A Ray Of Animal Documentaries Launch On Curiosity Africa And Watch As The Channel Dwells Into The Mind Of A Serial Killer On Forensic Thursdays - August 2022 Highlights

SUPER SCIENCE MONDAYS

SUPPRESSED SCIENCE
Brand New Series - premieres 15 August 2022 CAT: 20:00
Episodes: 8x 30 mins – ends 05 September 2022
A series that mixes mind blowing real science, with unsolved mysteries, global conspiracies and true stories.

HISTORY LOVER TUESDAYS

HISTORY BY THE NUMBERS
Brand New Episodes - premieres 02 August 2022 CAT: 21:00 and 22h00
Episodes: 12 x60 mins – ends 06 September 2022
This series is loaded with mind-blowing factoids and stats, entertaining expert interviews, and infographics injected with cheeky humor.

WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS

ANIMAL ARMOUR
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 03 August 2022 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
There are many ways to defend yourself -you can run, fly, fight, but some animals have changed their entire body plans so they don't have to. Tortoises carry a fortress with them, armadillos can roll into a ball, sunfish have bulletproof thick skin, and echidnas are covered in spines.

 

SUPER SLIME
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 10 August 2022 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Slime's a funny thing, weird and wonderful. It can help salamanders to wet so they can breathe through their skin, provide a life-support bubble for developing frogs and even get snails from A to B.

RETURN OF THE BUFFALO – Restoring The Great American Prairie
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 17 August 2022 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
The vast area of the American prairie tells the story of a 150-year experiment: the settlement of the American midwest. Nowadays, ghost towns define the appearance of deserted swathes of land.

ASIA’S DEADLIEST SNAKES
Brand New Documentary Special - premieres 24 August 2022 CAT: 20:00 Episodes: 1 x 60 mins
Snakes are one of the most feared creatures on the planet and Asia is a hotspot for bites! But which is the deadliest? And should we be truly afraid?

 

FORENSIC THURSDAYS

INSIDE THE MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER (S2)
Brand New Episodes –premieres 04 August 2022 CAT: 22:00
Episodes: 6x 30 mins –ends 08 September 2022
This series features chilling real life video and audio footage of people who murdered over-and-over again.

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FRIDAYS

EAT ME (or try not to)
Brand New Episodes - premieres 05 August 2022 CAT: 22:00
Episodes: 3 x 60 mins – ends 19 August 2022
EAT ME (or try not to) explores how global iconic food brands shape our world and where we’re headed.

HUMAN STORY SATURDAYS

MY GREEK ODYSSEY
Brand New Episodes - premieres 06 August 2022 CAT: 22:00
Episodes: 2x 60 mins –ends 13 August 2022
My Greek Odyssey takes viewers to some of the most spectacular and unique islands in Greece.

CLASSICAL DESTINATIONS: THE GREAT COMPOSERS
Brand New Series - premieres 20 August 2022 CAT: 20:00
Episodes: 6x 60 mins –ends 17 September 2022
The great cities and towns of Europe and the UK, form the backdrops for the stories of the world’s greatest classical composers.

Roundups #76: The Boys Spinoff Gets Official Title, The Little Mermaid Preschool Series Is Rumoured To Be In Development And Nintendo To Launch Animation Studio

Gen Z is currently underway on Amazon Prime Video

Get your superhero suits ready and head on down to Vought International because Amazon’s college-based spinoff of “The Boys” has an official title: “Gen V.”

The title is a clever reference to today’s youthful Gen Z and the show’s super power-giving chemical known as compound V. Cast members announced the title in a new video shared on social media.

Set at America’s only college exclusively for young-adult superheroes (owned and operated by Vought International, of course), “Gen V” is “an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities,” per Prime Video. It’s part college show, part “Hunger Games” with the same raunchy satirical tone of “The Boys.”

 

The Little Mermaid is preschool

According to some new trademarks that have been listed, Disney Junior is also working on a new project, called “Ariel”, which is likely to be a new version of “The Little Mermaid” for pre-school ages.

There are a number of trademarks being applied for, including for entertainment services; education services; distribution services and production services.  In addition to trademarks for a large number of merchandise items, clothing, footwear and headwear.  In addition to paper products and non-medicated cosmetics.

Disney hasn’t officially announced that it is developing a new pre-school series, “Disney Junior Ariel”, but with the new live-action film and it being over 30 years since the original animated film was released, these trademark listings do indicate that Disney is planning a major new campaign of merchandise and entertainment services.

 

Nintendo becomes an animation studio

Nintendo has announced the acquisition of Dynamo Pictures, an animation studio in Tokyo that collaborated on several animated Pikmin shorts that premiered on the Nintendo 3DS. Renamed Nintendo Pictures, the studio will continue to work on the “development of visual content utilizing Nintendo IP,” according to the company’s press release.

“Nintendo has decided to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares (excluding treasury shares) of Dynamo Pictures and make it a wholly owned subsidiary to strengthen the planning and production structure of visual content in the Nintendo group.”

They have a working relationship with Illumination, the studio behind the popular Minions franchise. The animated Chris Pratt-led Super Mario Bros. movie spawned from that partnership will release in 2023, barring any future delays.

‘Powerpuff Girls’ & ‘Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends’ Animated Series Reboots From Craig McCracken In Works At Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Craig McCracken, Emmy-winning creator of The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends, has teamed with Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe to bring new animated versions of the classic series back to the small screen. McCracken, who first began his career at Hanna-Barbera Cartoons 30 years ago, is developing animated reboots of both series at the studio.

The Powerpuff Girls reboot revisits and expands upon the world of the original series as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup face off against a gallery of villains comprised of familiar foes and new threats. The original series debuted on Cartoon Network in 1998, earned two Emmy Awards and numerous animation honors throughout its 78-episode run. The Powerpuff Girls centers on three sugar-coated superheroes — Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup — whose mission in life alternates between going to school, fighting crime, winning at hopscotch, and saving the world before bedtime.

 

A live-action reboot based on the original Powerpuff Girls Cartoon Network series remains in development at the CW. The network announced last year that the pilot was being re-worked and re-piloted off cycle. Talent deals for cast have lapsed but the project, from Warner Bros TV and Berlanti Productions, remains alive at the network.

The beloved Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends will return as an original preschool animated series with a new cast of preschool-aged imaginary friends, promised to be “as silly and playful as the original bunch.” The original series ran for six seasons from 2004-2009 on Cartoon Network, earning six Emmy awards during its run.

McCracken serves as creator, producer and director, and Sarah Fell, VP, Original Kids and Family Animation, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, will oversee development of both projects at the studio.

 

“The Hanna-Barbera homecoming of Craig was an opportunity we could not pass up,” said Sam Register, President of Cartoon Network Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. “Along with his unparalleled sense of fun and imagination, he’s bringing two of his greatest works in The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends and we are so excited for these characters to be a part of the new legacy taking shape at the studio.”

Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is currently in production on The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe and the anticipated The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie! (wt) and The Amazing World of Gumball: The Series (wt) for HBO Max. Recently announced development includes a stop-motion animated reboot of Wacky Races starring Dastardly and Muttley.

Delayed SABC Channel Launch On DStv And StarSat Explained

In 2020, the public broadcaster gave SABC Education a linear channel after its inception in 1996 which was 26 years ago. The channel seeks to help youth with their academics while as improving the lives of fellow South Africans.

Some of the programming featured on the channel mainly reruns from SABC 1-3 were kid and teen based shows like Words And Numbers, Thabang Thabong, Geleza Nathi and Hectic Nine-9 while older audiences got Uzalo, 50/50, Speak Out and Musiek Roulette.

In an interview on SABC News with the general manager of the SABC, he was able to confirm that the public broadcaster was in talks with the likes of MultiChoice's DStv and ODM's StarSat to reserve some space for the educational channel.

 

MultiChoice added SABC Education to the iPlate section (still visible with no EPG) while StarSat included it on their website (which has since then been removed) and this was two years ago and aside from DTT you can view the channel on TelkomOne.

SABC Education was created amidst the pandemic and was part of the SABC's DTT plan. It was believed that the channel would rollout on these two platforms within that period as schools were closed for most of the semester but that wasn't the case.

MultiChoice went ahead and included Mindset Pop but no signs of SABC Education and it even got more suspicious when StarSat also didn't include the channel in their bouquet of channels and if there's one thing these two have in common is the public broadcaster.

 

The public broadcaster is known for delaying as they promised two entertainment channels in the middle of last year on Openview and more than a year has passed since consumers have been waiting so it lead to suspicion that the same outcome was awaiting pay-tv consumers.

MultiChoice did mention in court by the Competition Tribunal that they'd be launching 3 new SABC channels and I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to delay SABC Education seeing as its TelkomOne which will likely get more SABC channels.

Perhaps SABC is rolling out these channels in phases or pay-tv providers opt to bundle SABC Education once the SABC finally launch their streaming service and additional channels which would carry a lot of archived material.

Roundups #75: Close Enough Cancelled After Three Seasons On HBO Max Banni Chow Home Delivery Airing On StarPlus International Just Not Africa, Part 2 Of WFO Titans National Extreme Euro Championship Coming Soon To Ignition

Another one bites the dust

HBO Max is not proceeding with a fourth season of adult animated comedy Close Enough, from Regular Show creator JG Quintel and Cartoon Network Studios. The decision comes a little over three months after the release of the second season on April 7.

“After three great seasons, Close Enough is coming to an end,” HBO Max said in a statement. “We are so proud of the series and grateful to creator JG Quintel and our partners at Cartoon Network Studios, who made this show an instant fan favorite on HBO Max.”

Close Enough, a surreal take on transitioning from twentysomething to thirtysomething, revolves around a married couple juggling such everyday challenges as parenthood, friendship, ham theft, stripper clowns and choosing the right day care.

 

Banni Chow on airing on StarPlus Africa

Banni Chow Home Delivery follows Delivery-girl Banni is a strong, young, good hearted soul, who delivers her delicious food around the neighbourhood. She soon crosses paths with Yuvan, a mentally disabled man, and thus forms a change in her simple life.

It is based on the Bengali drama series from Star Jalsha titled Khukumoni Home Delivery which aired later in 2021 with the Hindi adaptation to follow 6 months after its launch on StarPlus.

 

Unfortunately, Disney Star doesn't supply the show in Africa due to an issue with the title. If you read the title of the show it sounds exactly like Bunny Chow which could the cause for the delay so maybe the series will be shortened to Home Delivery makes sense at this point.

More adrenaline for Ignition

Enduro enthusiasts will have numerous opportunities to see the highlights from round 2 of WFO Titans National Extreme Euro Championship that was held at the home of Titans Racing in Broederstroom, South Africa on the 25th of June.