Sam Brooks is a playwright, journalist and critic. Email him on sam@thespinoff.co.nz
All seven seasons of Prime Suspect drop on Lightbox today, and Sam Brooks is here to tell you why its central character Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is one of television's most significant characters – ever.
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today: what is this Fortnite: Battle Royale thing that your kids keep talking about? Gaming editor Sam Brooks has you covered.
With all 12 contestants now announced, Sam Brooks already knows who is going to win based on their promo videos alone. These are his absolutely correct predictions.
Xbox have announced a re-release slate of old games, including one that is little spoken of now: the mythic Chinese fantasy Jade Empire. Sam Brooks writes about the game's reception 13 years ago, and why it's all but forgotten now.
Buck House was an edgy sitcom from the 70s that manages to still be edgy and different now, though not for the right reasons. Sam Brooks muses upon the distinct pleasures of Buck House.
The new show by Ryan Murphy, Feud: Bette and Joan, hits Lightbox next week. Sam Brooks runs down which great current-day actor is playing which star of Hollywood's golden age, and where to check out their best work.
After seven seasons, the characters of Modern Family have gotten themselves into some wild, wacky and straight-up weird situations. Sam Brooks collects the best of them.
On her new album, Kylie Minogue goes acoustic and courts a sub-Sheeran faux-country sound. It does not go well. Sam Brooks reviews.
Despite five numbered entries over eleven years, Suikoden remains a much loved but little known RPG series. Sam Brooks writes about one of his favourite video game series ever, and what makes it so special.
A spy thriller by the woman who wrote Fleabag starring the woman who made you cry as Cristina Yang. Why wouldn't you want to watch that? Sam Brooks reviews.
With the latest entry in the Far Cry series, Ubisoft has shown they can master open world gameplay – but when are they going to actually master how to tell a story? Sam Brooks reviews.
A game where two dudes break out of prison isn't groundbreaking, but A Way Out still tries to play with expectations. But is it successful? Sam Brooks reviews.
Wikipedia has it on its list of the worst sitcoms of all time. But how bad is it? Sam Brooks watched the first episode of Melody Rules to find out if the notorious Kiwi comedy has been unfairly maligned.
Last night, the Dancing with the Stars NZ Facebook page dropped the first bizarre, post-apocalyptic and surprisingly dance-free promo for the new season. Sam Brooks watched it very closely.
Sam Brooks picks out what you should watch this long Easter weekend when you're too full of chocolate and can reach no further than your trusty remote.
In the space of 13 years, the Yakuza series has turned from a clone underdog into a cult classic, and the latest game is their most anticipated yet. Sam Brooks reviews Yakuza 6.
The second half of season seven of Suits hits Lightbox tomorrow! But what would it look like... in New Zealand? Like real, flyover country New Zealand. Sam Brooks imagines this beautiful scenario.
Anika Moa's new show Anika Moa: Unleashed launches today at midday on TVNZOnDemand with an interview with National deputy leader Paula Bennett. It's a perfect showcase for two strong personalities, writes Sam Brooks.
The latest from Sam Barlow pushes the form of both video games and TV – but the writing lags behind it, Sam Brooks writes. Back in 2015, I was a big …
Sam Brooks continues his dig through the NZ on Screen archives and the history of New Zealand drama with 1978’s Radio Waves, a half-hour maybe-comedy about the travails of an Auckland radio station.
Candid, considered and confronting, Three's story of singer Stan Walker's battle with cancer transcends the famous-person-facing-adversity form, writes Sam Brooks.
Before there was Shortland Street, there was Close to Home. Sam Brooks dug through the NZ on Screen archives and found the first episode of New Zealand's first soap opera.
The new Tomb Raider film comes out this week with a bright new reboot and plot. Sam Brooks goes back eighteen years to see what made the first films so successful – and how they've ruined video game movies ever since.
Sam Brooks is a devoted consumer of Let's Plays – to the point where he uses them to sleep. He explains what it is about narrated playthroughs, and one kind in particular, that he loves so much.
It takes a certain kind of obsessive mindset to want to play six degrees of separation – even more so to try and link fictional nobility to soon-to-be-actual royalty. Sam Brooks did it, and did it with Lightbox shows.
The tar-black anti-rom-com You're the Worst hits Lightbox today. Sam Brooks explains why the show is the most authentic, beautiful and relatable romance on television today.
