Think of Netflix's new medical drama as like Shortland Street only for reals. This documentary series follows four actual doctors as they go about the daily business of saving lives at the titular New York's hospital. But what makes Lenox Hill so compelling is that the show alsofollows them after they've clocked off for the day to reveal the toll that such a high-pressure, high-stakes job takes on these professionals' personal lives. As the series tags along with two brain surgeons, an emergency-room physician and a Chief Resident obstetrician/gynaecologist you can expect to experience the natural wonders of childbirth right through to the modern miracle of brain surgery and everything in between. Probably not a show for the squeamish. Streaming now.
Shoplifters Neon
If you've seen Parasite and want another award-winning foreign language film to watch, Shoplifters is well worth picking up. The film was the winner of 2018's Palme D'Or, the highest honour at Cannes Film Festival, and was declared a "masterpiece" by TimeOut's critic in a five-star review. The film follows a "family" of squatters in urban Tokyo who steal from local shops to get by. But when a young child they've taken in draws unwanted attention, their whole world is threatened. Summing up the movie, our reviewer called it "sincere and totally heartbreaking, Shoplifters is a modest film with ground-shaking impact". Streaming now.
One of Auckland's worst-kept semi-secrets for a late-night Friday LOL leaves the cramped confines of the Basement Theatre to explode on to your telly or laptop screen at a convenient time of your choosing. Featuring a rotating cast of our top young comedy talent such as Laura Daniel, Chris Parker and Kura Forrester, Snort Live is 30 minutes of fully unscripted improv that should get you giggling along. We can't tell you much more that because who knows what's going to happen each episode? Certainly not the people on stage. It could all go horribly wrong. Wild, loose and unpredictable but if they don't make you laugh you know they'll die trying. Streaming now.
Fraggle Rock: Rock On! Apple TV+
Dance your cares away 80s kids because the stars of the classic Saturday morning staple have returned with a series of new mini-episodes. That's right, the Fraggles - Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley and Uncle Travelling Matt - are back on the telly ready to enchant a new batch of kidlings and hit you with some of that sweet, sweet nostalgia. Of course, things have changed; not even the Fraggles were immune from the impact of Covid-19, so following social distancing guidelines, the Fraggles - and their production team - shot this new series on their phones from their homes. But we're told to expect all the same fun, music, silliness of the original and even some special musical guest stars like Ziggy Marley, Common, Tiffany Haddish and Alanis Morissette. Rock on? You bet!
