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• The kids aren’t all right

  In Jack Thorne’s thrilling recent adaptation of Lord of the Flies, the hardening faces of boys acting as men feel drawn from the present day. Plus, Lisa McGee recaptures wasted youth in How to Get To Heaven from Belfast, writes The Observer’s Olivia Ovenden.

• Anti-heroine’s time to shine

  In a landscape crowded with breeches, bonnets and bodices, The Other Bennet Sister feels like Bridgerton without the budget, The Observer’s Barbara Ellen writes.

• Pioneering ‘nepo parents’

  Jack Whitehall: a ‘‘nepo baby’’ who spawned ‘‘nepo parents’’. ‘‘They became famous off the back of me, so it’s kind of evened it out,’’ the British comedian tells RNZ.

• Godzilla v Kong: NZ looks on

  KarlPuschmann takes a look at how the fight between Netflix and Paramount for ownership of Warner Bros will affect Kiwis.

• February stars

  A couple of compelling documentaries, a local show starring TomSainsbury and the return of an old favourite are TV highlights this month, writes Karl Puschmann.

• Satirical look at perils of beautification

  Ryan Murphy is back on familiar territory in the beyond-camp satire of beauty standards — The Beauty, starring exploding supermodels, The Observer’s Barbara Eden reports.

• Show me the money

  The astonishing financial drama Industry, back for a fourth season, gives you more bang for your buck than almost any other show on television, reckons The Observer’s Barbara Eden.

• Bigyearfor smallscreen

  We will get fresh seasons of favourites and see classics make a comeback, but there are shows in 2026 you might not have even heard of yet that you will want to watch, Karl Puschmann writes.

• Night moves

  Is The Night Manager still the best of the television spy genre? Ten years after its acclaimed initial outing, the series returns after Slow Horses revolutionised the format — but the BBC show remains sharp, writes The Observer’s Barbara Eden.

• Letting out the genie

  RNZ’s Dan Slevin talks to James Cameron ahead of this week’s release of his latest chapter in the Avatar saga, Avatar: Fire and Ash.

Featured documents

• Boldly going

  The latest Star Trek show, Strange New Worlds, is a spin-off of a show set in the past of a future, a prequel to both an unused pilot and a double episode of television that aired over 50 years ago. Confused? USA Today has the rundown....

• Look who’s back

  At first, the reboot of Frasier struggles. But after a few episodes, the chemistry and the magic are back, all helmed by its lead’s faultless performance — and it is a joy to watch, writes Lucy Mangan....

• Spoiler alert!

  Why do some of us crave surprise and suspense, while others find comfort in instant resolution? Anjum Naweed looks into the contentious topic of spoilers....

• Starring NZ, as Hawaii

  Jason Momoa’s historical epic Chief of War is a triumph of Hawaiians telling their own stories — despite the fact their film and TV production industry now struggles to be viable, Duncan Caillard tells us....

• Back to reality

  NZ On Air funds have funded reality TV — did they put their money in the right place? RNZ’s Mary Argue has a look....

• Shadow of a fantasy

  Shadow and Bone is good but it could have been so much better, writes KellyLawler....

• NULL

  THE press release accompanying volume four of Stranger Things makes a reckless boast: “Over five hours longer than any previous season!” The show is among Netflix’s biggest hits, but it returns at a time when the streaming platform’s business model — hook subscribers by hurling cash at bloated mega-...

• Stranger than fiction

  True-crime podcasts like The Shrink Next Door are being snapped up for TV. But how does it really feel when your worst nightmare becomes a bingewatch, asks Issy Sampson....

• Stranger than fiction

  True-crime podcasts like The Shrink Next Door are being snapped up for TV. But how does it really feel when your worst nightmare becomes a bingewatch, asks Issy Sampson....

• Backintown

  Is it somehow possible for the furious, dark and hyper-violent superhero satire The Boys to become even more out-there in its new third season? It looks like it, finds Ben Allan....