(As indicated in the sneak peeks)
Africa-first streaming service Showmax is going big on local content for 2022 – and beyond – with a host of firsts from the four corners and many languages of the continent.
This follows a year where Showmax Originals consistently broke records as the most watched content ever on the streaming platform, from The Real Housewives of Durban in January to Uthando Lodumo in June, to Devilsdorp in July to The Wife in November 2021 - not to mention I Am Laycon setting a Nigerian record in February 2021.
“Our audiences are most engaged when watching shows that reflect their reality, their hopes and their dreams. This is why the three most popular shows on Showmax in the first half of 2021 were all local,” says Candice Fangueiro, Showmax’s head of content. “So, we’re delighted to introduce our next wave of Showmax Originals, a mix of returning favourites and groundbreaking firsts, from some of Africa’s most talented filmmakers.”
These include first seasons of the epic fantasy Blood Psalms, the reality series The Real Housewives of Lagos, docu-series Sex in Afrikaans, and the survival horror Pulse, as well as second seasons of The Real Housewives of Durban, the Kenyan police procedural and legal drama Crime and Justice and the romantic comedy Troukoors, and new seasons of the debut Showmax Original telenovela, The Wife, not to mention a three-film post-apocalyptic film slate, led by the critically acclaimed Glasshouse.
These include first seasons of the epic fantasy Blood Psalms, the reality series The Real Housewives of Lagos, docu-series Sex in Afrikaans, and the survival horror Pulse, as well as second seasons of The Real Housewives of Durban, the Kenyan police procedural and legal drama Crime and Justice. Also on the way is romantic comedy Troukoors and new seasons of the latest show that everyone’s talking about: The Wife.
New favourites, coming 2022:
The Real Housewives of Lagos | Reality series
The Real Housewives of Lagos will be the 16th international - and third African - instalment of The Real Housewives franchise.
“We’ve seen audiences across Africa devour The Real Housewives of Johannesburg and The Real Housewives of Durban,” says Fangueiro. “The Real Housewives franchise lends itself to localisation and we know our audience is going to love seeing the show reinvented, Naija- style. We can’t wait to show the continent - and the world - another side of Lagos, with all the drama, high fashion and luxury you’d expect from The Real Housewives franchise.”
Sex in Afrikaans | Docu-series
In Sex in Afrikaans, four Afrikaans couples and two singles, with the help of clinical psychologist Bradley R Daniels, will for the first time speak openly about their sex lives – and, in the process discover there is more fun to be had!
Featuring interviews with sex workers, adult shop owners, a unicorn, swingers, dominatrixes, a crossdresser, a dungeon master, people who dress up like babies, and others who prefer full body latex suits, Sex in Afrikaans will be an eye-opening tour of what your neighbours and co-workers get up to behind closed doors. The show is produced by Wie word 'n miljoenêr? host Rian van Heerden, through Provoco.
Blood Psalms | Epic fantasy
Showmax’s first epic fantasy, Blood Psalms, is set in ancient Africa, 1 100 years ago and chronicles the rise to power of a fierce teenage princess who battles a world-ending prophecy to navigate her people through ancient curses, long-standing tribal vendettas and the wrath of the gods.
Award-winning show creators Layla Swart and Jahmil X.T. Qubeka are joined by a heavyweight cast, which includes eight SAFTA winners – Bongile Mantsai, Hamilton Dlamini, Hlubi Mboya, Mothusi Magano, Siv Ngesi, Thishiwe Ziqubu, Warren Masemola and Zolisa Xaluva – and many more household names.
Glasshouse | Dystopian film
Showmax is developing a three-picture dystopian slate with Local Motion Pictures, in association with Crave Pictures, with Greig Buckle producing and Kelsey Egan directing and sharing story credits with associate producer Emma Lungiswa de Wet.
The first film, Glasshouse, is set after The Shred, an airborne dementia, has left humanity roaming like lost and dangerous animals, unable to remember who they are. Confined to their airtight glasshouse, a family does what they must to survive - until the sisters are seduced by a stranger who upsets the family’s rituals, unearthing a past they have tried to bury.
The film had its world premiere at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, Canada in August 2021, receiving multiple five-star reviews and an 89% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Film Threat’s Lorry Kitka singled out Glasshouse as her “favourite film of the year so far” and Exclaim proclaimed, “Kelsey Egan is a filmmaker to keep an eye on.”
Pulse is a six-part survival horror series about game developers who find themselves trapped in the game of their own creation. The survival horror story is directed by multi-award-winner Salmon de Jager and produced by Primetime Emmy winner Steve Lanning.
Returning favourites, coming 2022
The Wife S2 and S3 | Telenovela
When it launched in November 2021, Showmax’s first telenovela, The Wife, outperformed the launch of any film or series on the streaming platform ever. Inspired by Dudu Busani- Dube’s bestseller Hlomu The Wife, the 40-episode first season tells the story of a journalist (Mbalenhle Mavimbela from Skeem Saam) who falls in love with a taxi driver, Mqhele (Bonko Khoza from Neckie Youth), not realising that when you marry a man, you marry his secrets.
Showmax has commissioned three seasons of 40 episodes each, inspired by Dudu’s books Hlomu the Wife, Zandile the Resolute, and Naledi His Love, respectively. The books follow the lives of the eight Zulu brothers, a formidable crime family, through the eyes of the wives they marry.
Crime and Justice S2 | police procedural and legal drama
Crime and Justice, which is Kenya’s first Showmax Original and the first co-production with global broadcaster CANAL+, follows detective duo Makena (Sarah Hassan, Famous, Just In Time) and Silas (Alfred Munyua, Nafsi, The First Grader) as they investigate one-ripped-from-the-headlines case per episode.
Crime and Justice was nominated for three Kalasha awards across all the 2021 TV Drama categories: Best TV Drama, Best Lead Actor (Munyua) and Best Lead Actress (Hassan).
KenyaBuzz hailed it as “the perfect Kenyan Original… intensely satisfying” while Quartz credited it with “keeping real-life crimes from being buried… reviving debate and discussion around controversies that might have otherwise faded from the news.”
The Real Housewives of Durban S2 | Reality series
The Real Housewives of Durban (RHOD) set a new first day overall views record when it launched on Showmax at the end of January 2021. The show built on the popularity of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, which was one of the 10 most-streamed local series on Showmax in 2019.
RHOD has since launched on hayu in 27 territories internationally, including Canada, UK, Ireland, Spain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore and the Philippines.
Troukoors S2 | Romantic comedy
Premiering on 13 December 2021, Troukoors follows wedding planner Jessica who’s surrounded by love but struggling to find it for herself.
“Troukoors is a light, sexy and bubbly romcom, like Younger meets The Bold Type meets Emily in Paris but set against the splendour and romance of the Cape wedding industry,” says Fanguiero.
Troukoors is created by SAFTA winner Louis Pretorius and SAFTA nominee Albert Snyman, the creators of critically acclaimed and much-loved shows like Die Boekklub and Fynskrif, with regular collaborator Nina Swart directing.
Showmax has already renewed Troukoors for a second season – before the first has even premiered.
In addition to this feast of local content, Showmax also offers first, and exclusive international series, premium documentaries, and the best kids’ shows. Showmax Pro adds music, news and live sport from SuperSport.
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