Publications
Partners
The highly anticipated and super-luxe The Real Housewives of Lagos. Brand-new binge-worthy shows you won’t find anywhere else. A micro-budget indie flick about one woman’s quest to protect her daughter from the Covid-crunch. The devastating South African true-crime doccie Last Blue Ride: The Hannah Cornelius Story. Showmax has all this and more in store this month. Subscribe from R39 per month.
The Real Housewives of Lagos - Showmax Original
First we had Joburg, then Durban (watch the second season also on Showmax). Now, The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos) follows the opulent lives of six of the most glamorous women in Nigeria: businesswoman Carolyna Hutchings, influencer Laura Ikeji-Kanu, lawyer and luxury hair brand owner Chioma Ikokwu, celebrity stylist Toyin Lawani-Adebayo, Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo and PR expert Mariam Timmer. RHOLagos will be available exclusively on Showmax in more than 40 African countries. Stream from 8 April, with new episodes every Friday.
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Bel-Air - First on Showmax
Executive produced by 2022 Oscar winner and the most-memed man in the month of March, Will Smith, the brand-new Fresh Prince-inspired series Bel-Air is full of surprises. It’s set in modern-day America, but it’s also a prequel to the hit 90s sitcom. And it’s a drama, bringing a whole new take to Will’s life-altering journey from the streets of West Philly to the gated mansions of Bel-Air. This was one of Rotten Tomatoes’ Most Anticipated Shows of 2022. Binge now »
This award winner follows the now-adult survivors of a plane crash that stranded their wildly talented high school girls’ soccer team deep in the Canadian wilderness in 1996. It stars, among others, Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci, and was named Best Horror at the Critics Choice Super Awards. Binge now »
Somebody Somewhere S1 - First on Showmax
(Image: Supplied)
HBO’s Somebody Somewhere centres on Sam, a 40-something woman grappling with loss and acceptance as she fields a mid-life crisis following her sister’s death. Sam returns to her hometown but struggles to fit into its mould, until she finds her saving grace in singing, and a community of outsiders who don't fit in, and don't give up. Starring and executive produced by Bridget Everett (Inside Amy Schumer), the comedy-drama has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Binge now »
(Image: Supplied)
A collection of five films by Oscar winner Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave), Small Axe is based on the real-life experiences of London's West Indian community between 1969 and 1982. The anthology has won over 24 international awards, including a Critics Choice Award for John Boyega, a BAFTA for Malachi Kirby, and a Royal Television Society Award for Shaun Parkes. Binge now »
The comedy series Flatbush Misdemeanors follows Dan and Kevin, two longtime friends trying to climb out of their heads and connect with others in their brash new surroundings in Flatbush, Brooklyn. It’s already been renewed for a second season, and Season 1 has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. TV Guide calls this “one of the best shows of 2021.” Binge now »
Set in a small Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania, American Rust stars Jeff Daniels as police chief Del Harris, who finds himself in a compromised position after the son of the woman he loves (Maura Tierney) is accused of murder. Based on the novel by Philipp Meyer, American Rust was nominated for a 2022 Satellite Award for Best Drama Series. Binge now »
The Cleaning Lady - First on Showmax
Based on the Argentine series La Chica que Limpia, crime drama The Cleaning Lady follows a whip-smart doctor (Elodie Yung), who comes to the US for medical treatment to save her son. When the system fails and pushes her into hiding, she becomes a cleaner for the mob and starts playing the game by her own rules. Paste compares it to Breaking Bad. Binge now »
MOVIES
Ray Donovan: The Movie - First on Showmax
Ray Donovan: The Movie picks up where the seventh and final season of the Emmy-winning series left off, with Mickey (Jon Voight) in the wind and his son Ray (Liev Schreiber) determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more carnage. The film also weaves together the present-day fallout from the Donovan/Sullivan feud with Ray and Mickey's origin story from 30 years ago. Prompted by fan protests at the show’s cancellation, it has an 86% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Stream now »
(Image: Supplied)
When the Covid-crunch lands a recently widowed mother on the street, she convinces her eight-year-old daughter that they are only camping for fun, while she works to get a roof over their heads. The micro-budget indie movie – funded largely by coronavirus stimulus cheques – earned student filmmakers Kelley Kali (who also stars) and Angelique Molina the Special Jury Award at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Stream from 21 April.
(Image: Supplied)
Lonnie Chavis (This Is Us) and Ezra Dewey (The Djinn) star in this horror-thriller that sees two boys kidnapped and taken to a labyrinthine house in the middle of nowhere, where their only chance at survival is sticking together. The Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus says: “A tense, terrifying, and all-around outstanding feature debut.” Stream from 21 April.
(Image: Supplied)
A retired special forces soldier gets trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder as he tries to unlock the mystery behind his untimely demise. Mel Gibson, Naomi Watts, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Jeong co-star. “Boss Level powers up the increasingly crowded time-loop genre with a gleefully over-the-top sci-fi action thriller that revels in its own excess,” says Rotten Tomatoes. From 7 April.
Documentaries
The Alpinist - First on Showmax
Winner of the 2021 Critics' Choice Documentary Award for Best Sports Documentary, The Alpinist follows the life and climbs of Canadian rock climber, alpinist, free solo legend and untamed spirit Marc-André Leclerc. Nominated for Best Cinematography at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, The Alpinist has a 93% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it, “Absolutely thrilling, terrifying and mesmerizing”. From 8 April.
Phoenix Rising - First on Showmax
HBO’s two-part documentary Phoenix Rising follows the true story of actress and activist Evan Rachel Wood, a survivor of domestic violence, as she recounts her story of domestic violence and advocates for the Phoenix Act, extending the statute of limitations in California for domestic violence felonies. Stream now »
South African additions
Last Blue Ride: The Hannah Cornelius Story - First on Showmax
This true crime documentary recounts the 11 hour hell-ride of Stellenbosch University students Hannah Cornelius and Cheslin Marsh in 2017. While Marsh survived a near-fatal assault, 21-year-old Cornelius was brutally murdered. The case made international headlines. Last Blue Ride features CCTV footage from the night alongside a recreation of that hell-ride, narrated by Marsh himself. Stream now »
(Image: Supplied)
The shocking events of the Season 2 finale are set to have devastating consequences for Thathi – and everyone around her - as Mzansi Magic telenovela Gomora traces the inequality between the rich and the poor, following the lives of two families and how their worlds collide. Last year, Gomora won two SAFTAs, for Most Popular TV Soap and Best Achievement in Directing - Telenovela. Tune in Mondays-Fridays express from 25 April »
The fifth and final season of the hilarious Afrikaans mockumentary Hotel takes us back to the motley crew of small-town misfits at the Fransen Hotel, still standing despite crises and mismanagement, takeovers and interpersonal conflicts, and even a pandemic. All our favourite characters are back – yes, even Ferdie (James Borthwick), whose emigration to New Zealand didn’t go quite as planned. Binge from 11 April »
Watch all this, plus the latest episodes of The Wife and The Real Housewives of Durban and thousands of hours of the best international and local entertainment, from just R39 per month. Subscribe to Showmax and get 14 days free »
