Tonight in HD: May 22

Season Premiere: Intrepid Journeys (TV One, 8.30) Rachel Hunter visits Sumatra in the first HD episode of this long-running, off-the-beaten track adventure series for plucky celebrities. But whatever she faces will have nothing on what her character has to endure in the latest Roger Corman creature feature, Piranhaconda, which debuts next month on US TV. Co-starring Michael Madsen and Sharkotpus’ Shandi Finnessey, don’t expect it to turn up on a TV network near you but chances are it will earn a Blu-ray release before year’s end, as has happened with other bizarre beast treats from the Syfy channel stable, including Sharkotpus, Dinocroc Versus Supergator and Mega Python vs Gatoroid. According to the New York Times, “Routinely high ratings have helped make the movies an indispensable part of the Syfy schedule.” Says DreadCentral of Piranhaconda’s prospects: “If there’s an aspect about it I find disappointing from watching the trailer, it’s that the Piranhaconda just looks to be a funky looking giant snake that slithers around chomping people and doesn’t appear to make much use of its aquatic or crushing abilities the same way Sharktopus capitalised on the notice of a predatory shark with octopus tentacles. Regardless, it looks like it could be goofy fun.”  ✮✮✮✮

Home & Away (TV3, 5.30) Liam makes a decision about the future; Gina promises to keep an eye on new student Jett; Harvey realises he can’t keep shutting people out. ✮✮

Friends (TV2, 6.30, R) Phoebe meets her father at her grandmother’s funeral; Chandler discovers that Monica gives bad massages; Rachel dresses Joey for an audition, complete with a man’s shoulder bag. ✮✮

Shortland Street (TV2, 7.00) Chris faces his fate; Maxwell and Vasa find a new bond; Callum makes a hard choice. ✮✮✮

The Middle (TV2, 7.30, 5.1) Frankie makes it her mission to get an overly excited Sue tickets to a Justin Bieber concert, while Mike coaches Brick to be competitive in the school’s upcoming spelling bee. “Sue’s excitement about wanting to see Justin Bieber was a nice encapsulation of a teenage girl’s love of the latest pop star, and having Frankie flash back to her own obsession with Shaun Cassidy was pretty funny,” said the AV Club in its A- assessment. ✮✮✮✮

Suburgatory (TV2, 8.00, 5.1) Tessa realises that she’s failing gym class and decides to run for student body president in hopes of changing the school’s obsession with sports. ✮✮

Funny Roots (TV3, 8.00) Ewen Gilmour retraces his great, great grandfather journey through Prague and Germany while trying to make Germans laugh on stage. ✮✮✮

GCB (TV2, 8.30, 5.1) A devastated Carlene rallies from her embarrassment in church and plots to get back at Amanda; Blake and Cricket disagree over his priorities; Sharon worries about Zach’s fidelity. ✮✮✮

NCIS (TV3, 8.30, 5.1) DiNozzo is forced to work closely with his ex-fiancée when a Navy captain’s death is linked to a secret society of superheroes. ✮✮

NCIS: Los Angeles (TV3, 9.3, 5.1)  Kensi and Deeks work undercover as a married couple to expose a Russian sleeper cell in a suburban neighbourhood. ✮✮

The Closer (TV One, 11.05, 5.1) A confessed murderer gets details of the crime wrong during his allocution, causing Brenda to reopen the case. ✮✮✮✮