-noir.”

MONDAY

I May Destroy You | SoHo2, 8.00

“I May Destroy You is at once brave and delicate, untangling the trauma of sexual assault with dark humour and moments of deep discomfort all held together on the strength of Michaela Coel’s undeniable talent.” — Rotten Tomatoes.

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark  | SoHo2, 8.30/Neon

“An epic account of the crimes of the man dubbed the Golden State Killer. He had been responsible for so many different California crime sprees in the Seventies and Eighties that he already had multiple nicknames — the Visalia Ransacker, the East Area Rapist, and the Original Night Stalker — as it took years for law enforcement to realise all were the heinous work of the same person.” — Rolling Stone.

TUESDAY

The Dog House | TVNZ 1, 8.45

WEDNESDAY

Nature’s Biggest Beasts | BBC Earth, 9.35

“The world’s biggest beasts have always captured the imagination. But whilst being big can have its advantages, it also comes with sizeable challenges. Take the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, whose huge appetite means it must take on prey ten times its weight, or the tallest animal of them all – the giraffe – who, with such a long neck, must control immense blood pressure. Nature’s biggest beasts must go to extraordinary lengths to thrive. These are their epic survival stories!” — BBC.

THURSDAY

Around the World by Train | TVNZ 1, 8.30

“Watching Sir Tony Robinson explore the world with child-like wonder in Around the World by Train is a nice piece of escapism – particularly for anyone who is missing the thrill of overseas travel.” — Stuff.

Quakers: The Quiet Revolutionaries | Sky Arts, 8.30

“This film charts the history of Quakerism, from 17th century England to modern-day USA, with an emphasis on its dissenter roots and history of non-violent social activism, from early embrace of gender and race equality and the anti-slavery movement to recent environmental campaigns.” — The Daily Telegraph.

FRIDAY

Warrior Nun | Netflix

“Things are really heating up at Netflix with the impending debut of Warrior Nun. Not only is the series going to be your new binge, but it just might fill the Buffy-shaped hole in your streaming schedule. Teens against the apocalypse? Yes, please!” — Decider.

Ju-On: Origins | Netflix

Series prequel to The Grudge, about a paranormal researcher searches obsessively for a cursed home where something terrible happened to a mother and her child long ago. “The show seeks to rejuvenate the franchise on the small screen … The scripts were written by Hiroshi Takahashi (Ring) and Takashige Ichise (Dark Water), so there’s a lot of established J-Horror talent behind this project.” — Den of Geek.