{"id":372549,"date":"2026-04-10T06:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/372549\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:48:08","slug":"the-best-tv-shows-to-binge-while-wild-weather-hits-new-zealand-this-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/372549\/","title":{"rendered":"The best TV shows to binge while wild weather hits New Zealand this weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pitt<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t already been watching this tense, tight, medical drama, this is the perfect time to begin. The rest of us have had to go back to the dark ages and watch one episode per week, waiting patiently (no pun intended) until the next one drops every Friday. But with the season two finale now just a week away, you have plenty of time to binge from the beginning. Each episode takes place in real time, following the staff and patients of a Pittsburgh hospital emergency room over a 15-hour shift. There is blood, there are guts, there is glory, not always in that order. Noah Wyle is excellent as senior attending physician Dr Michael \u201cRobby\u201d Robinavitch, who may or may not be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but the extensive ensemble cast more than holds their own. Warning: at least once an episode, I hide behind a cushion thanks to the gruesome sights on screen. Absolutely do not watch while eating. – Stephanie Holmes<\/p>\n

Where to watch: Neon (episode 14 of season two drops today, with the season finale available next Friday)<\/p>\n

Last One Laughing UK<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the perfect time to sit down and binge this gem, as season two of the UK comedy show has just dropped, and it\u2019s just as good as the first. The show\u2019s premise is simple: get a bunch of very funny people in a room for the day (it\u2019s the likes of Alan Carr, Bob Mortimer, Diane Morgan for season two), and whoever is the last one to laugh, wins. Laugh, and you are out. It\u2019s utterly silly and practically pointless, but it will make you feel joyful while the weather gods unleash and your summer tan fades. – Jenni Mortimer<\/p>\n

Where to watch: Prime Video<\/p>\n

The Rookie<\/p>\n

Before interviewing Melissa O\u2019Neil (who plays Sergeant Lucy Chen)<\/a>, I initially dismissed The Rookie as being like any other boring cop procedural. Now, in the space of a few weeks, I\u2019m two seasons in, hooked, and kicking myself for not watching it sooner. It\u2019s the ultimate binge show, one you can flick on any day of the week and instantly enjoy watching the characters go about their days in the LA Police force. Action, comedy, drama, a crowd-pleaser with solid acting and likeable leads. – Mitchell Hageman<\/p>\n

Where to watch: TVNZ+ and Netflix<\/p>\n

The Madison<\/p>\n

A six-part meditation on love and loss from the man who created Yellowstone? Bear with me. Taylor Sheridan presents grief at Golden Hour. Fewer horses and more trout. Fewer problematic men and more complicated women. Montana glows and so do Michelle Pfeiffer\u2019s ridiculously healthy blond locks. Nothing much happens but, at the same time, everything happens. Life, death and sex. Cowboys, city girls and woke pre-teens. I went full immersion over Easter when Auckland was still sunny and daylight saving had added a dreamy extra hour to the day. My breathing slowed, I planted bulbs for spring and at night, binged The Madison and considered that everybody we love dies, but how lucky we are to love. – Kim Knight<\/p>\n

Where to watch: Neon<\/p>\n

Shrinking<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a new season of Shrinking out, which means I can dedicate my weekend to the most cosy show on television. The show follows grieving therapist Jimmy (played by Jason Segel) as he navigates fatherhood, work and relationships with a cast of intrusive and caring neighbours. Both silliness and earnestness underpin this show, which is a warming combination. The best representation of this is in Harrison Ford\u2019s performance, which is self-aware and grounded. All reviews point to season three being a stage for this star to shine, so I can\u2019t wait to tune in. – Madeleine Crutchley<\/p>\n

Where to watch: Apple TV<\/p>\n

Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat <\/p>\n

The long-awaited follow-up to 2023 Amazon series Jury Duty<\/a> is almost as good as the original, which saw Ronald Gladden sign up for jury duty and what he thought was a documentary about jury service. Unbeknownst to him, he was surrounded by actors whose antics set out to test his limits. Company Retreat follows a fictional retreat for fake hot sauce company Rockin\u2019 Grandma\u2019s, where every employee, bar the unsuspecting temp Anthony Norman, is acting. Awkward moments and increasingly unhinged workplace shenanigans build to the big reveal, as the show\u2019s creators aim to pull off this prank a second time. – Bethany Reitsma<\/p>\n

Where to watch: Prime Video<\/p>\n

Coachella 2026<\/p>\n

Okay, it\u2019s not exactly a single TV show, BUT three days of (almost) non-stop bangers performed live by the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, The Strokes, David Byrne, Fatboy Slim, Justin Bieber, Wet Leg and CMAT? Yes please. Invite some mates over, grab your flower crowns and glow sticks (are they still a thing?) and pretend a very wet and wild Aotearoa is the California desert for a couple of days. – Bridget Jones<\/p>\n

Where to watch: YouTube from 11am, Saturday, Sunday and Monday<\/p>\n

Far North<\/p>\n

A bit like Bro Town or Lord of the Rings, Far North is one of those things that is your duty to watch, as a New Zealander, at least once in your lifetime. The upshot is that you won\u2019t regret it, especially when you can stream this one for free. Starring national treasures Robyn Malcolm and Temuera Morrison, the show is a bloody brilliant, uniquely Kiwi story about a drug deal that sounds like a bar joke, but it\u2019s (mostly) true. Most importantly: it\u2019s cooked as. You will be invested, you will be talking about it with your friends, you will be googling the real case, and wondering: where are they now? – Varsha Anjali<\/p>\n

Where to watch: ThreeNow<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pitt If you haven\u2019t already been watching this tense, tight, medical drama, this is the perfect time…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":372550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[8666,3390,156155,4508,2514,18087,5969,117,111,43,139,529,425,69,418,223,1961,61,437,33210,4998,4767,6436,6123,15391,1533,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-372549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-zealand","8":"tag-aware","9":"tag-best","10":"tag-binge","11":"tag-hits","12":"tag-island","13":"tag-issued","14":"tag-much","15":"tag-new","16":"tag-new-zealand","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-newzealand","19":"tag-north","20":"tag-now","21":"tag-nz","22":"tag-shows","23":"tag-the","24":"tag-this","25":"tag-to","26":"tag-tv","27":"tag-warnings","28":"tag-weather","29":"tag-weekend","30":"tag-well","31":"tag-while","32":"tag-wild","33":"tag-will","34":"tag-zealand"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/372550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}