Hot Takes: The most heartbreaking show on TV is coming to NZ

My Mad Fat Diary. Photo / TVNZ

DISCOVER

One of the greatest, most underrated shows in the world has finally come to New Zealand. I first discovered My Mad Fat Diary while living in London in 2013 and bawled through every episode. It follows Rae as she struggles with her weight and mental health, integrating into a new friend group, having spent the summer in a mental health facility after self-harming. It's filled with all the usual teen cringe but the added layer of Rae's struggle for self-love makes it singularly brilliant. It's also hilarious, brutally honest, full of raging hormones and one you absolutely cannot miss. It's on TVNZ On Demand now.

BINGE

I didn't mean to like this series. I sort of put it on only because I was tired and cold and needed something to stare at while I ate my pad thai in my pyjamas (don't judge me). But it roped me in regardless and, before I knew it, I'd binged the whole series. The gist is that three girls who otherwise wouldn't be friends bond over their shoplifting habit. Don't get me wrong, it's not gonna win any Emmys any time soon, but as far as teen dramas go, it's an easy and enjoyable watch - plus the plot twist with Elodie and Luca is A++.

LOL

If you ever need a bit of a laugh to pick you up, I Secretly Recorded My Boyfriend is the podcast for you. It is exactly what it sounds like; a woman named Jo records the weird and wonderful interactions with her boyfriend who is completely oblivious to said recording. She then plays them out and talks them over with her two mates Sparky and Katy. With topics ranging from foot-rubs to how much boobs weigh, her boyfriend has a knack for storytelling that will no doubt remind you of someone you know in the most hilarious way.

VIBE

Snoh Aalegra is another one of those artists I happily stumbled across online, and man am I glad I did. The song that got me was Toronto, but her voice in general is just so incredibly rich and textured she's hard not to love. She signed to Sony when she was just 13 but back then she was called Sheri and was a bit more pop. But then she got taken under the wing of the one and only Prince, who steered her toward her current sound before he died. Her resulting latest album, Ugh, Those Feels Again is gorgeous and chilled and peak Sunday afternoon vibes.