Can we keep the faith with TVNZ’s new drama Testify?
There’s a lot going on in TVNZ’s new big-budget local drama, plus our verdicts on Cowboy Carter and a must-see British series that will make you really mad.
Happy Friday e te whānau, and welcome back to another bumper round of pop culture recommendations for the weekend ahead. I spent a wonderfully lazy Easter enjoying Mr Bates vs The Post Office, an absolute cracker of a British drama that made me feel increasingly angry as the show went on (Anna Rawhiti-Connell had a similar experience, and shares her thoughts on the series below). Don’t worry if rage-inducing TV isn’t your thing, because we’ve got plenty of other delicious treats for both your ears and eyes. Enjoy! / Tara Ward
Testify’s dark new religious drama is full of sins and sinners
David Jacobson is standing in the toilet of a queer nightclub, looking very much out of place. He’s been called there by three strangers, who found his name in a phone belonging to a young man named Leon, who is having a bad drug trip. As David (Vinnie Bennett) helps Leon without a word of judgment or blame, the three strangers are shocked to discover that he isn’t Leon’s boyfriend, but in fact his pastor. God moves in mysterious ways, it seems.
So begins Testify, TVNZ’s dark new drama about a rich and powerful family which run an evangelical megachurch in Auckland. It’s written by Gavin Strawhan (Black Hands, Nothing Trivial) and Paula Whetu Jones (Spinal Destination, Whina) and received $6 million in funding from NZ on Air. Starring Vinnie Bennett, Craig Hall and Ari Boyland, the series follows the battle between good and evil as that “hot pastor” David teams up with determined podcaster Dana (Stacey Hayes) to expose the church’s secrets and lies.
Community saviour David works for the church run by his father Scott (a suitably creepy Craig Hall), who rules both church and family with an iron fist. David is too busy looking after the local “waifs and strays” to obey his father, while prodigal son Paul (Ari Boyland) has returned after being missing for 15 years, determined to seek revenge for events from his past. When David turns against Avow Church and gets involved with a podcast run by the strangers he met in that nightclub toilet, all hell breaks loose.
Sounds like more than enough drama to sustain a big budget series – but wait, there’s more. Leon is also being pressured by the church to deny his sexuality, while flatmate-of-the-podcasters Isla (Molly Curnow) has an on-again, off-again romance with a guy called Hunter (they have loud sex while her flatmates record a podcast episode). There are traumatic flashbacks of abuse, harassment and dodgy dealings, and surely more to discover about Scott’s wife Jen (Kat Browne) and obedient daughter Emmeline (Jessica Grace Smith), who is happily married with two kids...or is she?
There’s a lot going on in Testify – too much, in fact. While all these storylines give us a variety of perspectives about what organised religion does to people, ultimately it means the show spreads itself a little too thin. Some scenes plod along at a pace that feels at odds with the story’s high stakes, and while the Jacobsons might be the show’s villains, I was left wanting more of them, given how much they have to lose and all their simmering secrets.
But the performances are solid, with Bennett, Hall and Boyland particularly strong, and the series raises timely questions about the role of organised religion in our society (when did worship become entertainment, podcasters Eden and Dana wonder, and is being a queer Christian an oxymoron?). Testify is a dark, brooding big-budget series with plenty of promise, but it's strongest when it delves into the more sinister, secretive side of organised religion.
Having recently enjoyed slick, well received New Zealand dramas like After the Party and Dark City: The Cleaner, it’s clear we can make compelling television that can compete with big overseas budgets, while still reflecting who we are in challenging and authentic ways. Will Testify do that, too? Much like the Jacobsons themselves, you’ll need to keep the faith.
Testify premieres on TVNZ2 on Monday April 8 at 8.30pm (and continues on Tuesday April 9) and streams on TVNZ+.
Join The Spinoff members, now with comments
Spinoff members are now able to comment on certain stories. It’s another way for us to bring to life the value of belonging to the community of Spinoff supporters. I explain why we’re doing this here, and if I ever publish another big food ranking, you have my permission to give me your worst. It’s just one of the perks of being a Spinoff supporter.
Today you can also chime in on:
This stellar ranking of original Paul Jennings book covers, ranked by their levels of body horror
Help me Hera: Should I make theatre in France for the worst people in the world?
Log in, let us know what you think, and as always, we’d be grateful if you’d consider becoming a Spinoff supporter if you’re not already.
See you in the comments,
– Madeleine Chapman, editor
Why you should watch: Scoop (Netflix)
Remember that bombshell royal interview with Prince Andrew back in 2019, in which he talked about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein? Now we’re about to see how the BBC managed to pull that conversation off, with Scoop revealing the inside story about how three women at BBC Newsnight – journalist Emily Mathis (Gillian Anderson), producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) and editor Esme Wren (Romola Garai) – worked tirelessly behind the scenes to gain unprecedented access to the palace. Rufus Sewell plays Prince Andrew, Keeley Hawes plays his press secretary, and it’s directed by BAFTA winner Philip Martin (The Crown).
You might also like:
Ripley (Netflix): Believe it or not, Andrew Scott (Fleabag, All of Us Strangers) is right at home as bad boy Tom Ripley in this stylish new take on Patricia Highsmith’s classic crime novel The Talented Mr Ripley. The eight-episode psychological thriller is filmed entirely in black and white, as Scott plays a down-on-his-luck New Yorker who travels to Europe for a trip filled with deceit, fraud and murder.
Why you should listen to: Cowboy Carter
Have you listened to the new Beyonce album yet? Christopher Luxon reckons he has, Mike Hosking definitely has, and so have a whole lot of us at The Spinoff. The general consensus is two cowboy thumbs up, including this champion VIP recommendation from none other than TV weatherman and Southern Cross Country Radio host Mike Puru:
“Cowboy Carter is a triumph. As an avid country music fan, I love the fact Beyonce has managed to blend so many genres into one album – it keeps you guessing. ‘Texas Hold Em’, with its classic country twang, perhaps gave people the impression the whole album was going to be country, but country music isn’t strictly straw hats and banjos anymore. Post Malone next to a Beatles song, next to a reinterpreted Jolene, all under a Beyonce umbrella – that’s country enough for me. Cowboy Carter expands the perimeters of country music and I love it. My favourite track is ‘Levi's Jeans’ and the one I skip is’ Sweet Honey Buckiin’. Anyway, loosen up NZ, the banjos ain’t taking over yet – perhaps country is, though.”
More pop culture recs on The Spinoff:
It was Mustapic-mania at The Spinoff this week, with comedian James Mustapic featuring in this week’s My Life in TV column, while his lovely mum Janet told me why she was so reluctant to star in his new comedy series James Must-a-pic His Mum a Man (TVNZ+).
The charming Nadia’s Farm (ThreeNow) is back for a second season this week, and Alex Casey had a delightful chat with Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie about the realities of living and working on their Central Otago farm.
Check out everything new to streaming this week, including a brand new season of Taskmaster UK.
I also loved this piece from Alex Casey about what happened when Rachel Hunter sold out a school hall in Christchurch.
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Why you should watch: Mr Bates Vs Post Office (TVNZ+)
Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office is a near-perfect package of enraging drama and righteous hope. The British Post Office scandal (also known as the Horizon IT scandal) is widely regarded as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, and Mr. Bates vs. The Post Office is based on that story, which is still playing out in the UK. In the first episode, Jo, another postmaster prosecuted by the Post Office, sits in the dark inside her little post booth, tearful, distraught, and bewildered. She’s dialled into yet another round of near-ritual humiliation via the Horizon helpline, watching her cash loss for the day double before her eyes on a computer screen. Anyone who has been made to feel very small and very stupid, especially when faced with something as seemingly banal as an IT issue, will relate.
The series does double duty. It brings to life a story of real and shocking injustice that will leave you feeling utterly enraged. It also reminds us that persistence, propped up by real human connection and guided by an unwavering moral core, can be a powerful weapon against a state hellbent on obfuscation and blame. / Anna Rawhiti-Connell
You might also like:
Mr Bates Vs The Post Office: The Real Story (TVNZ1, TVNZ+) Once you’ve watched the drama series, be sure to catch this new documentary (screening on TVNZ1 on Sunday night) which speaks with the actual sub-postmasters whose lives were destroyed by the shocking post office scandal.
Before we pop off…
Huge news for Guy Montgomery’s Guy Mont Spelling Bee, which has been picked up in Australia by ABC (is there a better channel for a spelling show?) and will star Montgomery and Aaron Chen.
ThreeNow have launched a new channel MovieSphere this week, which offers users free access to 300 movies a month from the Lionsgate studio.
ZM hosts Fletch and Vaughan look back on two decades together in radio.
Don’t worry, Lizzo isn’t quitting music – just negative energy.
A whopping 50 million people have watched Prime Video’s remake of Road House since it dropped two weeks ago. Was that because of the stellar review Duncan Greive gave it in last week’s Rec Room? I like to think so.
That’s it for Rec Room for this week. If you liked what you read, why not share Rec Room with your friends and whānau.
'Testify' could be NZs answer to AU 'Prosper', which was excellent. Looking forward to it, great cast and crew.