The Best TV Shows on TVNZ 1

Every TVNZ 1 Show Ranked From Best To Worst

TVNZ 1 has over 20 shows broadcast from as early as 1996 and as recent as N/A. Premiering in 1996 and 1999, City Life and Motorway Patrol are among TVNZ 1’s most celebrated shows. Peruse our comprehensive roster of TVNZ 1’s top shows, encompassing over 20 distinct series as of August 2026.

  • Dancing with the Stars
    Dancing with the Stars (2005)10.0

    The New Zealand version of the British “Strictly Come Dancing” show sees celebrities perform choreographed dance routines which are judged by a panel of renowned ballroom experts and voted on by viewers.

  • Motorway Patrol
    Motorway Patrol (1999)8.0

    Observational documentary following the daily lives of police officers patrolling the motorways in and around Auckland, New Zealand's largest urban area.

  • The Brokenwood Mysteries
    The Brokenwood Mysteries (2014)7.6

    In a seemingly quiet country town the newest resident, Detective Inspector Mike Shepherd, finds that murder lurks in even the most homely location.

  • My Life Is Murder
    My Life Is Murder (2019)7.2

    Investigator Alexa Crowe, cannot help fighting the good fight – whether it is solving murders or combatting the small frustrations of everyday life. Fearless and unapologetic, Alexa's unique skills and insights into the darker quirks of human nature, allows her to provoke, comfort and push the right buttons as she unravels the truth behind the most baffling of crimes.

  • The New Legends of Monkey
    The New Legends of Monkey (2018)7.1

    Follow a teenage girl and a trio of fallen gods on a perilous journey as they attempt to bring an end to a demonic reign of chaos and restore balance to their world. Inspired by the 16th Century Chinese fable “Journey to the West.”

  • Mercy Peak
    Mercy Peak (2001)7.0

    Mercy Peak was a New Zealand television series that ran for three seasons on local network TV One, between 2001 and 2004. The series rated well in New Zealand and won multiple awards for its cast. Though an ensemble show, Mercy Peak centres on a doctor who leaves the city to work at a hospital in the small town of Bassett. She works alongside stuffy but caring doctor William Kingsley. The series was produced by Auckland company South Pacific Pictures; a number of those who worked on the show would have a big hand in South Pacific Pictures hit Outrageous Fortune, including co-creator Rachel Lang, directors Mark Beesley and Simon Bennett, and producer John Laing.

  • Border Patrol
    Border Patrol (2002)7.0

    Border Patrol is a New Zealand reality television series, focusing on the Customs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the New Zealand Immigration Service. It is narrated by Tim Balme. They are checking through packages, travelers and goods to find if they try to smugle prohibited or undeclared goods. They have trained staff, dogs and technology to find this out.

  • The Luminaries
    The Luminaries (2020)6.6

    The 19th-century tale of love, murder and revenge as men and women travel across the world to make their fortunes on the wild West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

  • Grand Designs New Zealand
    Grand Designs New Zealand (2015)6.4

    The stories of creative and enterprising Kiwis who are taking on the challenge of building their own unique and inspirational homes. No design is too ambitious, and no obstacle too large in their quest for the perfect house.

  • After the Party
    After the Party (2023)6.0

    Penny’s world implodes when she accuses her husband Phil of a sex crime against her daughter’s teenage friend and nobody believes her.

  • City Life
    City Life (1996)5.0

    City Life was a New Zealand soap opera that screened on TVNZ from 1996-1998. It was portrayed the lives and loves of ten singles who lived in an upmarket apartment building in Auckland, New Zealand. The show was touted as New Zealand's answer to Melrose Place. The show starred Claudia Black, Lisa Chappell, Laurie Foell and Oliver Driver and featured a guest appearance by well known New Zealand actor, Kevin Smith. The show had a long development period, and the original treatment for the show had it set in Wellington with the working title 96 Oriental Parade. However, it was decided to produce the show in Auckland instead, and as such, the shows setting was changed along with the name to City Life. The first episode began with a controversial first scene, featuring a drunken Damon who owned the apartment building, in a homosexual kiss with his former lover Ryan on the night before his wedding. Damon was later killed off in the same episode after being hit by a car on the way to his wedding, and he left his apartment building to all of his friends. However, Damon's fianceè vowed to fight for her share of Damon's estate, leading to a storyline that would span the show's first five episodes.

  • Rude Awakenings
    Rude Awakenings (2007)5.0

    Rude Awakenings centres on two families who live next door to each other in a fashionable street in Ponsonby, a suburb of Auckland. The Rush family has just moved to their newly renovated house from a lifestyle block in Kumeu. They immediately hit a wrong chord with their new neighbours, the Short family.

  • Nothing Trivial
    Nothing Trivial (2011)5.0

    Nothing Trivial is funny, warm and romantic and about people at a crossroads in their lives, particularly when it comes to finding that significant other to love and grow old with. It’s about people trying to find the answers to life’s big questions, while answering a whole lot of small and trivial ones… and winning the bar tab while they’re at it!

  • The Casketeers
    The Casketeers (2018)5.0

    Francis and Kaiora Tipene are the passionate proprietors of Tipene Funerals. This is a unique opportunity to look behind the scenes of their business and into this little-explored but vital service, where our culture's last taboo is being addressed with dignity and aroha.

  • Filthy Rich
    Filthy Rich (2016)3.9

    Three illegitimate children discover they each have a claim to the fortune of one of NZ's wealthiest men, John Truebridge. With so much money on the line, John's legitimate family will do anything to stop these new, unexpected heirs!

  • The Bad Seed
    The Bad Seed (2019)3.8

    Two brothers from the same dysfunctional family, having escaped the desperate days of their early childhood, find their newly ordered lives falling apart when one becomes a suspect in a murder.

  • Dog Squad
    Dog Squad (2010)N/A

    Man's best friend keeps would-be trouble makers on a short leash.

  • Highway Cops
    Highway Cops (2012)N/A

    The guardians of NZ's highways, they patrol our country's busiest roads. From honeymooners to hooligans, either way the Highway Cops will set them straight!

  • Celebrity Tipping Point NZ
    Celebrity Tipping Point NZ (2026)N/A

    Daniel Faitaua takes the tried-and-true Tipping Point formula and infuses it with a distinctly Kiwi flavour, alongside some some of Aotearoa's favourite famous faces

  • Police Ten 7
    Police Ten 7 (N/A)N/A

    Police Ten 7 is a New Zealand reality television show, produced by Screentime with the assistance of the New Zealand Police for Television New Zealand's TV2. The show profiles wanted criminals and asks the public to help the police in their search for them. In addition, the programme follows the work of police officers in their patrols and other police activities. The show is hosted and narrated by Detective Inspector Graham Bell. It also airs in Australia on Fox8. Police Ten 7 takes its name from the New Zealand Police ten-code 10-7, which means "Unit has arrived at job".