New to View: May 31 – June 6

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

MONDAY

The Parachute Murder Plot | TVNZ 1, 8.40

“The Parachute Murder Plot is totally chilling and literally everyone’s worst nightmare come true. The documentary delves deeper into the story and tells the story of this case, which is actually too horrific to even imagine, let alone believe actually happened. You may want to give it a miss if you’re planning a skydive any time soon. It tells the story of a husband who wanted to leave his wife for another woman, but instead of simply separating, he sought to end things for good — which in his mind meant murder. Murder made to look like an accidental death and a life insurance claim to sweeten the deal.” — Bustle.

The A Word (S3) | BBC UKTV, 9.30

Two years on, Joe is 10 and living in two places at once processing life through the filter of his autism, Alison and Paul are divorced and living 100 miles apart, Nicola has moved to London, Eddie lives with his dad and Rebecca has just realised he’s pregnant. “As the hit series about a young boy with autism and his family returns, its themes of anxiety and adjustment feel more prescient than ever.” — The Guardian.

TUESDAY

All the Sins | Rialto, 8.30

Award-winning crime thriller and dysfunctional family drama series set in Finland’s singular Bible belt. “It is the attention paid to character, however, and how criminal investigation interweaves with three characters’ confrontation of severe past suffering from gender violence or homophobia, which marks out the series.” — Variety.

Roast Battle (S4) | Comedy Central, 10.30  

“The new run will feature a series of guest judges alongside regulars Jimmy Carr and Katherine Ryan after Jonathan Ross stood down. Noel Fielding will be the first, when the series returns for the first of five new weekly episodes … In that show stand-up Laura Lexx will go up against Tom Livingstone – a member of the Noise Next Door improv troupe who just happens to be her husband.” — Chortle.

WEDNESDAY

Earth From Space | BBC Earth, 8.30

“Earth from Space used satellites to suddenly zoom in, laser-like, on moving dots, which were a herd of elephants searching for water in a vicious drought, or splodges of brown, which were penguin faeces. This was a fresh take on the wildlife documentary, but they are no longer soothing pleasures. The carrot of a chubby seal two seconds later becomes the shitty stick of guilt at what we have done to our planet. But here there were lump-in-throat images and an aerial shot of hundreds of Chinese students doing kung fu moves in synchronicity, a stunning sight from above. Mesmerising television but, as so often now, depressing.” — The Times.

Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered | SoHo, 9.30

“HBO’s five-part documentary series promises to be yet another ambitious and detailed true-crime story from the network that does them best. Directed by Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Jeff Dupre and Joshua Bennett, the series takes five hours to dig deeply into the deaths and disappearances of 30 people, most of them children and teens, between 1979 and 1981 … Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered is well-balanced in its voices, clear of narrative and tough as nails — just as it absolutely needs to be.” — Decider.

THURSDAY

Rhys Darby: Big in Japan | TVNZ 1, 8.45

Confessed the comic actor to the NZ Herald about his latest gig: “I’m not one off those guys who’s constantly buying Lonely Planets. I’m more the huy who picks one upon at the airport on the way to the destination and browses through it.”

Black Monday (S2) | SoHo2, 8.30

“After an unfunny, unpleasant start Black Monday found a stride and purpose more worthy of a cast that includes Don Cheadle, Regina Hall and Andrew Rannells. The new second season begins in the wake of the 1987 stock market crash with rogue trader Mo Monroe (Cheadle) on the run in fairly hilarious disguise in Florida. His old friend Dawn (Hall) looks certain to track him down, while the monstrously evolved Blair (Rannells) is lobbying congress to deregulate the banks – because what could possibly go wrong?” — Sydney Morning Herald.