Five reasons why you should watch new reality series My Mum, Your Dad NZ
Plus: Prime Video's hit series Fallout isn't just for gamers and a new NZ On Screen collection celebrates one of New Zealand's greatest talents.
Kia ora e te whānau, and happy Friday to you. This week was all about balance for me. I began it by watching a heap of new TV shows, including Three’s reality series My Mum, Your Dad NZ and Prime Video’s drama Fallout, and ended it with a healthy dose of nostalgia by diving into NZ On Screen’s new collection celebrating the career of the one and only Ginette McDonald. If looking back on New Zealand telly isn’t your thing, we’ve got plenty of other fantastic suggestions to see you through the weekend, including a movie recommendation for people who are “fans of brown and orange”. I mean, who isn’t? Enjoy.
‘Who’s ready to watch their parents do some pashing?’: Three’s new dating show breaks all the reality rules
If you think dating shows are only for the young, think again. From The Bachelor, to Too Hot to Handle, to Love Is Blind, there’s no shortage of dating shows on our televisions, but Three’s new reality series takes this well-known format and flips it on it’s head. My Mum, Your Dad NZ follows eight middle-aged single parents who have been nominated by their adult children for a second chance at love – think Love Island, but for the oldies.
These brave singles move into a house together to see if romantic sparks fly – but like any good reality series, there’s a twist. The parents don’t know that their children will be secretly watching their romantic quest from the comfort of a special “bunker”, and that they’ll be the ones ultimately playing matchmaker. After all, who knows a parent better than their child? Well, we’re about to find out.
Whether you’re a reality TV fan or you just like watching New Zealanders being awkward on the telly, here’s five reasons why you should watch My Mum, Your Dad NZ.
Stand down John Aiken, there’s some new romantic experts in town
Parents are used to being in charge of their kids, but My Mum, Your Dad NZ gleefully breaks that rule. This show gives the kids all the power and, after watching countless hours of footage of their parents flirting with each other, they get to pull the romantic strings. Like expert John from Married at First Sight, they’re also not afraid to dish out advice about where these singles are going wrong in the dating world. “She’s a bit of an egg, but she deserves someone to treat her the way she deserves to be treated,” Connor says of his mum Jacks, while Emma instructs dad Nic not to “bring up Star Wars, unless they ask”. Words to live by, indeed.
Yes, it’s awkward…
Can you imagine watching your parents pash on TV? Or squirming while your dad debates whether farting on the first date is OK, or cringing when your parent asks his date the never-sexy question “are you still active? Do you still do stuff?” Chuck in the general reluctance of New Zealanders to make small talk with strangers, and the awk-o-meter in episode one hits the retreat roof.
…but it’s also full of vulnerable moments
Thankfully, that embarrassment is balanced by some surprising moments of honesty and vulnerability. Having asked Jacks if she still “does stuff”, Sean pulls the date back from the brink of hell by opening up and revealing that he hasn’t been intimate with anyone in 10 years. He mentions he’s scared to get hurt and wishes he had someone to talk to at the end of the day, giving us an unexpected insight into the realities of being a middle-aged single parent.
But the realest moment of all comes at the end of episode one, when it's revealed that Flavio, one of the fathers in the show, died not long after filming wrapped last year. (A Warner Bros. spokesperson said the decision to air the show was made with the “full and ongoing support of Flavio’s son Enzo, who also features in the series, his family, and the entire cast.”) It’s a poignant reminder that, even in the silliest of high concept dating shows, these are still real people and real lives.
This isn’t just a dating show
My Mum, Your Dad NZ is about a second chance at love, but it’s also a series about the unique bond between parents and children. It’s heartwarming to see the parents speak so fondly about their kids – especially when the oldies don’t know their kids will be watching – and it’s wholesome to see the kids want their best for their parents. There’s also something special about watching these offspring discover the oldies in a whole new light, seeing them not just as parents but as individuals looking for love and companionship – even if they do drop “a whizzpop” on the first date.
Most of all, it reminds us that it’s not just young people who are deserving of love
Much like the most recent series of Married at First Australia, a dating show becomes more interesting when it involves people who have lived full and interesting lives. The middle-aged participants arrive at the retreat with maturity and years of lived experience, and they know exactly what they want. ”When you get to my age, and you’ve gone through a period of self-growth, you really do see what you won’t tolerate,” 49-year-old Juanita tells us.
Ultimately, watching My Mum, Your Dad NZ feels like going on a first date. It’s awkward and funny and has moments of brutal honesty. But by the end, it’s full of promise – whizzpop and all.
My Mum, Your Dad NZ screens on Sunday April 21 at 7.30pm on Three and streams on ThreeNow.
New to The Spinoff: Checkered Flag
In 2023, Gary Stirling, circuit manager at the Pukekohe Park Raceway closed the gates for the last time. The raceway had hosted professional and community motorsports events for 60 years and is now being demolished to make room for horse racing facilities. “Time moves on, Puke’s gone,” he said.
Checkered Flag is a one-off documentary that follows Stirling and his daughter in the months leading up to the last day ever at the racecourse. They register drivers, clean up after the Auckland floods, and say goodbye to what is so much more than a paddock with asphalt on it.
Checkered Flag is made with the support of NZ On Air.
Why you should watch: Fallout (Prime Video)
Prime Video’s new series Fallout may be based on a video game, but Anna Rawhiti-Connell reckons you don’t have to be a serious gamer to enjoy it. Set in America 200 years after the apocalypse, Fallout unfolds in a world where the lucky survive in an underground warren of bunkers, while the less fortunate battle it out in the dystopian civilisation above ground. If you loved Westworld, Wandavision or The Last of Us, you’ll love Fallout.
“There’s a serious conceit about human survival at the heart of the show, and it has a lot to say about America, the danger of nostalgia, the constant of war, and the ethics of scientific and technological advancement,” Anna says in her review. “Just as the Cold War and nuclear proliferation influenced film and television in the 20th century, Fallout grapples with existential questions that are equally relevant in the 21st. It just happens to be packaged as very watchable entertainment for those who might be gaming ignorant, but enjoy sharp writing and high-concept TV.”
You might also like:
Baby Reindeer (Netflix): Feeling brave? Netflix’s latest hit show is an adaptation from Richard Gadd’s one-man play based on his experience of being stalked by a woman he meets at work. It’s a chilling watch – this critic called it a bleak, self-loathing horror, but also praised it for being “original, compelling and unforgettable”.
The Sympathizer (Neon): If you love a spy thriller, you’ll enjoy this new HBO series based on the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen and starring Robert Downey Jr in multiple roles and disguises. Early reviews have called it “a TV tour de force” and a show that “dances from hilarious satire to pulse-pounding thriller at the drop of the hat”.
Why you should watch: Late Night With the Devil (in cinemas now)
A few weeks ago I watched Network for the first time. Although nearly 50 years old, it felt like its unhinged takedown of television’s race to the bottom could have been made yesterday. Late Night With the Devil is set in the same mid-1970s rating war, except this time it is Halloween night and desperate host Jack Delroy (David Dastmalchian finally getting the spotlight he deserves) is prepared to quite literally go to hell to keep his audience by hosting a live seance with a demon. The movie is the entire end-to-end “broadcast”, using “behind the scenes” footage from between ad breaks to build to an incredible climax that contains more live television horrors than Howard Beale being mad as hell, or Ryan Bridge milking a cow. A must see for horror fans, television fans, and fans of brown and orange. / Alex Casey
More pop culture on The Spinoff:
Our new to streaming list has the best shows and movies dropping this week.
Alex Casey talked to David Lomas about why not everyone wants to receive a bunch of flowers from him.
Jess Hong – star of Netflix’s most watched show 3 Body Problem – takes us through her life in TV.
As Married with First Sight Australia (ThreeNow) wraps up for another year, read our recap of all the outrageous moments from the show’s final week.
Anna Rawhiti-Connell reviews Scoop (Netflix) and covers everything from Prince Andrew’s prosthetic bum to a rogue marsupial.
With news that Fair Go will end in mid-May, Alex Casey and I look back on the legacy of the iconic consumer affairs series that was always in our corner.
Right now, we need your support more than ever
The Spinoff recently estimated that the number of full-time journalists in New Zealand may have halved since 2018 Census data was published. As the media landscape continues to change, numbers may decrease again. The Spinoff is not immune to the drastic advertising slowdown impacting the sector. That’s why we’re immensely grateful to our audience for their support. To those who already support us, thank you. If you don’t and are able, we’d be very grateful if you’d consider becoming a Spinoff member or donating today.
– Duncan Greive, founder
Why you should watch: Ginette McDonald Collection (NZ On Screen)
NZ On Screen is a treasure trove of historic local television content, and their newest collection celebrates the work of one of our most prolific actors, comedians and producers. The Ginette McDonald Collection launched this week, and features an impressive variety of shows and clips from McDonald’s extensive career that spans more than 50 years in New Zealand entertainment. I loved watching the very first Lynn of Tawa show and seeing McDonald become Helen Clark’s personal assistant for a day, but there are so many other delightful TV gems to discover in this new collection.
Ripley (Netflix): It might be dividing critics, but Pip Adam reckons Netflix’s adaptation of the classic Patricia Highsmith novel isn’t just the most controversial yet – it’s also the best.
My Life is Murder (TVNZ+): Bill Bailey, Erik Thomson, Siobhan Marshall and Dame Miranda Harcourt all guest star in the new season of the light and funny Lucy Lawless murder-mystery series, which premieres this Sunday.
Before we pop off…
The finalists for the 2024 New Zealand music awards have been announced.
Does that Briscoes dinner set look familiar? Crown Lynn aficionado Stewart Sowman-Lund certainly thinks so.
Duncan Greive answers (mostly) the pressing questions about Stuff replacing Newshub’s 6pm news bulletin.
Calum Henderson reveals absolutely everything he knows only because of The Office.
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.
