New Zealand Today is back to serve up another slice of realness
Guy Williams returns for one more succulent Chinese meal, there's a new rom-com on Netflix, and meet the Americans obsessed with eating the world's spiciest chillis.
I’ve never forgotten watching the tragic sight of poor old Matty McLean chomping down on the world’s second spiciest pepper live on Breakfast in 2010. The agony was real, and now there’s a new docuseries about the people who eat these spicy chillis on purpose. If they lived in Aotearoa they’d probably pop up on New Zealand Today, which also returned this week. We’ve recapped the first episode of the Guy Williams series, and found that even after four seasons, there’s no shortage of locals who’ll open up to the New Zealand comedian. Happy watching. / Tara Ward
Those are our people today, that’s New Zealand Today tonight
New Zealanders can be an odd bunch, especially in the presence of a camera and microphone, and nobody knows this better than New Zealand Today. This week the comedy series returned to Three and ThreeNow for its fourth season, with comedian and self-proclaimed “volunteer journalist” Guy Williams bringing us a new batch of investigations into the towns “no-one else wants to go to”. That’s a bit rough on poor old Nightcaps, but the New Zealand Today presenter is hellbent on continuing his intrepid mission around the country to serve us up a slice of authentic New Zealand.
The season starts by returning to an older story (first told by The Spinoff!) about two neighbouring Mt Albert BBQ Noodle Houses. It turns out New Zealand Today’s 2019 story on the feuding restaurants did little to repair the fractured relationship between the owners. In fact, the show made it worse. “I – no, we – all hate you,” Alice from the Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House bluntly tells Williams. His dreams of reconciliation lie in pieces, but the bubble tea is still good.
This time Mt Albert BBQ Noodle Houses provide the loose link to where Williams really wants to go, which is all the way to Australia to meet the infamous Jack Karlson. Karlson is the man who introduced “succulent Chinese meal” into the lexicon when he was arrested in Brisbane in the early 90s, and Williams wants Karlson — who has lived a life full of crime and juicy noodles — to make the definitive choice: which Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House is the most succulent of all?
This first episode is less New Zealand Today, more Australia A Few Years Ago, as Williams tracks down the man who yelled “get your hand off my penis” in 1991. He finds Karlson in a shed in rural Queensland, wine tumbler in hand and walls covered in his own paintings of naked ladies. Karlson doesn’t seem entirely sure who Williams is, but he agrees to chat. The next day, the men sit beside a broken down bus while Karlson drinks more wine and talks about his life.
It’s an awkward conversation, which is luckily where New Zealand Today thrives. Fans of the series will enjoy this new season, which continues with the same blokey banter, dubious conversations and bizarre characters of earlier episodes. Williams is one of very few people who can comfortably rock up to a small town and openly accuse the locals of racism, or declare a provincial town full of “shitheads” with no good schools, as he does in episode three. Despite his antagonism, Williams still has a knack for getting total strangers to open up to him.
Likewise, he takes it in his stride when people respond negatively to him, but there’s an underlying tension in the way New Zealand Today uses ordinary people as entertainment. When Williams asks a teenager to translate “get your hands off my penis” for the non-English speaking owner of the Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House, it feels uncomfortable. New Zealand Today’s mission to show us the “real” New Zealand, but sometimes it feels unclear whether we’re laughing with or at the real people involved.
Wherever the laughs are coming from, New Zealand Today shows there’s no shortage of intriguing New Zealanders (and a few Australians) hiding in plain sight. Also hiding in plain sight? Those noodles. Karlson finally chose his favourite Chinese meal – but of course, Williams hadn’t labelled the boxes. He returned to Mt Albert to award both noodle houses the “second most succulent” meal, his service to the nation completed by a unifying handshake across the footpath.
Williams’ work on Noodlegate may be done, but the fourth season of New Zealand Today proves there’s still a whole country full of weird stories out there waiting for him.
The Spinoff is powered by its supporters
In 2023, Spinoff readers funded some of our most beloved, well-read, impactful work. Help Me Hera, The Cost of Being, powerful longreads, Election 2023 coverage, laugh-out-loud satire, Auckland stories, Wellington stories, Christchurch stories and everything in between were powered by Spinoff members and donors. If you did support us, thank you from all of us at The Spinoff. If helping fund well-crafted and insightful journalism is on your list for 2024, donate today or sign up to become a Spinoff member.
Why you should watch: One Day (Netflix)
Rom-com fans should dive straight into One Day, a new 10-part British series based on the best selling book by David Nicholls. It follows the relationship between Dexter (White Lotus’ Leo Woodall) and Emma (Ambika Mod from This is Going to Hurt) over 20 dramatic years, checking in on their lives on the same date each year. It’s a story about love, friendship and becoming an adult, and will hopefully fare better than the 2011 film adaptation starring Anne Hathaway.
The early reviews of the new series are great, with Variety calling it “a beautiful examination of friendship” and The Guardian giving it a whopping five stars. It sounds like this adaptation captures all the book’s heart and humour, and with all 10 episodes available now, One Day makes for a great weekend binge. It’s an emotional ride – make sure you have the tissues handy.
You might also like:
If you missed the Ethan Hawke drama Good Lord Bird first time around in 2020, good news: it’s just dropped on TVNZ+. Hawke stars as 19th century abolitionist soldier John Brown in this rich, energetic series that often leans into the absurd. Definitely one for history fans who don’t mind the details being tweaked a bit.
Why you should watch: The Boy, The Queen and Everything In Between (TVNZ+)
Documentarian, singer-songwriter and presenter (and upcoming My Life in TV profile) Ramon Te Wake wrote, directed and produced this new series, which follows the relationship between a young man fresh out of jail and his drag queen father. Sam Brooks reviewed the show, and reckons we need more stories like this on our screens.
“Slice-of-life stories about communities, and relationships, that are rarely explored onscreen do all of us good,” he writes. “While it might not be the most well-rounded series you’ve ever seen, it more than stands up on its own stilettos, without needing to be handled with the critical kid gloves of ‘worthy representation’. Hell, when the series is at its best, it truly sparkles. Like all of the best television, it clearly comes from an authentic place. That authenticity is hard won, and even harder to convey.”
The Spinoff pop culture links of the week
It’s been a bumper week for Shortland Street content, so be sure to catch up on everything you missed from the show’s return, this cracker of an update on Shorty St’s mystery baby, and Michael Galvin’s delightful trip down TV memory lane in My Life in TV.
I loved speaking to Grand Designs UK presenter Kevin McCloud about why you shouldn’t be afraid of clutter, while Alex Casey went along to his hectic live show in Christchurch.
As a bold new season of Married at First Sight Australia struts down the aisle, Alex Casey chatted with resident psychologist John Aiken about why he thought the show wouldn’t last.
Duncan Greive took a deep dive into the high stakes standoff between Universal Music and TikTok.
And of course, don’t miss all the new TV shows and movies streaming this week.
Why you should watch: Superhot: the Spicy World of Pepper People (Disney+)
If you’re someone who thinks being brave with spice is ordering a medium rather than a mild butter chicken, you’ll be fascinated by this new documentary series about the world of super peppers. Superhot introduces us to the Americans who dedicate their lives to growing new super hot chillies and those who eat them for competition and glory.
The pepper industry is worth more than an incredible $4 billion USD every year, and this 10-part series (that’s right, 10 whole episodes about hot veges) captures the incredible lengths some people go to chow down on the world’s spiciest peppers. Don’t try this at home, folks, and pass me the milk; my garlic naan is killing me.
You might also like:
If you enjoyed the mind-boggling climbing documentary Free Solo, don’t miss the new National Geographic series Arctic Ascent (Disney+). This time Alex Honnold travels to Greenland to climb a 4,000 foot sea cliff, while also highlighting the (equally as terrifying) impact climate change is having on the environment.
The War for Wellington is being funded with support from The Spinoff Members.
If you think it’s important that Wellington becomes a modern, fit-for-purpose city that can live up to its potential, we would love you to become a member, or donate, and help us out. If your business is interested in supporting our Wellington coverage, we'd love to chat.
Sign up to receive our weekly War for Wellington newsletter, written by the Spinoff's Wellington editor, Joel MacManus.
Before we pop off…
Huge congrats to talented team behind The Spinoff’s podcast The Fold, which was this week nominated for Best International Podcast at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards
Surprise! Crowded House is back with a brand new single.
I loved this profile of Oscar-winning costume designer Jacqueline Durran and her most memorable film fashion choices, from Margot Robbie’s jumpsuit in Barbie to that green dress in Atonement.
Netflix released the first images for Scoop, the Gillan Anderson, Rufus Sewell and Billie Piper drama about Prince Andrew’s disastrous 2019 interview with Emily Maitlis.
Here’s ten big takeaways from the Grammys, which are mostly “we are all tiny specks of flotsam floating in Taylor Swift’s disembodied essence”.
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.