Clockwise: The Gilded Age, Anika Moa Unleashed, Quiz Lady, All The Light We Cannot See.
Clockwise: The Gilded Age, Anika Moa Unleashed, Quiz Lady, All The Light We Cannot See.

Pop CultureOctober 30, 2023

New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

Clockwise: The Gilded Age, Anika Moa Unleashed, Quiz Lady, All The Light We Cannot See.
Clockwise: The Gilded Age, Anika Moa Unleashed, Quiz Lady, All The Light We Cannot See.

What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.

The biggies

All the Light We Cannot See (on Netflix from November 2)

A decade ago, it seemed the title of this book was haunting me everywhere, on every Whitcoulls bookshelf throughout the nation. Now, it can haunt me on Netflix. This miniseries adaptation follows the lives of two teenagers during the height of World War II: Marie-Laure, a blind French girl, and Werner, a German boy forced to fight for the Nazi regime. Shawn Levy, whose work includes the Night at the Museum franchise, will surely bring his trademark hilarity to the table here./ Sam Brooks

Love Island Games (on TVNZ+ from November 1)

Just when you thought the franchise was on its last legs, Love Island has extended out a single acrylic nail and beckoned former contestants back to the island for a whole new iteration of the series. Much like the United Nations, Love Island Games sees representatives from each Love Island territory (UK, Australia, USA) together to live, love and slide down a waterslide in a mermaid tail together. And this time, we’re told, “the challenges determine everything” rather than solely being a chance to spray foam on young women in slow motion. May the odds be ever in your favour. / Alex Casey

Anika Moa Unleashed (on TVNZ+ from November 1)

New Zealand’s best interviewer is back for a third season and thank god for that, because what the world needs now is Anika, sweet Anika. The new season sees Moa sitting down with interviewees including Aotearoa’s TV Personality of the Year Nix Adams, musician Benee and TikToker Uncle Tics with her trademark lack of filter and extremely forward way of asking the questions that nobody else would dare to. / SB

The notables

The Gilded Age (season two on Neon from October 30)

The first season of The Gilded Age asked the question, “What if Downton Abbey were set in America and involved a lot of silly accents and massive hats?” And we answered with, “Another season please!”. This show from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes hasn’t attracted the following of his previous worldwide phenomenon, but I’d argue that the conflict between the new moneyed Russells (led by a wondrously hammy Carrie Coon) and the more established van Rhijn-Brook family (played by the equally delightful Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) is just as enthralling as the Crawleys, if not better. / SB

Black Cake (limited series on Disney+ from November 1)

This new series, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Charmaine Wilkerson, bills itself as a “family drama wrapped up in a murder mystery” that stretches back decades. A widow named Eleanor Bennett dies, leaving her two adult children a flash drive with previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. Mia Isaac, Adrienne Warren and Chipo Chung star./ SB

Spartacus (all seasons on ThreeNow from November 1)

Man, remember when Spartacus seemed to dominate our entire film industry? Were we ever so young. If you weren’t around when Spartacus was all the rage, it is a very loosely historical drama revolving around Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. There is a lot of blood, a lot of sand, and a whole lot of sex. It’s pretty fun! / SB

The films

Nyad (on Netflix from November 3)

Based on the life of record-breaking swimmer Diana Nyad, this drama floats onto Netflix after receiving positive notices out of Toronto Film Festival. Nyad, probably the most famous long-distance swimmer in the world, is played by Annette Bening, while Jodie Foster is her long-suffering partner Bonnie. It’s co-directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who also made the excellent documentary Free Solo. / SB

Fingernails (on AppleTV+ from November 3)

Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley stars as Anna, a former teacher who joins a company offering a test to determine if a couple is truly in love. Thought-provoking! Rounding out this AppleTV+ sci-fi offering is a stacked cast including Jeremy Allen White, Riz Ahmed, Annie Murphy and Luke Wilson. / SB

Quiz Lady (on Disney+ from November 3)

Well, this sounds goddamned delightful. Anne (Awkwafina), a tightly wound, game show-obsessed young woman, has to join forces with her chaos energy sister Jenny (Sandra Oh) to help pay off their mother’s gambling debts. When Anne’s dog is kidnapped, the sisters have to set off on a journey in order to get the money they need. No surprises: Anne’s game show obsession comes into play. / SB

Netflix

November 1

Wingwomen

Nuovo Olimpo

Locked In

Hurricane Season

Mysteries of the Faith

Till Murder Do Us Part: Soering vs Haysom

November 2

All The Light We Cannot See

Cigarette Girl

Higuita: The Way of the Scorpion

Unicorn Academy: Chapter 1

Onimusha

November 3

Ferry: The Series

The Tailor: Season 3

Selling Sunset: Season 7

Daily Dose of Sunshine

Vacaciones de verano

Nyad

Sly

Erin & Aaron

Blue Eye Samurai

Don’t Breathe 2

Neon

October 30

The Gilded Age: Season 2

Christine

October 31

Mafia Mamma

November 1

Essex Murders

Being Mary Tyler Moore

The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring

Richie Rich

November 2

I Am Shauna Rae

Love Island Australia: Season 5

Mama’s Boy

Rocketman

The Book of Eli

November 3

38 at the Garden

John Wick: Chapter 4

November 4

John Early: Now More Than Ever

The Fisher King

November 5

After the Bite

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

TVNZ+

October 30

Luther: Season 1-5

October 31

Christmas with the Kranks

Wolf Creek

November 1

Anika Moa Unleashed

Love Island Games

November 3

Crahsed: $800 Million Festival Fail

ThreeNow

November 1

Spartacus: Seasons 1-4

November 3

Celebrity Goggle-box UK: Season 1

Celebrity IOU: Season 3

Disney+

November 1

Black Cake

Behind the Attraction: Season 2

The Three Detectives

Big City Greens: Season 3

November 3

Quiz Lady

The Mill

Prime Video

November 1

Christmas with the Kranks

The Night Before

This Christmas

November 2

Knuckle Girl

November 3

John Wick: Chapter Four

Invincible: Season 2

Romancero

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Apple TV+

November 3

Fingernails

AMC+

N/A

Acorn

N/A

Shudder

November 1

I Saw The Devil

A Tale of Two Sisters

Keep going!