Mediaweek TV Guide – Weekend of 7 October to 9 October
Recommendations by Andrew Mercado.
Friday
The Graham Norton Show 8.30pm on Ten
Graham Norton
The 20th season of Britain’s best chat show returns with Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake talking about their new animated movie Trolls. Daniel Radcliffe talks about playing a corpse (in the very odd movie Swiss Army Man) and a thug (in Imperium alongside Toni Collette). Plus Robbie Williams performs his new single “Party Like a Russian”.
Code of a Killer 8.30pm on ABC
Code Of A Killer
Shameless’ David Threlfall and Life on Mars’ John Simm star in this two-part thriller about the murder investigation of two schoolgirls that led to the first use of DNA evidence. Reviews were mixed when this aired in the UK last year but the Daily Mail, who gave the show 5 out of 5, pointed out that they liked the show because it “avoided mortuary porn” by not showing “naked bodies on a slab”. Oh, CSI, I think they are talking about you and the awful legacy you have given to other TV crime shows.
Saturday
Scorpion/MacGyver/Hawaii Five-O from 6.30pm on Ten
Hawaii Five-O
Bravo to Ten for trying something different on Saturday nights instead of repeating the same movies over, and over again. The third season of Scorpion kicks off with Walter (Elyes Gabel) about to profess his love for Paige (Katharine McPhee).
The re-booted prequel series about MacGyver will premiere with an episode directed by Aussie James Wan. Despite horrible reviews, this series has done well in the US with over nine million viewers. Finally it’s the seventh season of Hawaii Five-O which is about to celebrate its 150th episode, meaning it is about halfway to where the original ended with 269 episodes.
The Amazing Race 6.30pm on FOX8
Season 27 (which screened in the US in 2015) starts on Venice Beach. The participants are instructed to start racing to Rio De Janeiro. The cast includes TMZ staff, former New York Jets cheerleaders and contestants from the reality series, America’s Best Dance Crew.
Saturday Night Live 7.30pm on Comedy
Actress Margot Robbie on SNL
Margot Robbie is the host of this Season 42 premiere, which also features Larry David as Bernie Sanders and Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump. It aired in the US last weekend.
The Bachelor NZ 7.30pm on Lifestyle You
Foxtel quietly pulled this from their schedule a few weeks ago, probably because it was clashing with the Aussie version on Ten. But now it is time to see 23 Kiwi girls throw themselves at Jordan Mauger, a TV and film producer – wait, no topless bar work?
Sunday
Matt Le Nevez as Peter Brock
Perfect timing after a full day of Bathurst 1000 to air this two-part Aussie miniseries starring Matthew LeNevez as Peter Brock. Given how well biopics about Peter Allen, INXS and Molly have rated, it will be fascinating to see if this can rev up some good business for Ten. The miniseries also features Ella Scott Lynch, Brendan Cowell (unrecognisable as rival Allan Moffatt), Natalie Bassingthwaite, Martin Sacks, Axle Whitehead and Steve Bisley.