Everyone’s favourite book is now a movie, Auckland FC become New Zealand’s Kardashians and the return of not one but two Game of Thrones stars - these are the new shows and movies to stream this weekend.
Surely this one doesn’t need an introduction. But let’s say you haven’t heard of Richard Osman’s mammoth book series and his four heroes who solve murders with more energy than you might expect from a bunch of retirees. The first book has come to the screen with an all-star cast - Pierce Brosnan, Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie - and fans have been counting down the days until we can see them in the flesh. With a supporting cast featuring the likes of David Tennant, Richard E Grant and Naomi Ackie, it’s all killer, no filler.
James Norton has played sadistic killers (Happy Valley) and a delightful vicar who solves crimes (Grantchester). He’s also been rumoured to be the next James Bond. But right now, he’s slicing and dicing at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 as Harold, Earl of Wessex, in this historic bloodbath of a series. Joining him on the battlefield is Game of Thrones fan fave Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and his epic moustache, as William the Conqueror. I won’t claim to know a thing about this moment in history and, honestly, I don’t know how “accurate” this series is, but with its epic fight scenes and a bit of family drama on the side, it is set to be bloody good fun.
Another Game of Thrones star is back on telly this week, too. This time it’s Alfie Allen (who played Theon Greyjoy) in this punchy, action-filled odyssey based on William Langewiesche’s non-fiction book The Atomic Bazaar. Allen is Max, a fun-time drug trafficker who makes runs through the Middle East, and Shazad Latif is Mohammed, a man haunted by his past and on the run from people who very much want him dead. Somehow, they cross paths and are swept up in a cartel’s plot to transport uranium capable of fuelling a nuclear bomb. Will they save themselves or save humanity? You know, a casual question for a Friday.
Oh, how we love the beautiful game! Seriously. It felt like football (soccer to those Luddites among us) conquered Auckland this year. There we were, chanting with The Port. Wearing the jerseys. Claiming black and blue that we understood the offside rule. And when Auckland FC fell just at the last-ish hurdle of the A-League season, we fell with them. Like Aotearoa’s Kardashians, this very slick doco series charting the club’s first season is a brilliant watch, whether you were on the bandwagon or not - but get ready to join, because the fly-on-the-wall style will win you over very quickly.
Politics is a dangerous game. Forget the backstabbing and name-calling, in the case of this hot new Netflix drama, we’re talking about affairs (with an awkward twist!) and kidnappings in remote locations. It’s all set against an already tense summit between the British Prime Minister (played by Suranne Jones) and the French President (the brilliant Julie Delpy). When the PM’s hubby gets kidnapped and her French counterpart is blackmailed, all hell breaks loose. If you liked The Diplomat or Bodyguard, this might be for you.
And if you thought politicians were vicious, try having sisters. Based on the true story of the Mitford sisters, six women who took very, very different paths in the lead up to World War II, Outrageous is exactly what it says on the tin. Set in the 1930s, we join Nancy Mitford (who went on to write Love in a Cold Climate), her sister Diana (who had an affair with, and later married, fascist politician Oswald Mosley), another sister who became friendly with Hitler, and one more who became a committed communist. It’s more fun than it sounds, I promise. Think Downton Abbey with a jaunty soundtrack and worse behaviour.
Bridget Jones joined the New Zealand Herald in 2025. She has been a lifestyle and entertainment journalist and editor for more than 15 years.