Under the Vines (8.10pm, Sundays from February 12, TVNZ 1)
Rebecca Gibney and Charles Edwards are back for a second, six-part season of this romantic dramedy which focuses in on a pair of disparate owners of a struggling Central Otago vineyard.
As former Sydney socialite Daisy Monroe and ex-London lawyer Louis Oakley continue to navigate the trials and tribulations of life in Peak View and running Oakley Wines, any chance of sparks between the duo is dampened when Daisy meets handsome local doctor David (Kirk Torrance).
Meanwhile, their young vintner Tippy (Trae Te Wiki) has her world turned upside down by the arrival of rockstar French vintner Phillippe Bidois (Milo Cawthorne) – who just happens to be her cousin.
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The Great British Sewing Bee (7.30pm, Thursdays from February 9, TVNZ 1)
Slipping seamlessly into the hosting role once filled by Claudia Winkleman and – more recently – Joe Lycett, Sara Pascoe welcomes 12 more of the UK most talented home sewers for another season of glamorous garments, nail-biting needlework and design dramas.
Each week, these avid amateurs must conjure up garments in three challenges – but can they dress to impress judges Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant and fashion designer Esme Young?
Patriot Brains (7.30pm, Fridays from February 10, TVNZ 2)
New year, new channel, new host for this trans-Tasman quiz.
One-half of the original Great British Bake Off dynamic duo – Sue Perkins – will be refereeing the rivalry between teams of comedians from Australia and New Zealand.
While the exact line-up of the green-and-golds is being kept under wraps, Chris Parker, Josh Thomson, Urzila Carlson, Guy Montgomery, Hayley Sproull and Dai Henwood are among the Kiwis set to feature.
Sik Fan Lah (10am, Sundays from February 12, TVNZ 1)
New, six-part local series Sik Fan Lah (Let’s Eat) promises to be a culinary adventure across Aotearoa that uncovers “hilarious and hearty stories of modern Kiwi-Chinese life through a universal love of food”.
Each week features a different host (everyone from MasterChef NZ 2022 champion Sam Low to Black Fern Tyla Nathan-Wong and award-winning playwright Nathan Joe) chasing new takes on classic dishes and the secret recipes only true insiders know.
The Phantom of the Open (8.30pm, Sunday, February 12, Sky Movies Premiere)
British based-on-fact 2022 movie about a dreamer and unrelenting optimist – Maurice Flitcroft – who managed to gain entry to qualifying for the 1976 British Open Golf Championship and turned himself into a folk hero in the process.
This has a heart, a soul and a context that means it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those other beloved British period dramedies like Kinky Boots, Brassed Off and The Full Monty.
Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins star.
Bloodlands (9.10pm, Sundays from February 12, TVNZ 1)
James Nesbitt is back as Belfast detective Tom Brannick in the second, six-part season of this gripping crime-drama.
Having managed to keep the fact that he was the serial killer Goliath under wraps from his colleagues so far, he now faces a renewed threat of exposure when the accountant he hired to cover up his crimes is murdered.
“Nesbitt looks like he’s having fun, and when you add the great Lorcan Cranitch [Cracker], the Brando of shouty police chiefs, into the mix, Bloodlands starts to look like a decent prospect for Sunday nights,” wrote Scotland’s The Herald’s Alison Rowat.
Barry (11pm, Sundays from February 12, Prime)
For those who have missed out on seeing it so far, here’s a chance to go back to the beginning of this multi Emmy-winning black comedy.
Bill Hader is fabulous as the hitman from the Midwest whose move to Los Angeles sees him distracted by a potential theatre career. Henry Winkler has deservedly won a boatload of awards for his turn as acting coach Gene Cousineau.
“Barry might be shadowy, but it’s never grim – and it is unexpectedly insightful,” wrote The Guardian’s Lauren Carroll Harris.
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