While traditional TV isn’t as popular as digital offerings, it enjoys a loyal audience.
As such, M-Net has sweetened the interest by announcing that it will be dropping a multigenerational drama series, “Summertide”, in January 2024.
Given the insatiable demand for local content, this is a big deal, more so since the show will run for 52 weeks.
The premise centres on Martin Field, a marine biologist and father of two teenagers, who moves to Simon’s Town for a fresh start after the death of his wife.
And he does so by opening a penguin rehabilitation centre.
Of course, this is easier said than done. Let’s just say that the emotional fallouts abound as each family member adjusts to the changes.
And what’s a bit of drama without secrets that threaten to throw a spanner in the works?
There’s Martin’s parents, Wilma and Jack Field, who, given that he is a retired naval commander, struggles to let go of a military-like mindset and, as such, runs the household like a military operation.
Martin’s children, Tristan and Lucy, are thrown for a loop. They have to adjust to a single-parent household as well as being newbies at high school. And, as teenagers, that’s a lot of stress added to their coming-of-age dilemmas.
The drama is offset by a romance with Rebecca Solomons, who was Martin’s first love and carved an impressive career as a Michelin star chef in New York.
Last but not least, there’s Martin’s carefree younger brother, Gavin. His life goals revolve around surfing. Holding down a regular job is a challenge. But the ladies love him, nonetheless.
The show is produced by Red Letter Day Productions and is earmarked for the 6pm slot on Sunday nights.
Red Letter Day Productions’ René and Corne van Rooyen are giddy with excitement over the new drama.
They said: “We are thrilled to be introducing our Simon’s Town 'Field family' to South African audiences, and take them on a highly entertaining weekly journey where we explore the themes of family, love, and community against the backdrop of saving the oceans in the incredible setting of False Bay.”
Waldimar Pelser, the director of Premium Channels at M-Net, added: “We are incredibly excited about this new series and the creative team involved in bringing it to life.”
But if you can’t wait for next year, there’s “Poker Face”, a comedic thriller releasing on Wednesday, August 2. It airs at 9pm.
Fans of “Orange is the New Black ”will recognise the lead, Natasha Lyonne, cast as Charlie Cale.
She plays a casino worker who has a knack for detecting lies. When a close friend is killed, she goes on the run from the casino bosses. As she travels across the US, she meets interesting characters and solves strange crimes along the way.
The A-list cast of Adrien Brody, Chloë Sevigny, Ellen Barkin and Benjamin Bratt is reason enough to check out the 10-part series.