When “Adulting” started steaming on Showmax, one wouldn't have been wrong if you thought it was a night out with the gents in Jozi.
However, it ended up being a deeper look at some of the issues men experience in the world today.
“Adulting” is the first Showmax Original from multi-award-winning production company, Tshedza Pictures.
The eight-part 18SN drama follows four varsity friends, whose strong bond has held them together even as their journeys in life have taken them in very different directions. As they try to find love and success in Johannesburg after university, they turn to each other for support.
Bonga, portrayed by Thembinkosi Mthembu, is the leader of the group and the one who keeps them together. “He’s at a stage in his life where things are changing for him, as he’s bidding on an R80m contract.”
An overachiever, Bonga seems to have everything going for him - an impressive job, a car, a house and looks - and that gets him any girl. However, as the season goes on, viewers get to understand why Bonga has assumed the leadership role and his fear of love.
Vuyani portrayed by Luthando ‘BU’ Mthembu has a toy boy relationship with Beth (portrayed by SAFTA nominee Winnie Ntshaba), a fictional MEC in Arts and Culture in Gauteng.
Their story arc opens the lid on the abuse that sometimes occurs in these relationships. Vuyani’s sugar mamma may be generous but her wrath quickly puts him in his place.
Vuyani also has a complex relationship with his father, who wants more for him than just being a sugar baby.
Nhlanhla Kunene is cast as, hot-headed bad boy Eric who is trying to be a good father with limited access to his daughter. Eric’s bad-boy ways land him on the wrong side of the law, which is more often than not, complicating his attempt to be a good father.
The character of Eric, also nicknamed Tsiki-Tsiki, became a firm viewer favourite as he toyed with viewers' emotions, wanting him to succeed in being a good father and also seeing him turn to crime.
Mpho, portrayed by Thabiso Rammusi, is a family man, whose boredom leads him to have an affair.
Mpho’s life seems perfect but he seeks a thrill to supposedly excite his marriage, he soon gets a taste of his medicine after his side-chick visits his wife Zithulele, portrayed by Lungile Duma.
Mpho and Zithulele’s marriage is rocked by cheating on both ends and they both have some tough decisions to make.
“Adulting” is a drama series worth watching as it explores various male-related issues, such as fatherhood and the pressures men experience as they strive to succeed in today's society.
In a society where the number of men dying because of suicide is rising, it is important that such stories, where men are seen breaking down and speaking about their emotions, are told.
“Adulting” may seem like it’s about the fast life but it is also an opener to deeper conversations around mental health, love, abuse in relationships, fatherhood and the pressure on men to succeed.