What to watch on Boxing Day

By Karl Puschmann*

Whether you're recovering from a food coma or a slight festive hangover, you'll find plenty of reasons to stay on the couch this Boxing Day.

Here's a quick rundown of all the new shows and movies starting on the holiday - so make up a plate of Christmas dinner leftovers and get comfy.

Squid Game, season two

Brutal, cruel, sadistic. No, not Christmas Day with the in-laws, but rather the long-awaited return of Netflix's murderous survival thriller, Squid Game.

The South Korean series is about a deadly competition where contestants risk their lives in a series of children's games to win a grand prize of $65 million. No prizes for second, third or 455th place, only grim death.

The show became a surprise global phenomenon with its anti-capitalist themes and commentary on morality and greed but I'm sure there's no irony behind its release date. Game on.

Where: Netflix.

Gavin & Stacey: The Finale

Despite unleashing James Corden on the world, the British sitcom Gavin & Stacey remains as popular as ever thanks to its witty humour and relatable family focus. On Boxing Day the series returns for one last 'hwyl fawr' and to finally answer the cliffhanger marriage proposal that concluded The Christmas Special five years ago.

Co-creator Corden is adamant this 90-minute episode is the last hurrah for the series so expect all the loose ends to be wrapped up in an emotionally sentimental bow and decorated with plenty of warm humour.

Where: Midday on TVNZ+ and later that evening on TVNZ 2.

Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Smashing onto screens is this big dumb action movie about two big dumb monsters teaming up to fight off other big dumb monsters. No surprise that the story's fairly weak, but you should be here for the explosive action sequences and supersized fights.

Critics found the film fairly average, but it punched well above its considerable weight with audiences where it earned a 90 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Smashing stuff.

Where: Max on Neon.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

TVNZ's Harry Potter movie marathon continues at pace as it heads into the third film in the eight-part series. This one is widely acknowledged as "the dark" Harry Potter film - both emotionally and visually - as the boy wizard learns secrets about his past, meets an old family member and faces down the evil-sounding Dementors.

TVNZ will play a new chapter in Harry's wizarding adventures each weeknight until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 closes the book on the fan-favourite film franchise on Thursday 2 January.

Where: TVNZ 2.

The cricket

Our enthusiastically titled national cricket competition, the Dream11 Super Smash Twenty20, bowls into action on Boxing Day, with both women's and men's competitions being broadcast live. Howzat? Pretty good if you like cricket.

The action kicks off at 2pm with the girls of the Northern Brave taking on the Auckland Hearts, followed by the boys of the Northern Brave versing the Auckland Aces at 5:45pm. But why Auckland gets to have two different team names is a question beyond the scope of this Boxing Day viewing guide.

Where: Duke and TVNZ+.

A Life in Ten Pictures

This documentary series looks rather special. Each episode examines 10 significant photographs from the lives of various iconic celebrities like Amy Winehouse, Elizabeth Taylor, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, Freddy Mercury and Tupac Shakur.

Using forensic storytelling techniques to examine the photos, and backed up with new interviews from people who knew them, the show promises to uncover new insights and understanding along with revealing hidden truths that were right there in plain sight.

Where: Sky Arts.

Doctor Who: Joy to the World

It's hard to fathom how you could possess a time machine but still manage to be late. But that's exactly the situation we find ourselves in as the famous Time Lord zaps in with a Christmas special the day after the big event.

Still, better late than never and Doctor Who fans should be accustomed to this sort of time-travel paradox by now.

Where: Disney+.

Boxing Day on the Big Screen

It's a big day at the movies this Boxing Day with the release of award-winners, crowd-pleasers and thought-provokers.

Don't waste your day sitting on your butt at home, live a little and go sit on your butt in the sanctuary of the cinema instead.

Anora

The buzz film of the summer is this high-energy rom-com-drama about a sex worker who marries the son of a Russian oligarch after an intensely randy, whirlwind infatuation. However, Daddy doesn't approve of the wedding and soon the pair are on the run from his goons who have been instructed to "annul the wedding" - which sounds rather like a threat..

Anora won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and left critics as breathless as its over-caffeinated pace with one saying, "It plays like a wild dream".

Better Man

The UK's pop n' roll star Robbie Williams has engaged in plenty of monkey business throughout his life and this unconventional musical bio-pic goes all in on that idea by presenting its subject as a chimpanzee.

We have to wonder if Williams' tabloid-selling "two-day romp" with an Auckland model back in 2000 made the cut or if Aotearoa's sordid claim-to-Robbie-Williams-fame ended up on the cutting room floor…

A Real Pain

Triple threat Jesse Eisenberg writes, directs and stars alongside Kieran Culkin in this comedy-drama about two Jewish cousins on a neurotic pilgrimage through Poland to honour their Holocaust survivor grandmother.

This smart indie film has already become a festival favourite with one critic describing it as, "vivid, moving, funny and emotionally devastating".

All We Imagine As Light

This meditative Indian drama follows the lives of three lonely women in Mumbai who find an unexpected connection in its bustling streets.

As much a portrait of urban life in the city as it is a delicate character study, the film was the first Indian film to win the Grand Prix award at Cannes and saw critics using words like "poetry", "enchanting" and "lyrical" to describe it.

* Karl Puschmann is a freelance entertainment writer.