Writes about television for the New Zealand Herald.
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Christchurch earthquake doco is about the power of hope
Stories from those trapped in the Hotel Grand Chancellor make for compelling viewing.
'Genital show-and-tell' the unlikely saving grace of Gwyn's Goop Lab
Tempting as it is to write off Gwyneth Paltrow's new series, one episode is a must watch
Anna Murray: Sorry Amazon - I'm bored of the Rings
This may be very unpatriotic, but seriously, did we not hit peak Tolkien years ago?
Anna Murray: Sinking cosily into a sea of cliches
COMMENT: A new Netflix series manages to rise above the banality of its title.
Top five columns of 2019: Anna Murray
Today it's the top five from television columnist Anna Murray.
Anna Murray: The best of NZ TV for 2019
COMMENT: Anna Murray dishes out awards for the best and worst shows on the box this year.
Anna Murray: Why Women Kill a campy, frothy take on revenge fantasies
COMMENT: Desperate Housewives creator's new show on women wanting rid of their men.
Anna Murray: Festive flicks are like box of chocs
COMMENT: It's just not Christmas without watching some terrible yuletide special.
Anna Murray: Up the stream without a sub
COMMENT: I tried giving up subscription services and this is what happened.
Antipodean Rhapsody: Verdict on Stephen Colbert and the PM
COMMENT: America (and New Zealand) should prepare to be completely charmed.
Anna Murray: Comfortably comedic duo give Seven Sharp a lift
COMMENT: The Hilary Barry - Jeremy Wells combination has been a winning one for TVNZ.
Anna Murray: Time to say goodnight (Kiwi) to 24-hour telly
COMMENT: Return of Goodnight Kiwi a reminder of pointlessness of overnight programming.
Anna Murray: Great Kiwi Bake Off a successful recipe but are contestants up to challenge?
COMMENT: This season's premiere served up more baking disasters than triumphs.
Anna Murray: The verdict on Scotty Stevenson and Stephen Donald
COMMENT: It's not every day you get to cover the All Blacks' first RWC exit in 12 years.
Anna Murray: A lament for TV3
COMMENT: Seeing the station shut up shop would be an absolute tragedy.
Anna Murray: The Bachelorette Australia serves up a plot twist
COMMENT: New season Bachelorette's 'dogs before dudes' mantra may stand her in good stead.
Anna Murray: RuPaul's Drag Race UK funny - and filthy
COMMENT: If you're looking for something that's very funny and filthy this is for you.
My Restaurant Rules serves misogyny, mansplaining and monotony
Welcome all, to the reality cooking show absolutely nobody asked for.
Over the Rugby World Cup already? Watch this sports show instead
COMMENT: If you have RWC fatigue just a few days in, you're not alone, writes Anna Murray.
Anna Murray: Taskmaster a new platform for Kiwi's improv skills
COMMENT: Rose Matafeo's star is on the rise and it's a delight to watch.
Comment | Petty squabbling, endless filler - Why does anyone watch The Block NZ?
COMMENT: Despite a shambolic season, The Block won the ratings war, writes Anna Murray.
Grooming harm: MediaWorks should just cancel MAFS NZ
Frankly, Sensing Murder is more grounded in reality than MAFS NZ.
'Munted': Netflix's Kiwi rom-com is pure 'garbage'
COMMENT: The leading Kiwi man is an Aussie . . . and a goat steals every scene he's in.
Savage new Kiwi show might be best of the year
COMMENT: The Gulf is proving one of the more compelling local shows of the year.
Sam vs Matty: The TV star rivalry we never knew we needed
COMMENT: Treasure Island delivers the TV weatherman rivalry we didn't know we needed.
Why some viewers will want to sidestep TV3's Jonah special
COMMENT: Jonah crams a big life with a lot of plot twists into just a few hours.
Is this NZ's answer to Keeping Up With The Kardashians?
TVNZ's new reality series follows two Kiwi influencers as they live their best lives.
TVNZ v TV3 comedy: Who's laughing loudest?
Anna Murray reviews Have You Been Paying Attention? - TVNZ's new 7-Days-style show.
Why MKR is serving up better reality viewing than The Block
COMMENT: MKR Australia is serving up the goods when it comes to reality ratings.
Is this a new golden age for Kiwi comedy?
Golden Boy and Mean Mums hail a new era in Kiwi comedy on television.
Anna Murray: Undeniably, racism alive and well in NZ
COMMENT: Doco should be appointment viewing for any Pākehā who denies racism in NZ.
TVNZ's tough challenge to replace Breakfast host
COMMENT: There's more to being a good TV newsreader than reading an autocue.
Anna Murray: Local zom-com trumps Kiwi-infused Scandi-noir
Kiwi TV has enjoyed a golden run for the first half of 2019, writes Anna Murray.
Euphoria presents chilling view of teen life in 2019
The show's nudity is often gratuitous, but drug use isn't glorified, writes Anna Murray.
Forget Chernobyl, this is TV's most horrifying show
The Sex Clinic reveals a truly alarming trend amongst young Britons.
I watched Love Island for the first time and I get it now
Anna Murray checks out Love Island UK's back catalogue with Urban Dictionary at the ready.
How do Kiwis really fare on 'toxic' reality show Wife Swap?
Why are we still persisting with the Wife Swap franchise in 2019, asks Anna Murray.
Why Game of Thrones wasn't the worst ever TV finale
As we digest Game of Thrones' finale, Anna Murray looks back at other small-screen wraps.
Does a popular podcast make for great TV?
The rise of podcasts being adapted for television is growing. But do they work?
Why Game of Thrones is failing its fans
The final season of Game of Thrones is proving less than illustrious.
Why Lego Masters Australia is actually amazing
Much of the show's charm comes courtesy of host Hamish Blake.
Are US billionaires really building bunkers in NZ?
A new documentary sets out to find the truth in The Hunt for the Bunker People.
Why The Bad Seed isn't so bad
"It serves up a very good case for more small screen adaptations of New Zealand fiction."
Veep's final season more offensive than ever
Sometimes it's hard to laugh when the joke is so close to the terrible truth.
Anna Murray: Kiri and Lou
The show looks and sounds amazing – and it's incredibly cute to boot.
How John and Hilary comforted a nation
COMMENT: The broadcasters reunited under tragic circumstances to both inform and comfort.
Anna Murray: Trash, trash, trash TV
"I've been in a relationship with Three's reality TV romance line-up for some time now."
The true story behind Lorena Bobbitt
There's more to the Bobbitt story than just a severed penis.
Anna Murray: Why we love Bad Mothers
Desperate Housewives. Bad Moms. Mean Mums. Are you sensing a theme here?
When Kiwi humour gets a little... twisted
A look at TVNZ's warped six-part ode to the romantic notion of moving to the countryside.
Has TV finally nailed a real life newsroom?
COMMENT: TV shows rarely nail a proper newsroom. How do Press and The Bold Type fare?
MAFS Australia's couples 'a little unsettling'
I have no doubt this season of MAFS Australia will deliver on it's drama-tastic promises.
Rewind that romance: Art and Matilda
We look back on The Bachelor romance that's always been #relationshipgoals.
NZ current affairs shows 2019: Who will be on top?
The scuffle for TV news supremacy is just starting to get interesting.
'I can't watch any more': The hell that is slow TV
Don't let anyone tell you nothing happens on slow TV. It has drama....somewhere.
Anna Murray: Why people are crazy about Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Have you been Marie Kondo-ed yet?
What the year's most-watched TV says about NZ
These were the five most-watched TV shows this year.
The good, the bad and the terrible of NZ telly in 2018
Remember the live-action Tinder session on a foot-shaped island? Yeah, we didn't think so.
Anna Murray: The best and worst of Christmas movies
COMMENT: The good, the bad and the ugly of Christmas flicks.
Anna Murray: Is this the end of Family Feud NZ?
COMMENT: All Anna Murray wants for Christmas is more Family Feud.
The reality show dragging TVNZ into the future
House of Drag is unlike anything else in the state broadcaster's stable.
Anna Murray: Chasing down a winning formula
COMMENT: The Chase's spinoff show sets the stage for some high-stakes familial tension.
Anna Murray: MediaWorks right to axe Jono and Ben
COMMENT: Jono and Ben themselves have often been overshadowed by their supporting cast.
Can a TV show really make you vomit?
The Haunting of Hill House is being touted as the most terrifying television ever made.
The Great Kiwi Bake Off serves up delicious viewing
COMMENT: New series breaks all the rules of reality television - and is the better for it.
The reality villains ruining MKR NZ
COMMENT: There truly is an art to being a great reality TV villain - Jess doesn't have it.
Project Runway NZ worth the wait
It took 14 years for New Zealand to get its own version of the fashion franchise.
Six lessons we've learned from The Block
COMMENT: As the teams stagger towards auction night, here's six things we've learned.
Anna Murray: Doco uncovers brutal hierarchy of the playground
The Secret Life of Girls will make you wince - and warm your heart, writes Anna Murray.
Ten reasons why The Big Bang Theory is the worst
COMMENT: The end of The Big Bang Theory cannot come soon enough, writes Anna Murray.
Dr Pimple Popper's coming to haunt your dreams
COMMENT: Reach for your spew bucket because Dr Pimple Popper is getting a TV special.
Who is still being duped by Sacha Baron Cohen in 2018?
COMMENT: It was presumed his fame would stop him from going undercover ever again.
The one lesson The Block will never learn
What fool would go on The Block after last year? These ones...
TV wars: The battle for 7pm - who reigns supreme?
Anna Murray revisits all of the 7pm offerings to decide who reigns supreme.
Little Women still relevant 150 years later
150 years after Little Women was released, the story is, depressingly, still relevant.
The dance show for people who 'actually have rhythm'
Forget DWTS, The Great NZ Dance Masala is the plucky little dance show that could.
Is this the worst person on Heartbreak Island?
He called one contestant a "catfish" and others "possums". Then came the slut-shaming.
The new drag extravaganza you need to see
Pose is inclusive, ground-breaking and also just a "delicious" treat to watch.
Mid-year report card: Breakfast vs The AM Show
We sprung a surprise inspection of Breakfast and The AM Show. Here's what we found.