‘It isn’t about us – it’s about you’

Watching Fair Go and Sunday as the deadline looms. Plus: a new documentary about K-Pop and belonging, three great comedies, and the very best Oscars coverage.

Kia ora koutou,

Alex Casey here, covering for the inimitable Tara Ward and bringing you some great news from Spinoff-land straight off the bat. We have new documentary coming out next week called K-Polys! It follows three young people embracing both their own Polynesian cultures, as well as the singing, dancing, fashion and fandom phenomenon that is K-Pop. Premiering next Tuesday on The Spinoff, check out the trailer below and mark it in your cals! Made with the support of NZ On Air.

What else has been going on? Well, following the shattering news out of TVNZ last week and Three the week prior, the amount of local content we might be getting in the future is looking bleak. Perhaps it says something about The State of Everything that all our Why You Should Watch recommendations this week are comedies. Feels like there’s an increasing number of barriers to having a laugh of late, so I hope we can provide some brief relief in a few shows that have cracked us up big time.

But before we get to that, I sat down and watched both Fair Go and Sunday this week and was reminded of just how much is at stake if we lose these iconic TVNZ shows.

In typical Fair Go style, they tackled the issue head on. “Welcome to the show,” said Fair Go’s Pippa Wetzell. “You have likely heard the news that TVNZ has proposed it will cut Fair Go from early May. So we want to say thank you, our viewers, for all of your messages of support. We are really, really grateful.” Standing solemnly next to her, co-host Garth Bray added that they have “fought for the underdog” for 47 years, and that won’t be something they give up lightly.  

Over on Sunday, the news came at the very end of the hour-long broadcast. “As you know, it’s been a tough time at TVNZ with proposals which affect this show and others,” said host Miriama Kamo. “But we want to thank you for supporting us every week for more than 20 years.” It was a relatively restrained response to the “devastating” news that TVNZ are considering axing 68 jobs, and these two iconic local shows, among other brutal measures to cut costs. 

Perhaps it speaks to the kaupapa and class of both series that they didn’t make a fuss. “As you know, Fair Go isn't about us – it’s about you,” said Wetzell. “So let's crack on with the show.” 

What followed were two stories that spoke entirely to the purpose of Fair Go, sticking up for individuals against nameless, faceless, emotionless corporations. There was Rebekah Johnstone, who battled her insurer every step of her cancer treatment. Fair Go managed to get AIA’s chief medical officer to front up (“we love that”, reporter Gill Higgins added in a beautiful voiceover flourish), and commit to changing their policy as a direct result of the story. 

There was also Kitty Sorenson, who was left gobsmacked after being turned away from her Sydney accommodation while on a trip in commemoration of her late husband. With the room originally booked under his name, the hotel refused to fulfill the booking without his ID, forcing her to book elsewhere and spend months struggling to get her refund back. “I had no option but to write to Fair Go. So that's what I did,” said Sorenson. “I didn't think that was a fair go.” 

Finally, a classic Fair Go yarn about people having to change their personalised license plates because they have retrospectively been deemed offensive. Waiheke local Tony took umbrage with complaints over his OM number plate, plainly stating that it simply means “the underlying vibration of the universe”. Zac was given his offensive plate for his 16th birthday. “My dad’s Dad bought him NUTTER, and so he bought me NUTZAC,” says the mulleted man, alarmingly moving me to tears with the sentiment.

Less light-hearted but equally as purpose-driven was Sunday’s episode, which delved deep into the spread of Caulerpa on the ocean floor. Heading out to the heart of the outbreak in Aotea, Conor Whitten interviewed business owners, experts and local iwi about the impact of the toxic algae on marine life, our food supply, and the economy. “This is the most serious marine incursion we’ve ever had,”  said Professor Barry Scott. “And we are totally unprepared for it.”

Told over two parts of the show, nearly 20 minutes in length, there’s also ample room to place the issue in historic and global contexts too. We learn about similar devastating cases in California and Monaco, and Ngāti Rehua kaumatua Syd Davies likens it to when iwi raised the warning about kauri dieback in 1972, decades before any government action was taken on it. “If they don’t do something about the Caulerpa, it’s going to be everywhere,” he said.

It’s a story symbolic of the thorough reporting and skilful storytelling that only a show like Sunday can do. If you had asked me before the segment, I would have guessed Caulerpa was the name of a local drag queen. After a journey around the country and down to the bottom of the sea floor, I came away with a thorough understanding of what it is, how it spreads, and why it matters. To borrow a bleeped-out phrase from interviewee Blair Tuke – it’s fucked.

Next was a piece by Mava Moayyed about an event being put on by the NZSO to celebrate unity and peace, five years after the Christchurch mosque attacks. Centring musician Abdelilah Rharrabti, who narrowly missed bullets at Al Noor mosque, and artist Janna Ezat, who lost her son Hussein that day, it was a delicately-handled exploration of loss, healing and how those outside of the Muslim community are finding new ways to show their support and solidarity. 

With more duration, there’s also more room for nuance. NZSO principal flautist Bridget Douglas mused aloud about the early days of the project and the “uncomfortable” feelings around its conception. “Are we doing this for ourselves, to make ourselves feel better? Or are we doing this because we genuinely want to be part of a positive change in our society?” It’s not often you see an interview subject grapple with white saviour complex in prime time. 

It’s impossible not to be moved by the story’s end, as Rharrabti takes the stage with the NZSO. The image of two different worlds coming together to make music, as with the engineers, iwi and scientists joining forces against Caulerpa in Aotea, certainly looks like the very best of New Zealand, and makes the looming absence of shows like Sunday, and Fair Go, feel all the more stark. Both shows ended with a emphatic reminder for people to get in touch with their stories, even via PO Box.

“Our programme is all about you, so please do get in touch,” said Bray. “We are still here to help,” added Wetzell. 

A message from The Spinoff editor Madeleine Chapman

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Why you should watch: Girls5Eva (Netflix)

Fans of 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, rejoice, for Girls5Eva will fill the Tina Fey-shaped hole in your heart. To be fair, Fey is just an executive producer on this Netflix comedy, but her comedy style is are all over it. Starring an excellent ensemble that includes Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps and a scene-stealing Renée Elise Goldsberry, Girls5Eva follows a 90s girl group with just a single hit to their name as they try to regain their fame, and write a serious album, in the present day. It’s a joke-a-minute sitcom, filled with genuinely catchy (and funny) songs and some biting social commentary on the treatment of women in music. The first season – originally produced for NBC’s Peacock streamer – is especially strong, but I am excited to see where the show evolves over its third run now it has the creative freedom of Netflix at its disposal. / Stewart Sowman-Lund

You might also like

• Reading this review of an earlier season of Girls5Eva written by our own girl group superstar Megan Alatini from TrueBliss.

• Watching ThreeNow’s Paper Dolls, a drama that follows the meteoric rise of a manufactured girl group, written by a former member of Bardot.

• And if you like the music of Bardot, please enjoy this video of Sophie Monk playing two recorders with her nostrils.

Why you should watch: How to With John Wilson (Neon)

This is a series that is impossible to recommend without making it sound like the most pretentious student film of all time: half hour video essays, assembled from thousands of hours of observational footage from around New York City etc. But believe me when I say: this show is a truly original, frequently hilarious, often jaw-dropping exploration of human beings and all their eccentricities and flaws. Produced by Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You, The Curse), omniscient host Wilson captures the most unhinged characters in the city, follows his curiosities to their logical conclusion (often someone’s basement). When you least expect it, smacks you in the face with a earth-shattering revelation about our existence. A genuine masterpiece. / Alex Casey

More pop culture links on The Spinoff

• Lots of good new juicy stuff in our new to streaming list, including moody Sam Neill family drama, Lindsay Lohan in Ireland, and The Eras tour at home.

• A huge week for concerts – Stewart Sowman-Lund went to P!nk and had a rather unpleasant “trustfall” into Auckland’s public transport system afterwards.

• That same night, Gabi Lardies went to see cult legends Shonen Knife play a sweaty, sticky, silly gig at Whammy Bar.

• Even from the cheap seats, Shanti Mathias felt the vibrancy and exuberance of legendary Beninese performer Angélique Kidjo in the Auckland Arts Festival.

Why you should watch: Curb Your Enthusiasm (Neon)

Should you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm? It depends – if you’ve made it this far without encountering the curmudgeonly antics of Larry David then honestly this ship has probably sailed. But if you’ve spent the last two decades watching and rewatching the DVD box sets and sporadically texting your Curb friend quotes then of course you should be watching the 12th and allegedly final season rolling out on Neon at the moment. While the show’s funniest years are behind it, the new episodes still have their moments – I almost texted my Curb friend “I’m disgruntled” the other week but then wasn’t sure if he was still watching and worried that the message might be interpreted as a cry for help if he didn’t get the reference. But still! I also recommend going back and rewatching from season one and thinking about how that was almost a full quarter century ago now. One of the first episodes centres around Larry’s brand new car phone. Pretty, pretty, pretty old. / Calum Henderson

Before we pop off…

• Tragic parasocial relationship alert: I felt genuinely… proud?… to see Amelia Dimoldenberg, aka Chicken Shop Date girl, reporting from the Oscars red carpet.

• Waking up and playing Cinematrix is one of my life’s true joys, even if I am still kicking myself for thinking We Need to Talk About Kevin won an Oscar.

• Speaking of the Oscars, I would obviously die for Emma Stone but I found Poor Things to be incredibly icky. This review articulates the ickiness well.

• Drag Race Down Under is coming back for another season, this time with no RuPaul as it clashes with his book tour. Sacre bleu!

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.