Bergerac
Jersey boy
Streaming: TVNZ+, from April 1
British crime drama Bergerac ran for 10 years in the 1980s with John Nettles as a detective on the Channel Island of Jersey. His Jim Bergerac was a recovering alcoholic, divorced and limping from an old injury. But in his brown leather jacket, he squired many of the island’s eligible females and dashed about in a car that looked like the previous owner was Toad of Toad Hall. Now, as tends to happen to all unforgotten television detectives, Bergerac is getting a redo. But rather than one case tidied up per week, it’s a six-episode series about one murder. And this time Bergerac, who is played by Irish actor Damien Molony, is a grieving widow and father of a 14-year-old daughter Kim (Chloé Sweetlove), who has been taken under the wing of his mother-in-law (Zoë Wanamaker), a gender-flipped character of the original’s father-in-law. When a member of the family of local bigwig Arthur Wakefield (Philip Glenister) is killed, Bergerac is called in to solve the case in a story that is more Scandi-noir than the sunny caper of old. And no, the accordion reggae theme tune of the original hasn’t returned.
Patience
Joining the dots
Streaming: ThreeNow. From April 1
This new British show is yet another with a neurodivergent character proving a gifted detective – in this case, Patience Evans, a young archivist in a police records office in York. Played by Ella Maisy Purvis, who is autistic, Patience graduates from doing the filing to being a civilian investigative officer under the wing of Detective Inspector Bea Metcalf (Laura Fraser, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). Patience sees something in the paperwork on a seemingly routine suicide case which, with her amazing memory, she recognises as a pattern connected to a series of unexplained deaths. The six-episode series is a remake of French-Belgian show, Astrid et Raphaëlle and reviews in the UK have been mixed. Some have been underwhelmed by mystery plots that are too grisly to be cosy. But Purvis has won kudos for her portrayal.
Pulse
Reviving the trauma drama
Streaming: Netflix, from April 2
It’s hard to believe but Pulse – a drama set in a hospital in Miami – is Netflix’s first English-language medical procedural. The streamer has finally got around to making a show that was once standard fare on linear television. It arrives not long after The Pitt retooled ER for another era ‒ on HBO’s Max in the US and Neon here. Pulse is centred on Dr Danielle “Danny” Simms (Willa Fitzgerald, Reacher) a third-year resident and rising star in the emergency department at Maguire Medical Centre. As well as following Simms and her young doctor colleagues as they juggle their professional and private lives, Pulse throws in a hurricane tracking towards the hospital. All 10 episodes arrive on debut.
Happiness
Greek chorus
Screening: Three, 8.30pm, Thursdays from April 3
Streaming: ThreeNow
From the guys who brought us the Kate Sheppard stage musical That Bloody Woman, a new comedy series set mostly backstage at a Tauranga amateur theatre company as they attempt to create a show about the siege of Troy. See story here.
Dying for Sex
The bonk-it list
Streaming: Disney+, from April 4
Last seen effectively playing Steven Spielberg’s cheery mother in The Fabelmans, Michelle Williams returns to another gritty role. Dying for Sex is a limited series based on a hit podcast created by Molly Kochan and friend, Nikki Boyer, in which they discussed how Kochan dealt with being diagnosed with terminal cancer – she left her marriage and embarked on a very full and varied sex life, which she then talked about on the podcast very frankly before her death in 2020. As well as Williams, the series stars Jenny Slate as Boyer, Jay Duplass as Kochan’s ex-husband, David Rasche (Succession), Rob Delaney (Catastrophe) and veteran star Sissy Spacek. All eight episodes release on debut.
Nine Bodies In A Mexican Morgue
The nine body problem
Streaming: ThreeNow, from April 4
Screening: Three, from April 22
Murder mystery meets survivor drama at the hand of creator-writer Anthony Horowitz (Moonflower Murders, Magpie Murders). In conventional mystery style, it begins with a body. Or, in this case, nine of them, recovered from the site of a light plane crash in the Mexican jungle. It becomes clear that all nine victims survived the crash and were then murdered – but by whom and why? And where is the 10th passenger? The six-part story unfolds in flashback as the passengers battle the dangers of the jungle – and each other. Any similarity to Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None was coincidental, Horowitz explained in a recent interview, if not something he would disavow: “The inspiration was always an idea I had: What would happen if a plane crashed in the middle of nowhere and you had to survive with nine complete strangers, one of whom was a psychopath?”
Suits LA
Harvey goes to Hollywood
Screening: TVNZ 2, 10pm, Mondays from April 7
Streaming: TVNZ+, from April 7
The original Suits ran for nine seasons from 2011, giving the future Duchess of Sussex the biggest role of her acting career playing paralegal Rachel Zane, who departed the legal drama at the end of season seven. But it didn’t find a big audience until the New York-based series turned up on Netflix in 2023, which in turn prompted its producers to make this spin-off. Yes, it’s set in Los Angeles, and it’s created by Aaron Korsh who did the original. But it’s only tenuously connected to its East Coast predecessor with occasional appearances by characters Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) and Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman). Its lead is Stephen Amell (one-time star of the superhero series Arrow) as former New York federal prosecutor Ted Black. After sending mobsters to jail, he has reinvented himself as an entertainment lawyer at his own prestige firm which, in the premiere episode, is about to undergo a major upheaval. Since it started screening in the US in February, it has had mixed reviews, most comparing it unfavourably with its parent show. Said The New York Times: “The original Suits distinguished itself with its quick dialogue, pert sense of humour and thrilling, wall-to-wall horniness, none of which are present here.”
Down for Love
Taking the plunge
Screening: TVNZ 1, 7.30pm Thursdays, from April 10
Streaming: TVNZ+, from April 10
A third, five-episode season for the inclusive local dating show. Another group of young New Zealanders with Down syndrome or intellectual disabilities are followed as they look for love and companionship, just like everyone else – but different. Among the four returning from previous seasons are young couple Brayden and Leisel, who the show follows to the Cook Islands on a five-day holiday. It’s the longest the Auckland pair, who live on opposite sides of the city, have ever spent together without their respective parents around, and a big step towards possible independence. Says Brayden: “I loved being on season one, so was excited to show the fans in season two that Leisel and me are going strong together. So look out for adventure in season three.”
Beyond Paradise
Crime at its cosiest
Screening: BBC First, 8.30pm, Thursdays from April 10
DI Humphrey Goodman and the team at Shipton Abbott face some right old puzzlers in season three, including a kidnapping case that comes uncomfortably close to the team itself. Meanwhile, Humphrey and Martha continue their foster parenting journey, but their relationship becomes all the more complicated when she is caught up in a case he is investigating. Moreover, Martha’s old flame Archie Hughes is back in the picture – although it appears there will be no need for a repeat of his previous dust-up with Humphrey. Then there are the actual crimes, including “a puzzling chocolate box poisoning, a historic farming feud, a spiking at sea, and a devilish kidnapping”.
Black Mirror
More dark stories for dark times
Streaming: Netflix, from April 10
Almost all the advance publicity for season seven of Black Mirror has focused on one of its six episodes: a sequel to season four’s widely praised “USS Callister”. In episode one, a downtrodden video game programmer writes his co-workers into a world in which he is the captain of a spaceship, and they are his crew members. At the time of writing, the episode is officially untitled (all of them are), but creator Charlie Brooker has confirmed that the protagonist Robert Daly (Jesse Plemons) really did die at the end of the original episode and his virtual workmates, last seen flying into a wormhole, will carry on without him in the sequel. What can also be told is the series’ heaving cast list, which includes Peter Capaldi, Awkwafina, Chris O’Dowd, Ben Bailey Smith, Cristin Milioti, Rashida Jones and many more. Although the “Callister” episode is billed as the first Black Mirror sequel, it appears there’ll be a callback of some sort to the show’s controversial interactive episode “Bandersnatch”, as Will Poulter, who played 1980s video game programmer Colin Ritman in that story, is listed to return this season.
Your Friends and Neighbors
The art of the steal
Screening: Apple TV+, from Friday April 11
Jon Hamm has his first lead role in a television series since his Mad Men days in this contemporary drama in which he’s playing another high-flyer. He’s Wall Street hedge fund manager Andrew “Coop” Cooper living a comfortable life, post-divorce, in a wealthy New York suburb. But after getting fired and finding himself under financial pressure, he turns to stealing valuables from his rich neighbours. It’s stuff they won’t notice are missing for a while, whether it’s luxury watches or vintage wine. Not only is it a short-term solution to his cash-flow problems, but it also gives his unemployed life some excitement. Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn are among the co-stars. The show, created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee, See) has already been renewed for a second season.
Doctor Who
New adventures in space and time
Streaming: Disney+, from Saturday April 12
The rebooted Doctor Who gets its second season on the Disney dollar – or, if we’re going to be nerds about this, the 15th season since its 2005 revival (meaning this year is the 20th anniversary of the revived Doctor) and the 41st season overall. In this story arc, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) meets a new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu, Andor), then embarks on an epic quest to get her back to Earth. But a mysterious force stands in their way. The trailer includes a snatch of the Interstellar Song Contest, which is hosted in episode six by real-life Eurovision veteran Rylan Clark as himself. There’s also a glimpse of an episode in which the Doctor and Belinda find themselves in a 2D cartoon – and facing a cartoon villain, Mr Ring-a-Ding, voiced by Alan Cumming. It would be fair to assume that showrunner Russell T Davies is having a blast with his bigger budgets.
Polk: The Trial of Philip Polkinghorne
Under re-examination
Screening: Three, 8.30pm, Sunday April 13 and Monday and Tuesday, same time
Streaming: ThreeNow, from April 13
Three touted this three-part documentary about last year’s high-profile trial and subsequent acquittal of retired Auckland ophthalmologist Philip Polkinghorne for the murder of his wife Pauline Hanna in its 2025 season announcement. But having slipped it into its schedule for a three-night run, the broadcaster and the show’s producers are staying quiet on the series, which has been part-funded via the taxpayer with $228,000 from NZ On Air. As well as veteran documentary maker Mark McNeill, who attended the eight-week trial, the show involves Auckland private investigator and media commentator Julia Hartley Moore. In the meantime, a drama series titled The Mysterious Death of Pauline Hanna remains in development in a NZ-UK co-production.
The Last of Us
Game on, again
Screening: Sky HBO, Mondays from April 14, 8.30pm
Streaming: Neon, Mondays from April 14, 1pm.
Having become one of the biggest shows of 2023 while confounding expectations about video game adaptations, The Last of Us returns for the second season of its post-apocalyptic odyssey involving Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal). The story picks up five years after the events of the first season and introduces new cast members including Jeffrey Wright as militia leader Isaac, a role he voiced in the original game.
Government Cheese
Surreal dramedy set in the 60s
Streaming: Apple TV+, from Wednesday April 16
David Oyelowo (Selma) stars as Hampton Chambers, who, in 1969, leaves prison and returns to his family in the San Fernando Valley with the idea for an invention he believes will turn their lives around. The first problem he strikes with his entrepreneurial dream is that the family dynamic has changed quite a lot since he went to prison – and it gets more chaotic from there. American reviewers have been strikingly divided as to whether the show’s offbeat, surreal style works. Some have hailed it as “brilliant” and “powerful”, and others have lamented its inconsistency of tone. Oyelowo and his wife Jessica, who both live in the San Fernando Valley, are also executive producers.
Ransom Canyon
Modern cowboy romance
Streaming: Netflix, from Thursday April 17
The Yellowstone comparisons have flowed thick and fast (“Netflix’s new show Ransom Canyon is coming for Yellowstone’s lunch money” blared one headline). But the show is probably going to play out a little more like the Jodi Thomas romance novel series from which it has been adapted. Ransom Canyon is a fictional place in Texas where three ranching dynasties battle for dominance while the modern world threatens their cherished way of life (yes, there’s more than one kind of romanticism going on here). Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas) stars as rancher Staten Kirkland, who is still healing from a terrible loss but has eyes for local dancehall owner Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly, Friday Night Lights). Series creator April Blair recently promised themes of “lust, deceit, heartache, home”, adding, “I wanted to do something that felt big and escapist and had the romance, but also had the drama, and the mystery wrapped up in one package.”
The Narrow Road To The Deep North
In love and war
Streaming: Prime Video, from Friday April 18
This five-part adaptation of Australian author Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel, directed by Justin Kurzel (The True History of the Kelly Gang), got a two-episode preview recently at the Berlin Film Festival. Jacob Elordi (Euphoria) plays the young Dorrigo Evans, a medical student who is shipped out during World War II, captured and forced to work on the deadly Burma Railway – all the while consumed by the memory of a passionate love affair with his uncle’s wife (Odessa Young). Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones) plays Evans as an older man, still grappling with his guilty desires and the horrors of war. The plaudits are flowing already. “There’s a lingering soulfulness here,” wrote The Hollywood Reporter’s critic, “distilled in an intensely moving lead performance from Jacob Elordi.” The BBC hailed it as “a searingly true” account of war, but also one founded on the finest artistry”. For more on the series go here.
PANGOLIN: KULU’S JOURNEY
Man and animal
Streaming: Netflix. From Monday April 21
The pangolin, or scaly anteater, is a mammal that looks like a little fantasy dinosaur. It’s also one of the most trafficked animals in the world – which is where director Pippa Ehrlich (My Octopus Teacher) picks up the story. Wildlife photographer Gareth Thomas helps rescue a baby pangolin from poachers in South Africa and gives it a name – Kulu. Over five years, he works to prepare the vulnerable animal for release into the wild. Like My Octopus Teacher, this feature-length documentary focuses on the relationship between man and animal, as each changes the other. It also looks gorgeous.
Andor
Rebel with a cause
Streaming: Disney+ from Tuesday April 22
The 2022 first season arrived as the best of the increasingly patchy live-action Star Wars television shows, possibly because it wasn’t interested in all that Jedi and lightsabre stuff. But it used characters on either side of the Rebellion-Empire divide to drum up political drama cum spy thriller in a couple of galaxies far, far, away. Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor in the second and final season as the story covers the four years leading up to the events of the movie Rogue One, which portrayed the rebels stealing the blueprints to the Death Star so Luke Skywalker could put fire his photon torpedoes down the right chimney in the 1977 film.
ÉTOILE
Comic dancers
Streaming: Prime Video, from Thursday April 24
Times are tough in the world of ballet – so much so that renowned companies in New York and Paris agree to try to turn around their respective fortunes by swapping their most talented stars. The fact that this dramedy’s creators are Amy Sherman-Palladino her husband Daniel, who brought us Gilmore Girls and The Marvellous Mrs Maisel, is a clear pointer to its style. The dialogue in the trailer twirls like a prima ballerina and the cast includes Charlotte Gainsbourg, Luke Kirby and Simon Callow.
CALL THE MIDWIFE
Medical dramas for the midwives
Screening: Saturdays, 8.30pm TVNZ 1, from April 26
Streaming: TVNZ+
It’s 1970. After a season finale that threw in everything from escaped convicts to a carnival, the opener for season 14 of Call the Midwife sees the Nonnatus House team get down and medical. One mother-to-be faces an agonising choice about a C-section, while another appears to be the subject of an immaculate conception – or so her mother thinks. Also, Nonnatus is in at the ground floor of a longitudinal study.
WILD HEROES
The elephant in the crate
Screening: Three, 6.30pm, Sundays from April 27
Streaming: ThreeNow
The new season of Wild Heroes provides the inside story of an operation that made the news last year – the work to move Burma, Auckland Zoo’s (and New Zealand’s) last elephant, to a new home at an Australian safari park, where she will have the company elephants need to thrive. There’s also a battle to save an ailing kiwi and an appearance from one of the rarest frogs on the planet.
TRAVEL MAN
Further flying visits
Screening: TVNZ 1, 7.30pm, Mondays from April 28
Streaming: TVNZ+
Our own Rose Matafeo is among the line-up of celebrities joining Joe Lycett on his 48-hour foreign trips this season. She drew Malmö in Sweden, where the pair visit the Disgusting Food Museum. You’ll be pleased to know she doesn’t let the country down during the inevitable tasting session. Also featuring in this season: Phil Wang, David O’Doherty, Rotterdam and Washington DC.
CHEF’S TABLE: LEGENDS
The ones who changed things
Streaming: Netflix, from Monday April 28
Netflix series Chef’s Table celebrates its tenth anniversary with a four-part show featuring people it says changed the game in food, starting with Jamie Oliver. The other episodes feature Spanish chef and social entrepreneur José Andrés, the exacting founder of The French Laundry Thomas Keller, and Alice Waters, the Berkeley restaurateur who has championed both sustainability and the right to party. Chef’s Table creator David Gelb said recently of his subjects that “people know the television persona. They don’t know the deep, full story.”
CARÊME
The OG in the kitchen
Streaming: Apple TV+, from Wednesday April 30
From the celebrity chefs of today to the man who was arguably the first cooking celebrity. This eight-episode French drama tells the story of Antonin Carême, who rose from humble beginnings to become a culinary star, cookbook creator and chef to the elite in post-revolutionary France – and was along the way persuaded to spy for Napoleon. The lead is played by the young, handsome Benjamin Voisin and the trailer makes it clear the sauciness extends from the kitchen to the boudoir.
For a guide to other recent new shows, head to the March Viewing Guide.
