New to View: October 4 – 10

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

Sunday

➢ Warrior SoHo, 8.30/Neon

“The second season’s action highlights include an episode-length (the sixth) homage to Enter the Dragon, where Ah Sahm travels to the U.S.-Mexico border to pursue the prize in a fighting tournament; the inevitable showdown between Ah Sahm and hulking, bigoted Irish activist Dylan Leary; and Cheng’s vigilante madam Ah Toy putting her gleaming sword to very bloody use to get justice for her people. There are several set pieces featuring action of a scope few shows this side of Game of Thrones have ever attempted, let alone pulled off in such giddy fashion.” — Rolling Stone.

Monday

➢ The Walking Dead TVNZ 2, 10.10

“There’s a strange poignancy to watching the much delayed Season 10 finale of The Walking Dead, A Certain Doom, which finally premieres as a one-off special … There’s the relief of finally getting resolution to the epic, season long war with the horrifying Whisperers, of course. But there’s the sweeter, sadder note that this is now airing after we know The Walking Dead is ending that makes every moment feel that much more impactful and powerful.” — Decider.

Tuesday

➢ Louis Theroux: Altered States – Choosing Death Prime, 9.30

2018 documentary about assisted dying in the US. “Paradoxically the tales were profoundly sad, but not depressing, perhaps because of their intrinsic interest – and also due to our own wonder about what we ourselves might do in such a situation. Theroux proved himself a highly empathetic companion through a sometimes gruelling hour, and Choosing Death must be among the most memorable of his documentary explorations to date.” — The Arts Desk.

➢ Welcome to the Blumhouse Amazon Prime Video

New horror movie strand from a studio synonymous with the genre. Two stream this week, and two more next week. First up: The Lie in which two desperate parents try to cover up their daughter’s horrific crime; and Black Box, in which a solo dad undergoes an agonising experimental treatment that causes him to question who he really is.

Wednesday

➢ Newshub Decision 2020: The Cannabis Question Three, 8.30

Patrick Gower quizzes experts about the implications of voting yes or no for the legalisation of cannabis ahead of Thursday’s 1 News Your Vote 2020 Multi Party Debate (TVNZ 1, 7.00).

➢ The Twilight Zone TVNZ 2, 11.55

“These episodes certainly feel more strongly written than Season 1, and if the editing tightens up like it did before, these new entries could be amazing. The premiere, Meet in the Middle — written by Emily Chang and Sarah Amini, and directed by Mathias Herndl — seems heavily inspired by film noirs, particularly Double Indemnity.” — IndieWire.

➢ To the Lake Netflix

Facing the end of civilisation when a terrifying plague strikes, a group risks their lives, loves — and humanity — in a brutal struggle to survive.

➢ Private Lives Netflix

In a world where data is no longer private, con artists uncover a sinister surveillance scheme headed by the government and a greedy corporation.

Thursday

➢ Madeleine McCann: Hunt for the Prime Suspect TVNZ 1, 8.00

“This was a brisk and unsensational documentary. Presented by ITV News’s Julie Etchingham, it had the dual challenge of outlining the German authorities’ case against Christian Brückner and of cataloguing the multitude of failures that have left McCann’s disappearance unsolved 13 years on. What it wasn’t was particularly slick and it lacked the exploitative flourishes of Netflix’s long-form rumination on the saga, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, from 2019.” — The Telegraph.

➢ Talking Heads: Alan Bennett Monologues Sky Arts, 8.00

Alan Bennett’s award-winning monologues first aired on BBC Television in 1988 and 1998. During Britain’s COVID-19 lockdown, 10 of the original pieces were remade, with the addition of two new monologues written by Bennett in 2019: The Shrine and An Ordinary Woman. “Thirty-two years on, Bennett’s TV monologues have lost none of their impact.” — The Guardian.

➢ Des TVNZ OnDemand

David Tennant plays serial killer Dennis Nilsen. “A bleak but gripping mini-series shot through with a discernible eagerness to avoid sensationalism. True-crime dramas were once a byword for bloodthirsty schlock, but the defining traits of this production were its restraint and clarity of purpose.” — The Times.

Friday

➢ The Repair Shop TVNZ 1, 7.30

TVNZ 1’s biggest new hit of the year resumes from episode 22 of season four, in which the team takes on a dilapidated old go-kart, a treasured handmade piece of leather-work, and a charming cat figurine that sparked a collectibles movement. Precedes the return of 10 Years Younger in 10 Days at 8.30.

➢ The Right Stuff Disney+

“Nat Geo’s first scripted original series for Disney+ … examines what would become America’s first ‘reality show,’ as ambitious astronauts and their families become instant celebrities in a competition that could kill them or make them immortal. The two men at the centre of the story are Major John Glenn (Adams), a revered test pilot and committed family man with unwavering principles, and Lieutenant Commander Alan Shepard (McDorman), one of the best test pilots in Navy history.” — Deadline Hollywood.

➢ The Haunting of Bly Manor Netflix

Nine-part horror set in a 1980s English manor where centuries of dark secrets of love and loss are waiting to be unearthed. “Spooky, well-timed lightning has indeed struck twice: The streamer’s follow-up to 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House is as gripping and grounded as its predecessor.” — TV Line.

➢ Twenties Neon

“Solid coming-of-age comedy that makes a concerted effort to develop its own rhythm and visual style to set it apart … There have been dozens of shows about people trying to Make It in Hollywood, but none that quite look like Twenties, Lena Waithe’s new comedy based on her own life as an aspiring TV writer. In this BET series, black women are the leads, not the sidekicks … It stands to reason, then, that the problems and entertainment industry knots they have to untangle are inherently different than those we’ve seen TV depict over and over again with white and/or male protagonists.” — Variety.