Best local hits to stream on Showmax this March, from Adulting to Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story

These are some of the best local hits to stream on Showmax in March. A special shout out to the documentaries, which are on a roll at the moment. Blind Ambition, Rise: The Story Kolisi Story, Girl, Taken, and Stella Murders.

ADULTING S1 | Showmax Original | Mondays from 20 March 2023

Set in Johannesburg, Adulting explores the parallel universes of four varsity friends. Their strong bond has held them together even as their journeys in life have taken them in very different directions. Theirs is the bromance of the decade.

Adulting is the first Showmax Original created by Tshedza Pictures’ Phatu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon, who’ve won five Best Scriptwriting SAFTAs in the past four years for smash hit shows like The Republic and The River, which was also nominated for an International Emmy.

Thembinkosi Mthembu (Mabutho in The River, Junior in The Republic, and King Dingiswayo in the upcoming epic Shaka iLembe) stars as successful businessman Bonga, with Luthando BU Mthembu (Big Brother Mzansi, Ayeye: Stripped, Redemption) as toy-boy Vuyani, Thabiso Rammutsi (The Suit) as cheating family man Mpho, and Nhanhla Kunene (Muvhango, Lavish) as hot-headed bad-boy Eric.

Also look out for the likes of SAFTA nominee Winnie Ntshaba (The Herd, House of Zwide, Generations) and Sikelelwa Vuyeleni (Hope, House of Zwide) as Vuyani’s sugar mamma and Eric’s baby mamma respectively; Lungile Duma (The River, Durban Gen) as Mpho’s wife; and Buhle Samuels (Kings of Jo’burg, One Night KwaMxolisi) and newcomer Londeka Shishi as Bonga’s love interests.

Need even more drama?

Created by four-time SAFTA winner Alex Yazbek, the Showmax Original psychological thriller DAM was one of the 10 most-watched titles of 2021 on Showmax and the most nominated drama series at the 2022 SAFTAs, earning rave reviews for breaking the mould of South African TV. Season 2 is set three months after the Spring Festival. The cult’s ritual sacrifice seems to have worked: rain has come and transformed the land. Yola has no memory of anything since her return for her father’s funeral. Can she put the missing pieces together as diamonds are discovered, a mass grave uncovered and a monster surfaces in the dam? Lea Vivier and Pallance Dladla return in their SAFTA-nominated roles as Yola and Themba, with Natasha Loring reprising her SAFTA-winning role as Yola’s sister, Sienna. TV Mzansi says, “DAM S2 is a worthy follow-up to its exceptional predecessor. It’s just as compelling as the first season: a perfect blend of drama, horror and suspense.” Binge episodes 1-3, with new episodes on Thursdays.

Season 2 of The Republic will also be available to binge on Showmax from 27 March 2023. Florence Masebe is back in her SAFTA-winning role as President Mulaudzi, with Lemogang Tsipa (Shaka in Shaka iLembe), Noxolo Dlamini (Silverton Siege, Jiva!), SAFTA winners Bongile Mantsai (Knuckle City, Blood Psalms) and Thembi Nyandeni (Isibaya, Zone 14), and SAFTA nominee Bonnie Mbuli (Noughts + Crosses) joining the cast this season. Season 1 of The Republic won seven SAFTAs in 2020, including Best TV Drama.

Stream On’s #1 Afrikaans show to stream, the SAFTA-nominated crime-thriller series Die Byl returns for its fourth and final season with Byl ready to quit the police force after the tragic death of his close friend and colleague at the end of Season 3. The rest of the team is unwilling to let Byl go, knowing there’ll always be another serial killer to catch. If Dr Shani is right about a suspicious DNA test, his resignation may have to wait. Waldemar Schultz returns as Colonel Piet van der Bijl; new cast members this season include SAFTA nominees Sean Michael Cameron (Fried Barry), Frank Rautenbach (Lioness), Zane Meas (Ludik), Lea Vivier (DAM), Ilse-Lee van Niekerk (Troukoors), and Stian Bam (Donkerbos), as well as SAFTA winner Schalk Bezuidenhout (Kanarie).

Also look out for S2 of Mzansi Magic’s human trafficking drama Mzali Wami, with Lungelo Mpangase (Xoli in The Wife) returning as Ntokozo opposite Royalty Soapie Award winner Lusanda Mbane (Scandal!) as Joyce. SAFTA winner Loyiso McDonald (The Queen) joins the cast this season as Lungelo.

RISE: THE SIYA KOLISI STORY | Stream now

Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story reveals a different side to the Springboks’ first black African captain, who led South Africa to victory at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

In addition to documenting his improbable rise to international stardom, the intimate documentary also sees Kolisi share the story of his complicated relationship with his father, his struggle with alcoholism, and his journey with wife Rachel.

An Orange Films and Star Films production for Supersport, Rise is directed by Tebogo “Tebza” Malope, who’s won Gold at Cannes Lions and the Grand Prix at the Loerie Awards, among other honours. The documentary boasts a soundtrack by Mandisi Dyantis and Haezer, who also edited the feature.

Need more real life inspiration?

Blind Ambition tells the inspiring story of four Zimbabwean refugees who conquered the odds to become top South African sommeliers at the likes of The Test Kitchen and La Colombe. The heartwarming documentary film won the Audience Award at the Tribeca and Sydney film festivals, among others. Forming Zimbabwe’s first-ever wine tasting team, the four set their sights on the coveted title of World Wine Tasting Champions and, from the moment they arrive in France to compete, this team of mavericks turns an establishment of privilege and tradition on its head. Blind Ambition has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw writing, “It’s impossible not to smile along with this feelgood documentary.” Stream Blind Ambition now.

The three-part documentary series The Elon Musk Show gets to the heart of who Pretoria-born billionaire Elon Musk really is, by interviewing the people that know him best. From his mother to his employees, his close friends to his enemies, the documentary series tells the intimate story of Musk’s incredible, controversial journey to become the world’s richest man. Using extensive archive footage taken throughout his life, from South Africa to Silicon Valley, the series analyses the key moments in Elon’s career, from his first tech start-ups through to Tesla and SpaceX. As The Independent (UK) says, “The Elon Musk Show is extremely well-made … beautifully and painstakingly blended together with real care and craft … Such is the attention to detail, it’s worthy of Musk himself.” Binge from 15 March 2023.

SEX & PLEASURE | Showmax Original | Wednesdays from 8 March 2023

“Everyone has sex,” says Lesego Tlhabi, aka Coconut Kelz, at the start of the trailer for the new Showmax Original Sex & Pleasure. “Even your most conservative grandmother had eight kids. So let’s talk about it.”

Sex in Afrikaans was one of the 10 most streamed titles on Showmax in South Africa in 2022, but it’s clearly not just Afrikaners who like to knyp die kat in die donker.

Hosted by writer Kim Windvogel and journalist Romantha Botha, Sex & Pleasure will take a broader view of what South Africans get up to behind closed doors, and, well, everywhere else too. Each episode will explore tlof tlof in relation to a different topic: parenting, love, sex work, pills and potions, orgasm, disability, age, and spirituality.

Kim and Romantha co-wrote and conceptualised Sex & Pleasure with director Ayanda Duma, who was also a producer on the South African leg of Planet Sex with Cara Delevigne, which you can binge on Showmax now. SAFTA winner IdeaCandy (Steinheist, Devilsdorp) is producing the eight-part series, which includes playful motion graphics by Mbali Hlatshwayo.

Need more straight talk about relationships?

Hosted by the multi-talented Tumi Morake, the first woman named Comic Of The Year at the Comics’ Choice Awards, Sunday Sexy Love explores the relationships of some of SA’s most-loved couples. Boity and Anton, Bontle Modiselle and Priddy Ugly, Gogo Maweni and Sabelo Mgube, Latoya and Lebo, Ntokozo Mbambo and Nqubeko Mbatha, Mpho Wabadimo and Themba are all among the celebrity sweethearts who’ll be sharing their love stories – unfiltered – and their secrets for keeping their relationships going strong.

STELLA MURDERS | Showmax Original | 17 March 2023

Stella Murders investigates the deaths of best friends Sharnelle Hough (17) and Marna Engelbrecht (16) at their hostel at Stella High School in North West. On Saturday morning, 26 May 2018, Sharnelle was found hanged by the staircase and Marna was discovered in a bathroom, with both deaths initially looking like suicides.

The 90-minute documentary features interviews with Ronnie and Sonja Hough, Sharnelle’s parents; Stefaans, Rianet, and Riané Engelbrecht, Marna’s father, mother and sister; Captain Zagaries Human, the Stella South African Police Services station commander; Captain Markus Ferreira, the investigating officer; private investigator Chris Saunders; and Advocate Johan Smit, the state prosecutor, now retired. Also look out for Marizka Coetzer from Devilsdorp, who covered the Stella Murders case for Huisgenoot.

Home to just over 4 000 people, Stella is a small, quiet cattle-farming dorpie near Vryburg in North West. “In such a close-knit community, danger is expected to come from the outside,” says clinical psychologist Elmarie Claassens in the trailer. “But the thing about danger is: it doesn’t come exclusively from the outside.”

Stella Murders is a new true-crime documentary from David Enright and IdeaCandy, the director and production company respectively behind the breakout hit Devilsdorp, one of Showmax’s 10 most streamed titles of 2021, which sold internationally and won the 2022 SAFTA for Best Made for TV Documentary.

Need more true crime?

Named Best South African Documentary Film at the 2022 Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), Girl, Taken is the incredible story of two parents whose baby was stolen at birth, who miraculously found her 17 years later, and who then lost her again… Girl, Taken was co-directed by multi-award-winners Francois Verster and Simon Wood, whose previous collaboration, Scenes From a Dry City, was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy, earned a Special Mention at AFI Docs, and was named World Press Photo Online Video of the Year.

My Name Is Reeva revisits the story of Reeva Steenkamp, who was murdered ten years ago, on Valentine’s Day in 2013, at the hands of her then-boyfriend Oscar Pistorius, the first double-leg amputee to participate at the Olympics. The documentary also follows her parents, Barry and June, as they decide whether to take part in a Victim-Offender Dialogue with Pistorius, facilitated by the Department of Correctional Services. My Name is Reeva is directed by Warren Batchelor who also made the SAFTA-nominated Brett Kebble documentary 204: Getting Away With Murder, which is also available on Showmax.

Both Girl, Taken and My Name Is Reeva are available to stream on Showmax now.

SURVIVOR SA S9: RETURN OF THE OUTCASTS | Binge now

Some were outwitted. Some were outplayed. But none could outlast. Until now…

Survivor SA: Return of the Outcasts sees 20 returning players from the previous eight seasons of Survivor South Africa reignite their flames in a bid to take home double the prize money!

Once again hosted by Nico Panagio, the ninth season of SA’s very own take on the global hit franchise promised a second chance for some our favourite – and less favourite – former castaways to make it to that Final Tribal Council and claim a grand prize of R2 million in the world’s greatest game.

David Enright (Devilsdorp, Stella Murders) was head of content this season, which was shot on the Eastern Cape’s Sunshine Coast.

Need even more competition?
Season 4 of My Kitchen Rules is also now available to binge on Showmax. The heat is on as 10 new teams of home cooks set out to impress judges David Higgs and J’Something with their instant restaurants, hunting for flavour, fun and the R1 million cash prize in the SAFTA-winning local edition of the Australian reality series.

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NAIROBI | Binge episodes 1 and 2 now, with new episodes on Thursdays

The Real Housewives of Lagos was the only title to crack the Showmax 10 most-streamed of 2022 lists across Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.

Now the ladies of Lagos have new competition, with new episodes of The Real Housewives of Durban every Wednesday, the Nairobi edition on Thursdays, and the Abuja edition on Fridays. Which city will have the best looks, the most luxe lifestyles, and the most inspiring women?

The Real Housewives of Nairobi has already set a new streaming record for the most first day views on Showmax in Kenya. The series follows a group of dynamic women – Susan Kaittany, Vera Sidika, Sonal Maherali, Minne Kariuki, and Lisa Christoffersen – as they navigate their lavish lifestyles, relationships and careers in Nairobi.

Need even more reality TV?

On 13 March 2023, reality series fans can also look forward to Lebogang Tlokana (aka The Funny Chef) hosting Season 12 of Mzansi Magic’s much loved reality series Our Perfect Wedding, as well as Moja Love classics like Season 2 of X-Repo, the reality show that helps people get their possessions back when they’ve been wronged, and Season 1 of the controversial reality show Isencane Lengane S1, which follows teenage newlyweds Thando Msomi and Siyacela Dlamuka. Moja Love was named Coolest TV Channel of 2022 at The Sunday Times’ GenNext Survey.

SUPERWORM | Stream now

Directed by South Africans Sarah Scrimgeour and Jac Hamman, Superworm recently won Best One-Off, Special or TV Movie at the Kidscreen Awards, where it was competing against Luck and Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas. It was also nominated for Best Special Production at the Annie Awards.

An animated adaptation of the bestselling picture-book of the same name by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Superworm was hailed as “an instant classic” by The Sun; “one of Christmas TV’s greatest delights” by The Daily Telegraph; and “the BBC’s standout offering” by The Guardian.

Superworm is super-long and super-strong, and always saves the day. But who can save him when he gets too full of himself and is captured by the evil Wizard Lizard?

Superworm’s voice cast includes Oscar winner Olivia Colman (The Crown) as the narrator, Emmy nominee Matt Smith (House of the Dragon) as Superworm, and Ghanaian-British actor Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Paddington 2, Mary Poppins Returns) as the Wizard Lizard.

Need more South Africans succeeding overseas?

Based on the true story behind the biggest manhunt in US history, Ted K stars South African Teen Choice and MTV Movie Award nominee Sharlto Copley (District 9, Beast) as the notorious Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Kaczynski lived deep in the Rocky Mountains, where he sought refuge from modern society. As the outside world encroached on his mountain sanctuary, he slowly became radicalised with rage, escalating from small acts of sabotage to deadly bomb attacks. Ted K has an 85% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Copley receiving widespread critical acclaim for the role. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film “unsettlingly intimate” and “a haunting vision of vengeful obsession.”

THE WIFE S3 | New episodes on Thursdays

The Wife is back from its short break and last Thursday’s episodes were loaded with drama, betrayal and the kind of shocking twists the show is loved for. Yes, Xoli and Mqhele went there. Yes, Naledi is pregnant. Yes, Tshedi finally came clean.

There’s now exactly a month left of the record-breaking, Twitter-topping, multi-award-winning show, with the finale scheduled for 6 April 2023.

How will Mqhele and Hlomu’s toxic love story end? Will Qhaledi reunite and live happily ever after, despite their families’ rivalry? And what is Xoli going to do next? So many questions; so little time…

THIS BODY WORKS FOR ME S1 REUNION | Showmax Original | 8 March 2023

Showmax’s 18SNL reality show about women in the adult entertainment industry ends its wildly popular first season with a reunion that promises to be just as dramatic as its 19 episodes combined.

Radio personality, DJ and podcaster Sol Phenduka will host the reunion, where This Body Works For Me cast members Bubbly, Gina, Primadonna, Wandi and Xoli are ready to bare all.

TBWFM topped the charts on both Twitter and Showmax, where it’s stayed in the Top 20 since its launch in November 2022.

EVERYTHING ON SHOWMAX IN MARCH 2023

To see everything on Showmax in March 2023, including IMDb’s Most Popular TV Show currently, The Last Of Us; the fourth season of Succession, named Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys in 2020 and 2022; and The Batman, IMDb’s Top Movie of 2022 and the most nominated film at the 2023 Critics Choice Super Awards, click here.