New to View: September 19 – 25

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

Sunday

➢ Weakest Link TVNZ 1, 8.35

Weeks before this game show reboot with Kath & Kim’s Magda Szubanski bombed in the ratings, Aussie TV industry experts were tipping it would tank, warning the Kath & Kim star was the wrong choice to host. She signed on after seeing Jane Lynch front the US version: “Anne Robinson [host of the original UK version] was pretty brutal. I couldn’t do it like that. I liked the idea there could be some comedy injected into it.”

Broadcast premiere of TV’s outrageous answer to Trainspotting, about Lancashire larrikins starring co-creator Joe Gilgun (This Is England) and ex-Coro St star Michelle Keegan. “Begins mostly as pure caper … and by the end of the first few episodes, the thing has thickened and deepened, fleshed out its characters, started delicately mapping the relationships between them all and drawn you into their world.” — The Guardian.

Wednesday

➢ The Wheel With Michael McIntyre TVNZ 1, 7.30

“Game shows are difficult to get right, and formulaic by nature. Ah, but that’s the point – the joke here is that McIntyre and co of course know they are ‘reinventing the wheel’. But given it was neither original, nor challenging, nor entertaining, they instead proved that old idiom and the pursuit entirely pointless.” – inews.

➢ Rutherford Falls TVNZ OnDemand

“Though it takes a few episodes to find its footing, a winsome ensemble, witty writing, and a willingness to engage with complex issues facing Indigenous peoples in modern America make Rutherford Falls a place worth visiting.” — Rotten Tomatoes.

➢ Jaguar Netflix

New drama series about the stalking of Nazis who have escaped to Spain. “The power of Jaguar is considerable, no small thanks to the caustic history it recounts, particularly about things like the ‘ratlines,’ networks devoted to helping Nazi war criminals to flee … The activities of the individuals and agencies who helped them escape are, for all their dismal nature, history worth revealing. And remembering.” — Wall Street Journal.

Thursday

➢ Alex Polizzi: My Hotel Nightmare TVNZ 1, 8.45

“Alex Polizzi shows viewers behind the scenes on her new hotel project in Sussex. My Hotel Nightmare shares the whole renovation process and how the hotelier manages to run her other luxury properties at the same time.” — Express.

➢ Creepshow Shudder

The horror anthology inspired by the 1982 George A Romero movie returns. “The trailer cuts together lots of moments from Season 3’s 12 stories, and while it’s not always clear what the episodes will be about, it definitely looks like showrunner Greg Nicotero has pulled out all the scary stops.” — GameSpot.

Friday

➢ Foundation Apple TV+

“Writers have long struggled to adapt the sprawling sci-fi epic, but David S. Goyer was able to convince Apple executives to fund a series with some help from this ultra-concise logline … a bit like Game of Thrones in space — but over a much, much longer time span.” — The Hollywood Reporter.

➢ Midnight Mass Netflix

Tweeted Stephen King about the latest spookshow from the creator of The Haunting of Hill House and Bly Manor: “Mike Flanagan has created a dense, beautifully photographed terror tale that climbs to a high pitch of horror by the 7th and last episode.”

➢ Goliath Amazon Prime Video

After an attempted assassination attempt on his life, which would have been a mercy killing given how dire S3 was, Billy Bob Thornton’s alcoholic lawyer returns to take on Big Pharma in his fourth and final case.