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Tyla’s sold-out concert, which streamed live on Showmax on 18 January 2025, will be available to millions more on demand on Showmax from 30 January in celebration of Tyla’s birthday, and on DStv’s Mzansi Wethu from 1 February 2025
A technological triumph: Showmax leveraged Peacock technology and SuperSport’s operational expertise to deliver a seamless livestream to viewers across 44 African countries.
A showcase of African talent: The event marked a new chapter in connecting African artists with fans, combining live streaming and traditional broadcast.
On Saturday, 18 January 2025, Showmax delivered another African first with the flawless live stream of Tyla’s electrifying performance at the sold-out SunBet Arena in Pretoria.
On X afterwards, Tyla declared it, “My fav show yet.”
Now, this history-making event will reach millions more. The spectacular show airs on demand on Showmax from Thursday, 30 January 2025, in celebration of the Amapiano superstar’s 23rd birthday. The hour-long concert will also air on DStv on Mzansi Wethu (channel 163) at 20h30 on Saturday, 1 February 2025 with a repeat on Tuesday, 4 February 2025 at 16h00. Mzansi Wethu is included in all DStv packages from Access and up. Tyla Live will also appear on other DStv channels across the continent.
I was a super fan of the NBC series called “Superstore” which is a US comedy about the work and private lives of the staff at a fictional bulk buy store called Cloud 9. As a former TV Producer and Commercials Production Manager, I always said that a local version of this show would make for a good comedy series and now that is actually a reality!
NBCUniversal Formats and African streamer Showmax have announced a new format agreement, which will bring a South African Zulu-language adaptation of NBCUniversal’s hit US comedy Superstore.
Superstore marks the second comedy format adaptation from Showmax, who have also licensed The Office from the BBC.
Superstore is licensed globally by NBCUniversal Formats, a division of Universal International Studios, which is part of Universal Studio Group. This will be the second non-English version of Superstore, following Supertitlán, the Latin adaptation of the format in Mexico.
As an actress, she’s best known for ageing up to play Magda Louw in the series of the same name – a role that’s won her two consecutive Silwerskerm Awards for best actress in a comedy. But did you know that Desiré Gardner is also a scriptwriter on that series, and has been nominated for a SAFTA for her work?
Now, Desiré brings her writing talents to Reënboogrant, a new Showmax telenovela premiering on Wednesday, 15 January 2025.
Inspired by Louise van Niekerk’s best-selling 90s young adult novels, Reënboogrant is a Tshwane-set teen series centred on the Brink family. Minke Marais (Mooiweer en Warm, Nuwejaar and Summertide) and Mila de Villiers (Wyfie) co-star as Grade 10 sisters Shani and Sunette, with Paul Strydom (Spooksoeker) as their older brother, Dolf, who is in Matric.
Also look out for Diepe Waters’ duo Righard van Jaarsveld and Johnny Potsanyane among the teen cast, as well as ex-Miss Teen Namibia finalist Marelee Ferreira and Xander Venter in their Showmax debuts.
André Velts heads up the directing team with Sonvelt Media producing. Sonvelt Media won the 2024 SAFTA for Best Made For TV Movie for ‘n Tyd van Waterpere.
Watch the trailer:
Had you already read the book series when André and producer Soné (Combrink) approached you?
I knew about the books when I was younger, but I hadn’t read them. A lot of young people read the books in the 90s for escapism. So just the title alone already evokes some nostalgia. When I was initially approached, I got all the books and read them. I have to say, it was like suddenly being a kid again. I grew up in the 90s, so it was so specific to that period, and it almost felt like I was reading it as a kid. I sat through nights and said, “I’m going to stop reading now, I’m going to stop reading now…” – and then I just kept going. I enjoyed it so much and thought, “I wish I had read this when I was in Standard 5 and 6 [Grades 7 and 8].”
What do you think is so special about the story of Reënboogrant?
These are books that catch you off guard with how well-written they are. You see the house in the book. You smell the rooms. You can close your eyes and you are in Reënboogrant.
Even though it was written many years ago, it’s still refreshing today. There’s great storytelling, brave stories and great characters that sometimes catch you off guard. They’ll sometimes upset and anger you, but you’ll keep reading because you want to know what happens. It’s very entertaining.
The main characters, in particular, do unexpected things. For example, Shani does not always make the right decision and she also makes a lot of unexpected choices. You expect Shani to do one thing and then she does something completely different. That bravery in storytelling is something I really enjoy and makes the characters so interesting and three-dimensional to me.
Is the series also set in the 90s?
Showmax wanted a modern version of Reënboogrant, so the series uses the books as inspiration but has a more modern angle.
How do you balance staying faithful to the original material with making it relatable to today’s viewer?
The original material is there for us as a starting point. You want to honour the book, while also making it contemporary enough so that viewers find it believable that it’s set in 2024. You know what you have and you honour and respect the material, but you take your eraser and you change a little here and there and then you take another pencil and add a little, and so on.
There were storylines that we created or changed to make them contemporary, but a lot of our love stories and love triangles are like they happened in the book, with just little things that changed. They’re teenagers and they’re in love and when you’re a teenager in love, it’s still just butterflies everywhere you look! (laughs)
You want to weave in new storylines without alienating anyone – not the people who read and loved those books in the 90s, and not today’s teenagers.
My dream is that a 16-year-old teenager can watch and relate to it, while her 40-year-old mother, who read the books back in the day, now also enjoys watching the series, and sighs and goes, “Oh, Shani!” Or can tell their teenager how they were a Shani or a Sunette or an Ans. That is the dream – that both the new and the old “Shanis” can relate to it.
How did you go about updating the books to 2024?
When you want to write something contemporary, you have to look at what has changed between then and now.
One of the big changes is that social media and technology have developed significantly and now play a very big role. Social media has a huge impact on kids in school – even the kids who don’t have social media. Also, now we don’t just show up at someone’s house – we send a WhatsApp first.
On an emotional level, mental health is a bigger priority today. People are now more open to talking about things that are bothering us. There is a greater understanding of ourselves, especially among young people. Young people are definitely more aware of the things they experience and feel.
So it wasn’t just about changing the bicycle in the story to a car; it’s something that bleeds through to every aspect of the characters’ lives.
Without giving anything away – which themes or storylines in the series are you particularly excited about?
Even the characters you don’t necessarily agree with crawl so deep into your heart and under your skin that you end up wanting to fight for them. What is particularly interesting to me is how the antagonist systematically gets under your skin. Before you can catch yourself, you actually want them to be okay, you want them to change, and you vouch for them. You can’t stay mad at these characters. I think if our viewers can get mad at our characters at times and say, “Oh no, man!” or, “Why is that?” or, “It just doesn’t make sense that she would do that!” that’s a good sign. Those storylines excite me.
Then we touch on the themes that teenagers struggle with, the themes that are big in teenagers’ lives today. Dreams that don’t come true. Love that isn’t reciprocated; when you are madly in love with someone and you can’t have them. Some teenagers feel their voices are not heard and how they then express that frustration in different ways.
I’m also excited about our newly created storylines between the parents, Maryna and Herman. Their three oldest children are already in high school, but they still find themselves at odds with how they should handle things.
Are we going to see you acting in Reënboogrant too?
(Laughs) No, I’m just behind the scenes. But I enjoyed it so much. It is really an incredible experience.
Sports fans across Africa are in for a festive treat as ESPN Africa delivers an action-packed lineup of holiday programming. With thrilling NFL clashes, intense NBA matchups, and more, this season promises unforgettable moments for fans across the continent.
Tuesday, 24 December 2024
The excitement warms up with a festive feast of sports:
At 03:15 on ESPN, watch the NFL showdown as the Green Bay Packers face the New Orleans Saints.
From 10:00, boxing enthusiasts can tune in to ESPN for Top Rank action featuring Naoya Inoue and Jason Goodman in an epic matchup.
End the day with entertainment with The Pat McAfee Show showcasing lively sports talk and humour at 19:00 on ESPN2
WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 15: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on December 15, 2024 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
MY BRILLIANT FRIEND S4 | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 2 December
Two lives. Forever intertwined.
The fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend brings us The Story of the Lost Child, the concluding chapter in Elena Ferrante’s best-selling Neapolitan Novels series, which follows the coming-of-age story of two young women growing up on the outskirts of Naples during the latter half of the 20th century.
Season 4 delves into the adult lives of Elena (Italian Golden Globe and Venice Film Festival Award winner Alba Rohrwacher) and Lila (Irene Maiorino), who find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 1980s. Amid motherhood, career demands, betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters, the two lifelong friends once again find themselves living in the same neighbourhood.
The first foreign-language series ever to premiere on HBO, My Brilliant Friend has a 97% overall critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards, including Best Foreign Language Series.
BBC.com hails the series as “one of the best shows on TV… as complex, gripping and immersive as the novels, while also being one of the best-looking series on television,” while TheNew York Times calls S4 “a brilliant conclusion… [that] completes one of the best portraits of a lifelong relationship ever made for TV.”
Watch the trailer:
BASED ON A TRUE STORY S2 | First on Showmax | Binge from Tuesday, 3 December
Season 2 of Based on a True Story finds new parents Ava and Nathan Bartlett three months into parenthood. Focused on taking care of her family, Ava is determined to resist her true crime obsession and return to work as a real estate agent, while Nathan trains private tennis clients.
But a series of new murders pulls her back in. Is Matt behind the slayings? Is Tory, now entangled in a relationship with Matt, in danger?
For a while, life is good – Ava’s TikTok habit and her new friend, Drew (Melissa Fumero from Brooklyn Nine-Nine), provide a welcome distraction, and Nathan’s all in on reigniting his tennis career as well as his friendship with Matt – until danger comes knocking, literally.
Three-time Emmy nominee Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant, The Big Bang Theory) stars as Ava, with Critics Choice nominee Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) and Tom Bateman (Death on the Nile) as Nathan and Matt respectively.
Watch the trailer:
30 ROCK S1-7 | Binge from Thursday, 5 December
Emmy winner Tina Fey stars as Liz Lemon, head writer of the fictional sketch-comedy show “TGS with Tracy Jordan”, who has to deal with an arrogant boss and a crazy star while trying to run a successful television show – without losing her mind.
Emmy winner Alec Baldwin co-stars as network executive Jack Donaghy, with Emmy nominees Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski as TGS’ unpredictable star Tracy Jordan and his co-star Jenna Maroney.
During its 2006-2013 run, 30 Rock won 100 awards, including 16 Emmys – three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Look out for guest appearances from the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and many, many more.
EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 6 December
Set between the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, Emperor of Ocean Park centres on Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman from Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Lawmen: Bass Reeves), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack.
The judge was a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, and Tal’s sister (Tiffany Mack from Jessica Jones) believes his death was foul play – although she’s a former journalist who’s now a conspiracy theorist,
Emperor of Ocean Park is based on Stephen L Carter’s New York Times best-selling first novel in the Elm Harbor series.
Watch the trailer:
9-15 DECEMBER
CHICAGO MED S9| Binge from Wednesday, 11 December
The third instalment in Emmy winner Dick Wolf’s hit One Chicago franchise, Chicago Med returns to our screens with some new faces joining the dedicated staff of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Centre as they confront the city’s most critical medical cases and challenging ethical dilemmas with courage, compassion and state-of-the-art treatment.
Though Nick Gehlfuss will be sorely missed following Dr Halstead’s move to Seattle, the ER welcomes a new doctor as Australian actor Luke Mitchell (Blindspot, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) joins the cast as Mitchell Ripley, an ED Attending Physician who has a troubled history … and a connection to Dr Charles.
Season 9 picks up six months later, with a promising new development in Dr Archer’s transplant storyline, and the arrival of new first-year resident Dr Zola Ahmad (Sophia Ali from Grey’s Anatomy), who is ready to challenge hospital protocol to do right by her patients.
SWEETPEA S1 | Thursdays from 12 December at 21:30
Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets, Fallout, Arcane) stars in Sweetpea as Rhiannon, the girl everyone overlooks, who may just be able to get away with murder.
The twisted and darkly comic coming-of-rage thriller has an 86% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior.”
Sweetpea’s ensemble cast includes two-time BAFTA winner Nicôle Lecky (Mood, Sense8); BAFTA nominees Jon Pointing (Big Boys), Leah Harvey (Foundation), and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses); Calam Lynch (Bridgerton), and Emmy nominee Jeremy Swift (Higgins in Ted Lasso).
Watch the trailer:
16-22 DECEMBER
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS S1-2 | Binge from Monday, 16 December
The first two seasons of Emmy-nominated series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are set to dock on Showmax in December, boasting a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating of 98% – the highest in the franchise.
A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows Star Trek: Discovery fan-favourites Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they explore new worlds around the galaxy aboard the USS Enterprise.
Salon.com says, “Pike is the Starship captain Trekkies have been missing, and Strange New Worlds is a welcome return to the Star Trek they know and love,” while Rotten Tomatoes praises the series for “recapturing the sense of boundless discovery that defined the franchise’s roots.”
The sci-fi show was nominated for Best Drama Series at this year’s Critics Choice Awards, where Celia Rose Gooding was up for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as Nyota Uhura. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has also been nominated five times at the Critics Choice Super Awards, including for the 2024 awards for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, as well as Best Actor (Mount) and Actress (Gooding).
Watch the trailer:
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE S3 | First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 20 December
The third and, sadly, final season of Somebody Somewhere brings growth against all odds for Sam (comedian and singer Bridget Everett) as she fields the changes and challenges that come with working at the local bar, her best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) falling in love at the end of Season 2, Fred (Murray Hill) getting married, and her now-single sister Trish (Mary Catherine Garrison) having her hilarious throw cushion business take off.
Everett was nominated for a 2024 Critics Choice Award and won a Dorian Award for Best Actress: Comedy, while the HBO comedy won a Peabody, an American Film Institute’s TV Program of the Year award, and the Dorian Award for Best Unsung TV Show.
All three seasons cracked a rare 100% critics’ ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. As Awards Watch says, “The final season of one of HBO’s most delightful comedies solidifies its place as one of the greats of the decade so far.”
Watch the trailer:
23-29 DECEMBER
LAW & ORDER TORONTO: CRIMINAL INTENT S1 | Binge from Friday, 20 December
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent brings the legendary Law & Order brand to Canada, following an elite squad of detectives from the Specialised Criminal Investigations Unit of the Toronto Police Department as they investigate high-profile crime and corruption cases.
Law & Order Toronto became the #1 prime-time drama of the year in Canada at launch, and has already been renewed for a second and third season.
The first season introduces us to the lead investigative team of Detective Sergeants Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe) and Henry Graff (Critics Choice nominee Aden Young from Rectify). Karen Robinson (Ronnie Lee in Schitt’s Creek) plays Inspector Vivienne Holness, and KC Collins (Chucky, The Cleaning Lady) is Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, with award-winner – and real-life Ethiopian royal family member – Araya Mengesha (Anne with an E., Nobody) as Mark Yohannes.
Watch the trailer:
DUNE: PROPHECY S1 | Mondays at 9:30pm until 23 December 2024
From Frank Herbert’s expansive Dune universe, Dune: Prophecy is set 10 000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, following two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
Inspired by the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Frank’s son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J Anderson, the prequel series stars Oscar nominee Emily Watson (Chernobyl), multiple-award winner Olivia Williams (The Crown), and Critics Choice Super Award nominee Travis Fimmel (Vikings). Also look out for BAFTA nominee Mark Strong (Shazam!, 1917) and Cannes winner Jodhi May (The Witcher)) as the emperor and empress.
Dune: Prophecy is co-produced by HBO and Legendary, who also produced the film franchise that has released two instalments to critical acclaim, with the first taking home six Oscars and the second becoming the fourth biggest blockbuster of 2024 so far. Both films will be available to binge on Showmax on New Year’s Day, 2025.
Watch the trailer:
CRUSH | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 23 December
Nominated for a 2024 Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, Crush unravels the chilling events of the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea that killed 159 people in 2022. Most of the dead were young party-goers celebrating the first Halloween festivities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of footage from cell phones, bodycams and surveillance cameras, the two-part documentary is told through first-hand accounts from people who were caught in the crush, as well as interviews with residents of the city, first responders and government officials.
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist, Crush delves into both the tragedy itself and the investigative hearings and government response in its aftermath, centring on evidence of police failures to respond to numerous emergency calls as 100 000 people converged on the popular Itaewon neighbourhood on the evening of 29 October.
Rolling Stone says this “horrific tale, told calmly and soberly… unfolds like a slow-motion nightmare,” while Decider calls it “brutally effective,” saying,“Crush is just damn good, effective journalism.”
Watch the trailer:
SON OF A CRITCH S3 | Binge from Monday, 23 December
Season 3 of Son of a Critch picks up with the now 14-year-old Mark eager to begin his senior year of elementary school. Finally, he’ll be at the top of the social food chain! Or will he?
Based on the best-selling memoir from Mark Critch, the Canadian comedy series is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Newfoundland, where the young Mark Critch – much older than his years – uses comedy and self-deprecation to find his place in the world.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and show creator Mark Critch were nominated for Canadian Screen Awards this year as the young Mark and his dad. Hollywood Walk-of-Famer Malcolm McDowell (Bombshell, A Clockwork Orange) plays the young Mark’s grandfather.
Already renewed for a fourth season, Son of a Critch cracked a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes on its release in 2022, and was nominated for seven Canadian Screen Awards this year, including Best Comedy Series.
Watch the trailer:
CHICAGO FIRE S12 | Binge from Friday, 27 December
Nominated for Drama Show of the Year at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, One Chicago’s flagship series Chicago Fire returns to Firehouse 51 six months after last season’s breathtaking finale.
Season 12 promises the return of not one, but two beloved characters, and a sad (but happy, but still sad) farewell later in the season.
There’ll also be big developments at the station for both Violet (Hanako Greensmith) and Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), and it’s going to be a busy season on the romantic front too…
30 DECEMBER-5 JANUARY
FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST | Wednesdays until 1 January
Based on the acclaimed true-crime podcast, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist stars Emmy nominee Kevin Hart as Chicken Man, a hustler who hosts a glamorous afterparty to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight, with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest. When the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history, Chicken Man finds himself a prime suspect in the eyes of his old adversary, Detective JD Hudson (Oscar nominee Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force.
The Peacock Original’s stellar cast also includes Oscar nominees Samuel L Jackson, Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard.
Fight Night has a 96% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, at #21 on their list of the best TV of 2024 so far. As the critics’ consensus there says, “Skillfully weaving an inflection point in Black culture into a rollicking heist story, Fight Night is punchy entertainment with a never-better Kevin Hart broadening his dramatic range.”
Watch the trailer:
6-12 JANUARY
LAW & ORDER S24 | Binge from Monday, 6 January
The NYPD’s greatest detectives and top prosecutors return for a thought-provoking new season of the Emmy-winning police procedural, which sees the long-running series celebrate its 500th episode.
There’s a major change at the 27th Precinct, with Jeffery Donovan’s exit in the previous season ushering in Reid Scott (Veep) as the new detective Riley. Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) is another significant addition, taking over from the legendary Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy as the new District Attorney.
Returning cast include Critics’ Choice nominee Hugh Dancy (Hannibal), Emmy winner Camryn Manheim (The Practice), and Screen Actors Guild winner Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl).
Law & Order is created by Emmy-winning Hall of Famer Dick Wolf (One Chicago) and is one of the longest-running TV dramas in history.
Watch the trailer:
FOUND S2 | First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 10 January
Hunt the enemy. Save the missing.
Found returns with a gripping new season of shocking twists centring on recovery specialist Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton from Shameless) and her crisis management team as they work tirelessly to find missing people forgotten by the system. They’ll stop at nothing to solve these cases because for them, it’s personal – every member of the team has firsthand experience with a mysterious disappearance.
After bringing her darkest secret to light, Gabi must rebuild trust with her team and face her escaped kidnapper once again, all while rescuing the missing people who need her – before it’s too late.
Season 1 was NBC’s biggest-ever launch on Peacock, winning a NAMIC Vision Award for Drama and a Gracie Allen Award for Actress In A Leading Role for Hampton. Found was also up for Outstanding New Series at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards and Outstanding Drama Series at the 2024 Image Awards, where Nigerian-American series creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll (All American, All American: Homecoming) was nominated for Writing.
Kelli Williams (Dr Gillian Foster in Lie to Me, Lindsay Dole in The Practice), Teen Choice winner Brett Dalton (Grant Ward aka Hive in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Paul Johnson in Mixed-ish, Det. John Clark, Jr in NYPD Blue) co-star.
Watch the trailer:
13-19 JANUARY
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL S1 | Mondays from 13 January at 8:30pm
The biggest Sky Original ever, The Day of the Jackal follows a ruthless, mysterious assassin known as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. He meets his match when a tenacious British intelligence officer starts to track him down in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe.
The Day of the Jackal is a modern-day reimagination of Frederick Forsyth’s classic novel, which earned the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts franchise) plays the Jackal, while BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) plays Bianca, the British intelligence office hot on his heels.
Written and adapted by Ronan Bennet (Top Boy), The Day of The Jackal has an 82% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it “exhilarating… a breathless adventure until the very end.”
Watch the trailer:
SULLIVAN’S CROSSING S2 | Binge from Monday, 13 January
Based on The Virgin River author Robyn Carr’s bestselling book series of the same name, Sullivan’s Crossing follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), who returns to her hometown after her life is turned upside down.
Following the gripping conclusion of the first season, the second season picks up just hours after Maggie has learned about her father’s stroke, and her life is once again thrown into turmoil as she navigates her past and present within the tight-knit community.
Five-time Teen Choice Award winner Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill) returns in the second season as Kohan’s enigmatic love interest Cal, with MTV Movie Awards nominee Scott Patterson (Gilmore Girls) also reprising his role as Harry ‘Sully’ Sullivan.
Sullivan’s Crossing is created by showrunner Roma Roth, executive producer of The Virgin River TV series.
Watch the trailer:
HIGHTOWN S3 | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 13 January
In the third and final season of Hightown, Fishery Service Agent Jackie Quiñones is off the wagon and off the force – which doesn’t stop her from venturing into the dark underbelly of picture-perfect Cape Cod to save a missing woman and a murdered sex worker.
Monica Raymund (The Good Wife, Chicago Fire) and Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) were both nominated for 2024 Imagen Awards as Jackie and Frankie Cuevas Senior. Critics’ Choice nominee Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead) joins the cast this season.
Executive produced by Oscar and Emmy winner Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun: Maverick), Hightown has an 80% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Watch the trailer:
YELLOWSTONE S5 PART B | Binge from Friday, 17 January
Hailed by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this year as “the biggest hit on cable TV”, Yellowstone follows a ranching family in Montana, who will do whatever it takes to protect their land from bloodthirsty enemies, indigenous communities who believe the land is rightfully theirs, and developers whose ambitions put the ranch in peril.
Co-created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan, the neo-Western has an 8.7/10 rating on IMDb, where it’s at #5 on the global Most Popular TV chart, and an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The first part earned former star Kevin Costner the Best Actor – Drama prize at last year’s Golden Globes and Critics Choice Super Awards, as well as Critics Choice nominations for Best Drama and Best Actress (Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton).
The hit franchise has birthed a number of spinoffs, including 1923, starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, which is still available on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
LAID S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 17 January
Laid follows Ruby, a woman who discovers her former lovers are dying in unusual ways. To figure out why and to stop it from happening again, she goes back through her sex timeline — with the help of her best friend — to confront her past to move forward.
Created by Emmy nominees Nahnatchka Khan (Fresh Off the Boat, Young Rock) and Sally Bradford McKenna (Will & Grace), Laid stars Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Emmy nominee Michael Angarano (This Is Us, Oppenheimer), and Zosia Mamet (The Flight Attendant, Girls).
Laid comes to Showmax within a month of its US premiere on 19 December 2024.
GET MILLIE BLACK S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from Saturday, 18 January
After Detective Millie Black returns home to Jamaica, she comes across a missing person case that will rock the very foundation of her entire life.
BAFTA nominee Tamara Lawrance stars as Detective Millie Black, opposite Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones, Skins). Lawrence won a Royal Television Society Award earlier this year for Time S2.
Created by Booker Prize winner Marlon James (A Brief History of Seven Killings), Get Millie Black has a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As Slate says, “Marlon James’ novels are masterpieces. His new HBO series achieves something similar. Get Millie Black is a detective show that feels fresh.”
Watch the trailer:
20-26 JANUARY
S.W.A.T. S1-7 | Binge from Monday, 20 January
Emmy winner Shemar Moore (Criminal Minds) stars in S.W.A.T. as Hondo, who leads an elite tactical team in LA law enforcement. Torn between loyalty to his community and his brothers in blue, he works to bridge the divide between both worlds as he grapples with parenthood.
Created by Emmy nominee Shawn Ryan (The Shield) and Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (The Get Down), S.W.A.T. has been nominated for Critics Choice Super Awards for Best Action Series and Best Actor in an Action Series (for Shemar Moore), as well as four Emmys for its stunt coordination.
Deacon (Jay Harrington) and Nichelle Carmichael (Rochelle Aytes) are back this season, with Anna Enger Ritch (The Haunting of Hill House) joining the cast as Zoe Powell.
CBS has renewed the hit show for an eighth season.
Watch the trailer:
WISE GUY: DAVID CHASE AND THE SOPRANOS S1 | Binge from Thursday, 23 January
MetaCritic’s second highest rated series of 2024 so far, Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos focuses on the man behind the cultural phenomenon, which is still in the ten highest rated series of all time on IMDb.
Directed and hosted by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, Wise Guy features firsthand accounts and revelations from the people who brought the groundbreaking mafia series to life, including Emmy winners Lorraine Bracco, Edie Falco, and Michael Imperioli. 20-time Grammy winner Bruce Springsteen makes an appearance too.
Season 1 has a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Empire hailing it as, “The definitive chronicle of The Best Show Ever.”
You can also binge all six seasons of The Sopranos on Showmax.
Watch the trailer:
FRASIER S1-11 | Binge from Friday, 24 January
The complete boxset of the ’90s classic sitcom Frasier is coming to Showmax in January 2025. .
Premiering in 1993 as a spin-off of the iconic NBC sitcom Cheers, Frasier continues the story of the witty yet pretentious psychiatrist Frasier Crane (Emmy winner Kelsey Grammer).
After dealing with a divorce, Frasier leaves Boston for his hometown of Seattle to get a new lease on life and begin a career as a radio talk show host. While he is always ready and willing to provide wisdom to his talk show callers, he often finds it hilariously impossible to deal with his own obstacles.
Over its 11-year run, Frasier received wide critical acclaim and is regarded as one of greatest TV shows of all time, as well as one of the most successful spinoff series in television history. The series earned 107 Emmy nominations, winning 37, a record it held until 2016 when Game of Thrones won 38.
In 2023, Frasier returned in a reboot of the same name, with Grammer reprising his role as Dr. Frasier Cane.
27 JANUARY – 2 FEBRUARY
THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS S3 | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 27 January
Season 3 of The Sex Lives of College Girls returns to Essex College for sophomore year with Bela, Kimberly, Leighton, and Whitney all facing major changes in their lives after the turbulent Season 2 conclusion.
Reneé Rapp is focussing on her music career, so we’ll be seeing less of Leighton this season, but Pauline Chalamet (Kimberly), Amrit Kaur (Bela) and Alyah Chanelle Scott (Whitney) are all back.
Created by six-time Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling (Never Have I Ever, The Office) and Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Justin Noble, the 18SNL-rated series has been nominated for two GLAAD Media Awards and the MTV TV Awards’ “Here for the Hookup” prize. As Collider says, “While ‘sex lives’ may be in the title of the show, everyone knows the real magic lies in the ‘college girls’ part and their messy but endlessly supportive relationships with one another. This is one friend group you’ll want to follow into sophomore year and long after graduation day.”
Watch the trailer:
TRANSPLANT S4 | Binge from Monday, 27 January
Belonging is the best medicine.
In the fourth and final season of the award-winning medical drama, Syrian refugee Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed is on the precipice of finishing his residency at York Memorial and officially re-qualifying as a doctor. Bash and his sister Amira are Canadian citizens now, but are still trying, with everything they have, to build a life in their adopted country.
Hamza Haq (Quantico) leads the cast as Dr. Bashir, a role that has earned him three consecutive Best Actor wins at the Canadian Screen Awards.
When it premiered, Transplant became the most-watched new Canadian series since 2017.
Watch the trailer:
SAS ROGUE HEROES S2 | First On Showmax | Binge from Friday, 31 January
SAS Rogue Heroes returns for its second season, picking up with the regiment in the Spring of 1943, as they face their next battle on a whole new terrain: mainland Europe.
Originally inspired by Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book of the same name, the BAFTA-nominated BBC drama is a “mostly true” account of how arguably the world’s greatest special forces unit was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War II.
Once again written by Oscar nominee and Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Season 2 brings back BAFTA winners Jack O’Connell and Dominic West as Paddy Mayne and Dudley Clarke, as well as Algerian actress Sofia Boutella as Eve Mansour and Sex Education’s Connor Swindells as David Stirling.
Season 1 has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian hailing SAS Rogue Heroes as “a total triumph” and “one of the year’s most emotional shows,” saying, “This brilliant series… might be a high-octane, action-packed riot – but it’s also tender, touchy and funny.”
Mzansi Life & Style by Mishkah Roman-Cassiem 