New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.

One Piece is literally one of the most popular cultural products on the planet, being both the best-selling manga series and comic book series of all time, with over half a billion copies in circulation. The series, and this live-action Netflix adaptation, follows the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates, as they travel the seas in search of the titular “One Piece”, a treasure that will confer the title of “King of the Pirates” upon their captain, Monkey D. Luffy. The cast is made up of mostly unknowns (with the exception of narrator Ian McShane), but hey! It could be good – or it could go the route of… other Netflix live action anime adaptations. / Sam Brooks

From Alie Benge’s review of the first season: “Starstruck is something we don’t see so much any more, at least on the big screen: a romantic comedy with depth and charm. Observational comedy works best when the characters live in the same world as us. And this comedy is beautifully observational. Though tipping its hat to the golden era of romcoms, it updates the style by observing the ways we live, work and date now.”

Your new reality obsession? Quite possibly! Alone: Australia is taking the world by storm, and features survivalists competing for $250,000 after being dropped off – alone – across the Tasmanian wilderness where they must deal with the forces of nature, hunger and loneliness. The twist? They get to (have to?) document it themselves. Sounds traumatising!/ SB

This show is nearly half a decade old now, but the premise makes it sound goddamned delightful. Charley is your perfectly average high school girl with a crush, but her annoying ex keeps popping into the picture. Until he dies, and then… he pops into the picture slightly more. I’ll take a bit of Truly, Madly, Deeply, even through a high school lens, so count me in. / SB

This incredibly named series follows two women, formidable PA Alice (Rebekah Station), and best-selling fantasy author Cheryl (Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste), who become trapped in a strange triangle with Rob (Alistair Petrie) who may be trying to destroy them both. The (early) twist? Alice was married to Rob 15 years ago, before he disappeared without a trace. A con-man thriller? Yes please!/ SB

Remember Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power? Let me recommend a much better fantasy series on the very same platform that doesn’t extend its reach beyond its grasp. The Wheel of Time is based on the Robert Jordan novel series of the same name, and stars Rosamund Pike and our very own Zoë Robins. It’s fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it looks seriously great. / SB

Love romantic comedies but wish you could pick the ending? Look no further than Choose Love, the latest in Netflix’s sporadic offerings of interactive live-action content. The film, which is noticeably shot but not set in New Zealand, centres around Cami (Laura Marano) a recording engineer with the perfect life: perfect job, perfect boyfriend, perfect future. But is she missing out on something else? Well, you, the viewer, get to play Sliding Doors and send Cami through multiple endings and multiple love interests, including rock star Rex Galier (Avan Jogia) or her first boyfriend (Jordi Webber). Happy hunting! / SB

Jackie Brown is definitely Quentin Tarantino’s most underrated film. A flight attendant, Jackie (Pam Grier, in a towering performance) is caught smuggling gun money and has to choose between teaming up with the cops to bust her arms dealer boss or concealing the information and going to jail. Tarantino’s first work post Pulp Fiction, this film really strips back the ostentatious style of that film to reveal something warmer and more tender, but still pretty hard-hearted. And hey, if this isn’t your vibe, there’s a bunch of other Tarantino films coming to TVNZ+ on the same day./ SB

You know what this is. If you’ve made it to The Spinoff without knowing what The Lord of the Rings is, can I recommend our Rings Week from a few years ago? / SB

August 30

Miss Adrenaline: A Tale of Twins

Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones

August 31

Choose Love

Karate Sheep: Season 2

September 1

Disenchantment: Part 5

Love is Blind: After the Altar: Season 4

A Day and a Half

Friday Night Plan

Happy Endings

September 2

Dune

August 28

Jailhouse Rock

August 29

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses 2

August 30

My Dead Ex

August 31

The Last Airbender

September 1

The Carrie Diaries: Season 1-2

September 2

Spyders: Season 1-2

August 29

Alone: Australia

August 30

Open Season

Surf’s Up 2: Wavemania

The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale

The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies

September 1

The Goldbergs: Season 1

The Tower: Season 2

Django Unchained

Reservoir Dogs

Kill Bill Vol 1.

Kill Bill Vol 2.

Jackie Brown

Dear Comrades

Mandibles

The Genius of Roald Dahl

The Story of Mr Men

The Real Sherlock Holmes

Hotel for Refugees

Cradle Did Fall

Lies Beneath the Surface

Maid for Revenge

River Hunters

Shark Land

Da Fuq?: Season 4

Pride: Season 3

Camp Wanakiki: Season 5a

OUTspoken: The Queer Devotional

Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking

Falklands: Islands of Secrets

The Gig is Up

My Father and Me

September 2

Starstruck: Season 3

N/A

August 30

Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life: Season 2

Impure: Season 4

NCT 127: The Lost Boys

Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins

Life on Mars

Strangers from Hell: Season 1

August 29

Beautiful Disaster

September 1

Wheel of Time: Season 2

N/A

August 28

Under the Vines: Season 1

The Chelsea Detective: Season 2

August 28

Death in Brunswick

Inn of the Damned

September 1

Perpetrator

Motherly

N/A