Stuff Digital Edition

What to watch on Sky and free-to-air TV this week

Rebecca Gibney returns with a New Zealand-based dramedy, and a controversial Kiwi doco debuts on SoHo, writes Alex Behan.

City slickers find their footing in rugged winemaking country in Under the Vines (tomorrow, 8pm, TVNZ 1). A Sydney socialite (Rebecca Gibney) inherits an Otago winery when her stepfather dies but, when she turns up to claim it, finds out she must share the estate with his nephew (Charles Edwards), a grumpy English lawyer. Both want to escape their current life predicaments and neither wants to (or knows how to) run an orchard of ‘‘wine trees’’. This cosy, light-hearted show has been renewed for another six episodes.

A bunch of British lads found themselves the toast of Tinseltown when the film industry realised how much they loved taking a punch. Or crashing a car. Or jumping off an exploding car onto a motorcycle. Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman (tomorrow, 8.30pm, Rialto) interviews the men who made James Bond, Indiana Jones, Commando, Rambo and countless action characters look like actual heroes. Narrated by Ray Winstone with all the gravelly gravitas he can muster, this

nostalgic documentary is about a group of guys who were looking for an exciting career and sort of just (excuse me for this) fell into one.

Another unlikely pair thrown together to create sparks, McDonald & Dodds (Sunday, 8.45pm, TVNZ 1) is the British two-hander starring Tala Gouveia as an ambitious detective inspector, McDonald, and Jason Watkins as her shy yet brilliant sergeant, Dodds. While McDonald is still adjusting to

her new life in Bath, season two begins with an investigation into a hot air balloon tragedy and the death of a popular beauty blogger. The chemistry between the two titular characters is the magic ingredient that balances the droll dialogue and drama with the serving of murders.

When did lies become the truth? How did fake news become such a virulent force? The PBS political team present United States of Conspiracy (Thursday, 8.30pm, History)

examining how wacky theories have transitioned from the fringes of society all the way to the White House. It looks at the relationship between Alex Jones, Donald Trump and his longtime associate Roger Stone, by drawing on interviews with former staffers from all three.

Intimate but not explicit, There Is No I in Threesome (Friday, 8.30pm, SoHo) is the honest chronicle of one couple’s polyamorous journey made by film-maker Jan

Oliver Lucks. When he and his partner decided to spend a year in an open relationship prior to getting married, they documented their experiment by capturing their experience on film. It’s a messy, bumpy ride. But despite being deeply uncomfortable at times, this movie is also thoughtful and enjoyable.

The Straight Story

(Sunday, 8.30pm, Mā ori TV) is exactly what it says on the box. Based on the true story of Alvin Straight, it’s about an old man with few options who chose to travel through Iowa and Wisconsin on a lawnmower to visit his estranged brother. Richard Farnsworth was terminally ill when he filmed the role, and it deservedly earned him an Oscar nomination.

Rose Matafeo stars in the new season of Would I Lie to You (Friday, 8pm, BBC UKTV) with Richard Osman, Sarah Kendall and Rhod Gilbert. Matafeo is on a roll in England. She’s now filming season two of her worldwide hit Starstruck. I can’t be the only one watching her on shows like this as she goes toeto-toe with the best comedians in the game.

Tv Week

en-nz

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-18T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281895891610164

Stuff Limited