Channel Three, a free-to-air network on our Tasman neighbour's TV screens, debuted a local version of Ten's current affairs favourite, The Project.

Such a subtle move, Australia. Next, we invade.

Maybe not, but at least now we know what American travellers feel when they accidentally tune into The Bachelor AU or The Real Housewives of Melbourne. It feels weird.

The lit-up desk was there. The set, a comforting shade of Facebook blue, was there. The dramatic newsy background music, always a tad too loud, was there. I mean, even Rove McManus, for some reason, was there.

The show's hosting crew must've been cast by robots, because they appear to be exact templates of their local counterparts. Despite all the singing and dancing, anyway. I know Waleed is a guitar-god, but I can't picture him doing this:

Waleed Aly is now Jesse Mulligan, a veteran silver fox with a sarcastic streak; Carrie Bickmore is Kanoa Lloyd, a personable former news reporter and weather presenter; and Peter Helliar is Josh Thomson, a dude with endearingly dashed-off gags.

And, yes, the news is the same. Here's a hard-hitting story on the rise of meth addiction! (cue serious music). Here's a cute story about some mum-and-pop cafe that accidentally got a Michelin star! (cue funky music).

The guys must've spent time interning at The Project's South Yarra studios. A hefty segment about the NZ government considering making women's sanitary products cheaper, opening with a goofy backstage gag and leading into an interview-cross with some talking head from Dunedin University (I dunno), was cookie-cut from a standard Project explainer, subject matter notwithstanding (Turnbull government, lol).

The only difference appears to be the local lingo. Guests becomes "gists", headlines becomes "hidlines". It's pretty adorable.

Ten's Logie-winning show announced its plans to deliver "news done differently" in New Zealand last November, and the direct lift makes perfect sense.

Why mess with a successful format? As Michael Lallo outlined, it took The Project multiple timeslot shifts and streamlined crew changes to find its winning formula and ratings sweet-spot.

At just half-an-hour, the NZ version is mercifully briefer than its local incarnation, although its opened the show to criticism from viewers who've questioned whether it's enough to dig deep into topics.

Don't worry New Zealand, it's long enough. There are only so many backstage skits you'll wanna sit through during dinner time, trust us.

The show was the top-trending subject on Twitter during its timeslot, with viewers praising the format and likeable crew.

While the show might be ickily uncanny to local viewers, it's a promising start to an odd experiment, with perhaps just one frightening downside: the show leads into an episode of The Block Australia.

New Zealand, what have we done to you? Prepare your borders.