The show follows Beecham as she's teleported back to 18th century Scotland, via some mysterious Highland standing stones. That little bit of folk magick aside, the show is remarkably faithful to the various periods it traverses, with the grim, hearty clan life pungently conveyed on screen. But the real attraction is always Beecham, one of the more intriguing and quietly challenging leads of recent times.
As a devoted fan told my colleague Alex Casey last year, Beecham's a singular screen presence. "If you look at other programmes like this and actually see how women are portrayed, they are marginalised on TV.
Whether it's Game of Thrones, Black Sails, Vikings - they are either getting raped, or they're nasty, or they are very peripheral characters. I'm sick of seeing that sort of woman as a sexual scavenger. I want to see a woman who is strong." Beecham is that woman, and Outlander that show. /DG
Beasts of the Southern Wild, Sunday 9.30pm on Maori TV
This film is a very tough one to describe, but it is deeply essential to your Easter Weekend. I have never cried more in a public place than when this opened the NZ Film Festival a few years ago.
It's a beautiful triumphant story about Hushpuppy, a six-year-old girl who lives in a fictional remote bayou area known only as 'The Bathtub'. Played by Quvenzhané Wallis, Hushpuppy and her father set out to leave their community under the threat of a great storm. Not only that, but there are icebergs melting nearby that contain a beast that walked the earth at a very different time.
Elements of the fantastical and the miraculous are mixed in with swampy realism to deliver a film about family, strength and finding your own place in a long-lasting universe. As Hushpuppy says, "When it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see everything that made me flying around in invisible pieces."
Truly, Beasts is unlike anything I've ever seen before. Wallis delivers a jaw-dropping performance and, at the age of nine in this role, is the youngest person to ever receive a Best Actress nomination. Keisha Castle-Hughes, eat your heart out.
But hey, don't just take it from me - even Obama said the film was "spectacular". Watch the trailer here, and prepare to be floored. /AC
The Roast of Justin Bieber, Comedy Central Thursday at 8.30pm
I watched the Roast of Murray Mexted recently, from that brief, gaudy period when Comedy Central had a New Zealand office and produced local programming. It was made less than four years ago, yet felt like it was from a different century.
All these All Blacks in massive suits, their faces shining under hot bright lights - all in glorious low def. They told jokes which managed to be offensive and inane at the same time, and looked deeply, profoundly uncomfortable. I loved it.
The Roast of Justin Bieber will probably be a a little flasher. It aired in the US a couple of weeks back, with breathless, wincing reporting of just how burned young Biebs got in the Roast oven.
The line-up is ridiculous, with everyone from it-comedian Hannibal Burress to America's naughty Mom Martha Stewart relishing the opportunity to try and teach the urchin some goddamn manners. It promises to be far beyond brutal, and I can think of no better way to start your Easter than seeing if this era's golden-voiced Satan can stand the heat. /DG
University Challenge Finale, Prime Saturday at 11.30am
On the day between holy days, why not put your knowledge to the test among New Zealand's brightest young things in the University Challenge final. The revival of the quiz show format, last seen in 1989, has seen it return in a blaze to our screens in 2015. The University of Auckland will go against the undisclosed finalist team in a battle of buzzers, wits and twee mascots.
For those unfamiliar with the format, the quiz show features "starter for ten" questions for ten points, sudden death rounds and lots of buzzer interruptions. If I'm honest, don't get bogged down in the details, you almost need a degree to figure out the format and point scoring.
Before you tune in on Saturday, consider the legacy of this historic quiz show. It's responsible for the excellent novel and subsequent film Starter for Ten, confusing UK simpleton Karl Pilkington and showcasing a range of fabulous 80s hairstyles. Take up the challenge this long weekend, and prepare to feel very stupid. /AC
The Secret Life of Cats, Sunday 5pm on TV1
This one off TV special promises a "an intimate and revealing glimpse into the world of our closest feline friend," which is exactly what the world has been needing for the longest time. The children's film Cats & Dogs, although revelatory, did not shed enough light on highly classified cat activity. If Cats are indeed undercover Russian spies - I need some more authoritative information on the matter. Perhaps The Secret Life of Cats will dig up more of this much-needed dirt.
Follow the incredible story of a newborn kitten as it slowly grows into a confident neighbourhood-dweller. It's basically The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but backwards, and with cats. I can't really sell it harder than that. /AC
More from The Spinoff:
• For My Life in TV this week, Alex Casey interviewed 7 Days producer Jon Bridges about his failed attempt to Sing Like a Superstar, and delivering the funny side of the news
• Dan Clist revels in the endless bloody entertainment that was Wrestlemania 2015
• After the 10th anniversary of Campbell Live last week, José Barbosa celebrates the many diverse faces of JC (John Campbell, not Jesus Christ)
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