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NZ Herald
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
The best TV shows of 2025, so far
A prequel series to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) – and arguably the most acclaimed Star Wars story of any kind since that film – Andor offered one of TV's deepest explorations of the political realities and human costs of rebellion. Its two-season run wrapped up in May. 'Prequels are often where dramatic tension goes to die,' James Poniewozik writes. 'How invested can you be in a story whose outcome you already know? The genius of Andor, created by Tony Gilroy, is to make that knowledge an asset.' Asura Machiko Ono in Asura. Photo / Netflix Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters), this Japanese period drama is visually sumptuous and emotionally meticulous in its depiction of four sisters grappling with controlling men and their complex relationships with one another. The series 'is the full package: a detailed, human-scale domestic drama with plenty to say, fascinating characters to say it and the stylishness to make it sing,' Margaret Lyons writes. 'The downside is that other shows feel paltry and thin in comparison. The upside is everything else.' Common Side Effects Common Side Effects tells a gripping story with fanciful, occasionally phantasmagoric animation. This animated conspiracy thriller revolves around a magic mushroom miracle drug, an unconventional environmentalist who wants to heal the world with it and the various bad actors – Big Pharma, sinister mycologists – trying to stop or control him. And a tortoise. The series 'is as rare and precious as the miraculous mushroom its hero, Marshall (Dave King), discovers in the jungle,' Lyons writes. 'Smarts, humour, style and perspective rarely align so harmoniously. Not a lot of shows have as much to say, and fewer still say it with such panache.' Couples Therapy Dr Orna Guralnik in Couples Therapy. In May, the documentary series Couples Therapy, which follows Dr Orna Guralnik's sessions with couples in various forms of crises, wrapped up its fourth season. 'Some pairs seem so ill-suited one wonders how they got this far in the first place, while others seem tragically root bound, unable to change any of the patterns in their lives — until now, of course,' Lyons writes. 'The magic of the show is that through Dr. Guralnik's patience and probing, people change before our eyes. Revealing oneself is difficult; understanding oneself is even more challenging. 'This season's four couples were pulled in different directions — toward the altar, toward divorce, toward quiet, toward disclosure — but each relationship was transformed. Most shows go to great lengths to gin up this amount of conflict and revelation, but Couples Therapy manages it with a few well-placed 'hmm's.' Exterior Night Fabrizio Gifuni plays the Italian politician Aldo Moro in Exterior Night. The first television series by great Italian film-maker Marco Bellocchio, Exterior Night, revisits the 1978 kidnapping and killing of politician Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades. (Bellocchio explored those events previously in his 2003 film Good Morning, Night.) 'Moro's abduction and death was a watershed moment in the 'years of lead,' when politically motivated bombings, shootings, kidnappings and assassinations convulsed Italy and other European countries,' Mike Hale writes. 'But it is a story that can speak to anyone who has a sense of living in perilous times. As a character in Exterior Night says, a society can tolerate a certain amount of crazy behaviour, but 'when the crazy party has the majority, we'll see what happens.'' Mr. Loverman Ariyon Bakare, left, and Lennie James in Mr. Loverman. Based on the novel by Bernardine Evaristo, this British miniseries follows an elegant Londoner named Barrington Jedidiah Walker (Lennie James) who is devoted to his wife, his children and his best friend and lover of many decades, Morris (Ariyon Bakare). The series alternates among characters' perspectives and uses flashbacks to trace Barry and Morris' relationship back to its early days in their native Antigua. 'Loverman is polished and literary, practically silky – sublime, even,' Lyons writes. 'It's natural to be baffled by other people's choices: Why would you do that? Why didn't you say anything? Why would you stay? Why would you leave? A lot of contemporary shows – even plenty of good ones – fall back on pat just-so stories for their characters' backgrounds, but the picture here is deeper and fuller than that. Fear and pain, love and loyalty: they're never just one thing.' Murderbot Alexander Skarsgard stars as the title character of Murderbot. In this comic sci-fi thriller, based on the novel All Systems Red by Martha Wells, Alexander Skarsgard plays a jaded robot that is charged with protecting a crunchy space commune but would rather just watch pulpy soaps. 'The real killer app of the story, adapted by Chris and Paul Weitz, is the snarky worldview of the artificial life form at its centre,' Poniewozik writes. 'Skarsgard gives a lively reading to the copious voice-over, but just as important is his physical performance, which radiates casual power and agitated wariness. Murderbot is odd, edgy, unmistakably alien, yet its complaint is also crankily familiar. It just wants to be left in peace to binge its programs, like Chance the Gardener if he had guns in his arms.' Pee-wee as Himself Pee-wee as Himself explores the life and work of Paul Reubens. This two-part HBO documentary details how performer Paul Reubens created his beloved alter ego, Pee-wee Herman, and how the character's fame affected the rest of his life. 'What unfolds, over more than three hours, is in part a public story: how Reubens channeled his genius into an anarchic creation that bridged the worlds of alternative art and children's TV, then had his life derailed by trumped-up scandals that haunted him to the end,' Poniewozik writes. 'It is also partly a spellbinding private story about artistry, ambition, identity and control. What does it mean to become famous as someone else? (The documentary's title refers to the acting credit in Pee-wee's Big Adventure, as a result of which Reubens remained largely unknown even as his persona became a worldwide star.) And what were the implications of being obscured by his creation, especially for a gay man in a still very homophobic Hollywood?' The Pitt Noah Wyle in The Pitt. With its '24'-like hour-by-hour structure, The Pitt infuses the familiar pleasures of a medical show with fevered intensity and narrative references to the pandemic and contemporary social issues. 'The Pitt generated old-school melodrama out of a simple understanding: The ER is where people end up when something goes wrong, either with the body individual or with the body politic,' Poniewozik writes. 'And what is wrong with the American corpus? Buddy, take a number; the waiting room is full.' Severance Britt Lower and Adam Scott in Severance. Photo / Apple TV+ In its second season, this trippy workplace drama deepens its mysteries and expands its emotional palette as the mentally 'severed' employees, their loved ones and their bosses battle (sometimes literally) over competing agendas and the future of Lumon Industries. The show finally returned in January, nearly three years after the end of Season 1. 'Its makers seem to have used every second of the absence productively,' Poniewozik writes. 'The season takes new turns while remaining the most ambitious, batty and all-out pleasurable show on TV, an M.C. Escher maze whose plot convolutions never get in the way of its voice, heart and sense of humour.' This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: The New York Times ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
India Gazette
a day ago
- Business
- India Gazette
Indian CRDMOs benefiting from diversification by global pharmaceutical companies: Jefferies
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Indian CRDMOs (Contract Research and Development and Manufacturing Organizations) are seeing growing interest from global pharmaceutical companies, according to a recent report by Jefferies. The report highlighted that Big Pharma companies are increasingly diversifying their manufacturing and research operations geographically, and Indian companies with expertise in small molecule development are well placed to benefit. It said 'Big Pharma is diversifying geographically, benefiting Indian CRDMOs with small molecule expertise'. The report highlighted some major pharma companies (Including Piramal Pharma, Syngene, Laurus Labs, Cohance, Gland Pharma). The report said that these companies highlighted that many of the ongoing projects are still in the clinical stages, so growth may be uneven. There is also a rising demand for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-related CDMO services, and Indian companies are exploring opportunities in that space. The report also mentioned that GLP-1, a class of diabetes and obesity drugs, could become an important growth driver for generic CMOs from 2026. Piramal Pharma is targeting 13-15 per cent CAGR in sales over the next 4-5 years in its India consumer health and complex hospital generics businesses. While the company expects subdued sales from its largest CDMO product in FY26 due to destocking, overall segment revenue is likely to remain flat due to better utilisation at overseas facilities and a recovery expected in FY27. Syngene's growth in FY26 is expected to be in the mid-single digits, mainly due to destocking of Librela, its largest product. The company expects growth to pick up to low double digits after that. Its new management, led by Peter Bains, is focusing on growth and acquiring US biologics capacities. However, the overseas unit will have lower margins and may take time to break even. Laurus is currently handling seven active projects from global pharma clients, which account for 50-60 per cent of its new projects in the past two years. About 70-80 per cent of the company's CDMO division sales come from commercial molecules. Many of the ongoing projects involve breakthrough therapies that typically have lower failure rates. The company has invested Rs 4 billion in animal health and Rs 1.5 billion in AgChem, with another Rs 1 billion planned for animal health. It aims to achieve peak sales of 1.5 times the capex from these investments by FY28-29. Cohance is recovering from the impact of destocking that affected its AgChem and SpecChem business over the past 18 months. The company is planning to launch a new product in the third quarter of FY26 and bring in new customers in the division. Gland Pharma is expanding its GLP-1 cartridge fill-finish capacity from 40 million to 140 million units by the end of next year. The company's new bulk line will be flexible for use across both GLP-1 and insulin products. The report outlined that while near-term growth may be uneven due to destocking, most companies expect a strong rebound and long-term momentum. (ANI)
Time of India
2 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
‘You took $2M': RFK Jr explodes at Rep Pallone, accuses him of taking millions from pharma industry
Tensions erupted at a House health subcommittee as US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. clashed with lawmakers over vaccine policy. Kennedy accused Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of accepting $2 million from pharmaceutical companies, implying that the congressman's pro-vaccine stance was influenced by Big Pharma contributions. Show more Show less
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
A dip into Listeners' past reveals a bygone age
A letter-writer rails against 'poisonous vaccines and drugs' and the vast medical establishment pushing them on the population, leaving the country 'littered and plastered from end to end and side to side with mad, maimed, diseased and prematurely dead'. The sentiment might read like a Big Pharma day on the
The Sun
5 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Why NHS fat jab rollout won't solve UK obesity crisis – but YOU will still end up paying as yo-yo porkers get hooked
TRUST me, I'm not a doctor. But as the first national newspaper journalist to investigate fat jabs, (and, in so doing, vomit in a Waitrose bag for life on a packed commuter train) I DO know what I'm talking about. 10 So believe me, the mass roll-out of weight-loss jabs isn't the great health revolution Big Pharma promises. The only true victors, at present, are Big Pharma. The plan to let GPs prescribe Mounjaro to those with a BMI over 40 and at least four other health problems — such as Type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure — is whacking a plaster on a severed arm. Or, indeed, a safety pin on the bulging seams of a fatty's waistband. These are miracle drugs. But they address the problem, NOT the cause. And obesity, as so many will testify, is as much an emotional problem as physical. Where is the help for people who use food as a crutch? No one chooses to stuff themselves with doughnuts 24/7. Unless there's a longer-term strategy, one prioritising prevention over quick-fix cure, we shall go from being a nation of porkers to a nation of yo-yo porkers; 'healthy' one month, obese again five months after the jabs have stopped. In other words, the majority of people will need to be on them for life. (Or 'lifers', as one celeb WhatsApp group is named, consisting entirely of those micro-dosing Mounjaro). GPs, who already claim they're overworked, won't have the time to give every patient a dedicated exercise and diet plan. Getting lean isn't a one-size-fits-all programme. The fear, then, is that the grossly overweight will be able to plop on their sofas, merrily jabbing once a week — at taxpayer expense — waiting for the lard to drop off. The same foods that got them here — invariably ultra-processed, fried — are still consumed. Just less of them. That's not healthy — it is simply scratching that McDonald's itch with a Quarter Pounder instead of a Big Mac. Natural desire Unless people exercise concurrently, once the weight is off, they'll be left with uncomfortable excess skin. In April 2023, during a trip to Los Angeles (where A-listers have been on Wegovy, Mounjaro and Ozempic since 2018) I tried out all three pens. I wrote about the experience, warning of the deeply unpleasant side effects. In five months I lost around 8kg, dropping to a tiny size 8. I hadn't weighed so little since I was at university. I looked amazing, bar a touch of 'Ozempic Face'. And — with the exception of Mounjaro for which there were blessedly few side effects — I felt horrific. I was sick, repeatedly (once, a nadir, under a table in First Class on a heaving rush hour train), once on a treadmill (jogging) and on one occasion I visibly retched while on a Zoom call to a Hollywood actress. Plus my eyes went blurry, prompting a quick visit to Moorfields Eye Hospital. 'No pain no gain' has its limits. Anyway, convinced I'd have entirely reprogrammed my brain — one that thinks about my next snack the very nanosecond it stirs in the morning — I came off them. And promptly shot up a dress size. I write this as someone who knows how to eat, and goes to the gym come hell or hangover five days a week. But still I battle daily my natural desire to smash a kilo of peanut butter and eat delicious olive-oily pasta daily. Fat jabs are 100 per cent a miracle drug. But they do not address the emotional side of eating (or drinking) that so, so many Brits suffer with. Of course there are exceptions: those who use the jabs positively to break the pattern, kick-starting a fantastic lifestyle overhaul. But they're the exceptions. Unless we want a bunch of 'lifers', the NHS MUST use these drugs with caution, and start developing a weaning-off process. At present, there is none. And that must change. IT'S ALL WHITE NOW… THREE months is a long time in showbusiness. Back in spring, Rachel Zegler 's disastrous turn as Snow White – which saw her slagging off the original film for being 'weird' and sexist promptly after getting the million pound big break – had her on the verge of cancellation. Today she's being feted on a daily basis, and lauded as the most exciting West End talent in decades. Playing Evita at the London Palladium, each night huge crowds are gathering on the street to see this young superstar belt out Don't Cry For Me Argentina. She is, by all accounts, mind-blowingly good. MINISTERS spent more than £500,000 of taxpayers' money on a new makeover of the Government website. And the 'makeover' in question? 10 From this . . . To this . . . Yep, the black to blue refresh, with a dot placed approx two millimetres higher up, is what your hard-earned dollar is paying for. Cool. SOUND POLICY IDEA of the week. Should Keir, Kemi or Nige fancy a guaranteed vote-winner, whack this on the next election manifesto. Anyone caught playing music/TV/video games on their tablet/smartphone on public transport, minus headphones should receive an automatic prison sentence. Genuinely, is there ANYTHING more annoying? HOST'S RIGHT ON CUE 10 KUDOS to Martine Croxall. The BBC News presenter calmly overrode the corporation's pathetically woke autocue, correcting it from a bulletin about 'pregnant people' to 'women'. Martine is a previous winner of Celebrity Mastermind, which explains it. Unlike the silly young fool who writes BBC News scripts. MUCH kerfuffle surrounding the Assisted Dying Bill finally getting passed last week. Why? For me, it's really very simple. We treat our aged, ill and cherished pets with love, respect and kindness towards the end of life, we should do the same for ourselves. It won't result in hundreds of thousands of dead-before-their-time OAP's being perfidiously wiped out by greedy grandkids; it will simply mean fewer people dying in greater pain. TAKING CARE OF MYSELFIE OBVIOUSLY I'm a sucker for a trend. Like a lemming to a cliff edge, off I trot to try out what the cool kids do – which is how I stumbled upon the latest-ish TikTok fad for putting a selfie into Chat GPT and asking it what you'd look like under different circumstances. So off I ventured, instructing my virtual friend to tell me what I'd look like in five years time if I 'smoked 40 a day' and 'didn't moisturise'. The results, as you can see, weren't pretty. Next, I asked it how I'd fare if 'ate only whole foods, exercised five days a week, drank two litres of mineralised water, took weekly facials and had no stress in my life; the results were prettier, albeit somewhat insultingly it gave me an entirely new face. Finally, I asked Chat GPT to show me 12 stone portlier – see for yourselves. *Orders fat jab* BRAT'S WAY TO DO IT WHO says women's tennis isn't a patch on men's? Russian-born Yulia Putintseva, aka the sport's biggest brat, who last year taunted a ball girl, got in another spat after her third round match against Maria Sakkari at the Bad Homberg Open. After Putintseva refused to make eye contact while shaking hands, Sakkari told her to 'act like a human being', before adding, cuttingly: 'Nobody likes you'. Ms Putintseva promptly told her opponent to 'go f***' herself. Language which will go down a treat next week when Wimbledon starts.
