Weekend Rewind: The most-watched titles in New Zealand for 2018

Thingee's lost eye was one of New Zealand's favourite moments in TV history last year. Photo / NZ On Screen

In the first Weekend Rewind of 2019, NZ On Screen’s Zara Potts looks at what the ‘most-watched’ titles on the NZ On Screen website were in 2018.

Nostalgia is a funny thing. You never know what memories lie dormant in the dark recesses of your mind until suddenly you see or hear something that immediately takes you back to another time and place.

And so it is with the most-watched titles on NZ On Screen's website. We never know exactly what's going to tickle the viewers imagination and sometimes it's not what we'd imagine. So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 titles you watched onsite last year.

Coming in at Number 10 is a perennial favourite – the moment when Jason Gunn's sidekick Thingee lost his eye. Many people swear they actually saw this blooper happen live, but the reality is it wasn't screened for some weeks after the event in a late-night blooper show, but such is the stuff of legends!

Watch Thingee's eye pop here:

Trains are always very popular at NZ On Screen. Each year, you can bet that an episode of Off the Rails would be a contender to feature somewhere in the Top 10. And so it was in 2018, with this clip from the popular Marcus Lush hosted show taking out the Number 9 spot.

Watch Off the Rails – Good as Gold here:

Reality TV is ratings gold with the networks and it seems to be a favourite with online audiences too. One of the early attempts at fly-on-the-wall television, Flatmates, despite being made in 1997, was popular enough to secure the Number 8 spot on the list.

Watch the first episode of Flatmates here:

The death of one of New Zealand's most original and charismatic choreographers, Douglas Wright, in November last year, saw many viewers visit the site to watch the documentary of his life, I Am a Dancer!. This fascinating documentary holds the Number 7 place on the list.

Watch I Am a Dancer! Here:

November 5th is significant for Aotearoa, not because it's Guy Fawkes, but as being the day when government troops invaded the peaceful settlement of Parihaka, whose inhabitants were protesting the confiscation of Māori land. Every year, viewership of titles relating to Parihaka increases, and 2018 was no exception with the sixth most watched title.

Watch the trailer for Tātarakihi - The Children of Parihaka here:

At Number 5 on the list, is Broken. A 2018 feature film that follows an ex-gang leader who ditches gang life to raise his daughter. The film is directed by pastor Tarry Mortlock and was presented by the City Impact Church – although Mortlock says he "never set out to make a Christian movie for Christians".

Watch the trailer for Broken here:

It wouldn't truly be a 'most-watched' list if Sir Peter Jackson didn't feature somewhere on it, right? Well, here he is at Number 4 with Heavenly Creatures.

Watch the trailer for Heavenly Creatures here:

In May last year, comedian Mike King revealed how he had taken drugs while filming Game of Two Halves and viewers flocked to the site to watch his talk show Mike King Tonight. This title comes in at Number 3 on the list.

Watch the final episode of Mike King Tonight here:

Coming in at Number 2 is the trailer for the local feature film Hibiscus and Ruthless which was released to great acclaim last year.

Watch the trailer for Hibiscus and Ruthless here:

And claiming the top spot on the most-watched list for 2018 is an oldie but a goodie. When the Ministry for Primary Industries announced new rules for dogs on utes last year, Kiwi's took to their screens in droves to watch one of our local advertising legends – the 'Bugger' dog.

Watch the 'Bugger' ad here: