If you plan on binge-watching anything, make sure these are on your watch list.
THE WIFE
Honestly, I can’t sing the praises enough of this homegrown offering, which is based on the best-selling Hlomu series by Dudu Busani-Dube.
Produced by Stained Glass, this Showmax telenovela series follows the blossoming romance between Mqhele (played by rising star Bonko Khoza) and Hlomu (Mbalenhle Mavimbela) and is juxtaposed with the taxi wars between the Zulu brothers and their sworn enemies – the Majolas, who heads the taxi association and run the taxi rank, too.
The actors share incredible chemistry, and their respective performances are unparalleled.
Also, every episode is shot beautifully, and the cast is first-rate. Don’t be surprised when it bags a lot of nominations at next year’s award ceremonies.
SELLING SUNSET
The fourth season just dropped on Netflix, and fans won’t be disappointed – the claws come out. Of course, it is a little surprising that Christine Quinn is at the heart of the drama.
Then again, would we even be watching this show if it weren’t for the queen bee of bitchiness.
The way she keeps serving us life goals now that she is married to tech tycoon Christian Richard is unreal.
I guess that is why we love, sometimes hate but definitely envy her.
This season she is on a break after having her baby. But what’s not on a hiatus is her long-standing feuds with her former BFF Mary Fitzgerald and Chrishell Stause.
And there is a new enemy added to the list, with Emma Hernan joining the Oppenheim Group.
Apparently, Emma was “the other woman” and the reason why Christine and her ex broke up.
The story, of course, varies, depending on who is telling it.
Emma, however, isn’t fazed by Christine. A confident businesswoman, she holds her own.
Heather Rae Young is still very loved up, with her TV personality fiancée Tarek El Moussa, who we get to see this season.
Amanza Smith is back, and believe it or not, she’s now friends with Christine. Maya Vander remains the impartial one at the office, while Davina Potratz eats humble pie as she makes a grovelling return.
Oh, and telenovela actress Vanessa Villela joins the gang, too.
Christine takes a shine to her, and Vanessa is mindful of not rocking the boat as the newbie, so she plays her cards just right.
Seriously, forget thrashy, flashy reality TV shows are the new holy grail. And we, literally, cannot get enough of the highfalutin lifestyles of the always cover-ready cast.
THE SHRINK NEXT DOOR
This dark comedy-drama on Apple TV+ is based on a real-life story as documented in a podcast of the same title by Joe Nocera.
Paul Rudd being named “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine aside, he delivers a brilliant performance as Dr Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf alongside Will Ferrell, who plays Martin “Marty” Markowitz, a business owner of a family textile company grappling with life’s anxieties stemming from difficult clients to an insufferable gold-digger ex.
His sister Phyllis Markowitz (Kathryn Hahn) is the polar opposite, as she has more of a take-charge attitude.
As a single mother going through an acrimonious divorce, it’s safe to say she has grown a thick skin. She’s savvy, street-smart and isn’t afraid to call a spade a spade.
After witnessing the frequency of Marty’s panic attacks, she suggests a visit to the local shrink – a decision she ends up regretting when she realises that Ike is an opportunistic individual who is disturbingly manipulative.
LOVE LIFE
While season one of “Love Life fell” into the conventional Hollywood trapping of having a female protagonist, the creatives of the anthology rom-com series flipped the script by making the lead in the follow-up a young professional guy named Marcus Watkins (William Jackson Harper).
By doing so, they not only expanded the scope of the storytelling but the topics tackled as well. And they added a fresh spin by casting an actor who doesn’t fit the “pretty boy” mould.
The protagonist is book editor Marcus. When we first meet him, he is married to his college sweetheart Emily (Maya Kazan).
But his friendship with Mia Hines (Jessica Williams) ruins his marriage, and he finds himself navigating the ups and downs of dating once again.
This series is on Showmax.
TRUE STORY
Kevin Hart is synonymous with comedy, but he proves himself competent in a serious role in this Netflix thriller. That Wesley Snipes plays his brother heightens the appeal of the show.
The series kicks off on a similar note to “The Flight Attendant”, where a dead body throws several lives into chaos.
Kid (Hart) is a world-famous comedian on tour. However, a stopover in Philadelphia results in a tragic incident that threatens to derail his life. And his brother Carlton is a little too calm about things.
Fans are definitely going to be in for a surprise with this series.