Based on her performance and screenwriting for Chewing Gum, Michaela Coel is definitely a beast and we stan. While she broke hearts when she confirmed that she won’t be writing a third season for the British dramedy, we are thrilled to know she’s delivered yet another critically lauded TV drama.

I May Destroy You explores the questions of sexual consent in contemporary life. In the framework of modern relationships and dating, how are the lines between being liberated and being exploited detailed?

The British drama is one in a slew of international titles we are keen to explore on Showmax right now. The fact that it boasts a critics rating of 97% is all the more reason we can’t wait to binge on this one, and of course, deliver the TV Show Review for the culture soon after.

Lovecraft Country is just as enticing.  Jonathan Majors left us soaked in tears with his stellar portrayal of ‘Mont Allen’ on 2019 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco. He’s getting even more recognition as ‘Atticus’ on Lovecraft Country, another critical success that is now available for streaming on the platform.

Here’s a list of 11 International Series To Stream On Showmax in September: 

LOVECRAFT COUNTRY S1 | Eps 1-4 on 8 September, eps 5-8 on 6 October, eps 9-10 on 20 October

In the 1950s, Atticus Black, a young African-American, sets out on a road trip with his friend and uncle to find his missing father. This catapults the three into a struggle for survival against the dual terrors of Jim Crow-era America and terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a paperback written by pulpy horror author HP Lovecraft.

Based on the cult novel by Matt Ruff, Lovecraft Country is a collaboration between Misha Green (creator of Underground, named Best New Cable/New Media Show of 2016 by the African-American Film Critics Association) and Oscar-winner Jordan Peele (Us, Get Out), executive produced by JJ Abrams (Star Wars, Star Trek, Lost, Super 8, Westworld).

The fantastic cast includes Black Reel nominee Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Da 5 Bloods), Teen Choice nominee Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Birds of Prey, Friday Night Lights), four-time Emmy nominee Michael Kenneth Williams (When They See Us, The Night Of), Golden Globe nominee Courtney B Vance (The People Vs OJ Simpson, Law & Order), BAFTA winner Wunmi Mosaku (Luther, The End of the F*ing World, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), and Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Neon Demon).

Lovecraft Country has an 89% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is #3 on IMDb’s Most Popular TV chart. As Newsday put it, “To call Lovecraft Country ‘wildly original’ seems almost a quaint understatement. But it is wild. And original. Little doubt about that.”

RAMY S2 | Binge now, first on Showmax

Ramy stars 2020 Golden Globe winner and stand-up comedian Ramy Youssef as Ramy Hassan, a first generation Egyptian-American millennial in suburban New Jersey grappling with how to be a good Muslim in the Tinder era.

Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, True Detective) joins the cast this season as Sheikh Malik, while Hiam Abbass (Succession, Blade Runner 2049) returns as his mother.

The show is up for three Emmys this month – Best Actor in a Comedy and Best Director for creator Youssef, as well as Best Supporting Actor for Ali.

Recently renewed for a third season by Hulu, Ramy won the Audience Award at SXSW 2019 and a Peabody Award in 2020, where the jurors praised the series as a “touching, thoughtful, and very funny sitcom… The ground-breaking series is masterful in its weaponization of the tension between faith and secularism, East and West, and men and women.”

Youssef has also been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy and a Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy this year, while Ali is up for a Black Reel award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy.

S2 is currently at #24 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best TV of 2020 So Far, with a 97% critics rating. As Rolling Stone put it, “There is no other show quite like Ramy, because there is no other character quite like Ramy… Superb.”

MY BRILLIANT FRIEND S2: THE STORY OF A NEW NAME | Binge now

Set in Naples and based on Elena Ferrante’s bestselling novels, My Brilliant Friend is the story of a life-long friendship spanning 60 years. Season 2, based on the second novel in Ferrante’s series, sees Lila (Gaia Girace) stuck in a brutal marriage to the wealthy Stefano Caracci (Giovanni Amura), while Elena dallies with suitor Antonio Cappuccio (Christian Giroso) and her growing attraction to the magnetic Nino Sarratore (Francesco Serpico).

My Brilliant Friend, helmed by multi-award-winning Italian directors Saverio Costanzo (Hungry Hearts) and Alice Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazaro), has a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is at 236 on IMDb’s list of the top-rated TV of all time, where it has a score of 8.6/10. The series was recently renewed for a third season.

The Hollywood Reporter included it in their roundup of the 10 Best Shows of 2020 So Far, saying the series “portrays post-war young-womanhood in all its victories, devastations and frailties. This season’s story, told with seemingly no expense spared, is where the girls’ paths start to truly diverge, as one pursues dreams beyond their impoverished neighbourhood and the other finds herself irretrievably chained to it.”

Season 1 won Best Drama Series at Monte-Carlo TV Festival 2019 and an Italian Golden Globe for Best Breakthrough Actress for Ludovica Nasti as Lila. The series was also nominated for 2019 Critics Choice, Peabody and Shanghai International TV Festival awards.

9-1-1: LONE STAR S1 | Binge now

This spinoff of the hugely popular first responder drama 9-1-1 stars multiple Golden Globe nominee Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation) as a New York firefighter who relocates to Austin, Texas, where he’s tasked with putting together an entirely new squad following a tragedy. The cast includes Teen Choice nominees Liv Tyler (Harlots, Lord of the Rings) and Lyndsy Fonseca (Desperate Housewives, Nikita, Kick-Ass).

9-1-1: Lonestar was one of the ten most-streamed shows on DStv Now in the first half of 2020, and the highest-rated new series of the year for its parent network, FOX, which recently announced its renewal for a second season.

As Rotten Tomatoes says, 9-1-1: Lone Star “packs an entertaining punch and is a great showcase for the handsomely self-aware Rob Lowe.”

PERRY MASON S1 | Tuesdays at 23:00, same day as M-Net. Binge from 15 September

It’s 1932, and despite the Great Depression, LA is booming. But when the kidnapping case of the decade comes knocking on down-and-out detective Perry Mason’s door, his relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and, just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.

HBO’s biggest debut in nearly two years, Perry Mason reboots the award-winning 1950s-60s series based on Erle Stanley Gardner’s detective stories. Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee Matthew Rhys (The Americans) is Perry Mason. Tatiana Maslany, herself an Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee for her leading role in Orphan Black, and Oscar nominee John Lithgow (The Crown, 3rd Rock from the Sun) co-star.

Indiewire hailed Perry Mason as “one of the most beautiful series ever made… One of the best I’ve ever seen. Really.”

WE’RE HERE | Binge from 18 September

This 2020 Emmy-nominated drag reality show from HBO has a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The six-part series sees renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley inspire small-town residents from across America to step outside their comfort zones for a night of no-holds-barred, full-on drag – and a life-changing journey of self-discovery. Sometimes all it takes is a little love – and “a lotta werk” – to take someone from who they are to what they can be.

AV Club describes the show as “a charming and engaging reality series… well worth watching,” while Salon.com notes that, “on a deeper level, it’s a show about loving – truly loving – your neighbour.”

HBO has already renewed We’re Here for a second season.

LAZOR WULF S1 | Binge from 18 September, first on Showmax

He’s a wolf. With a laser on his back. And he’s the coolest thing in Strongburg.

Created by Henry Bonsu, Lazor Wulf, Adult Swim’s latest series, is an acid vision of modern life and friendship, voiced by a predominantly black cast including rapper Vince Staples, comedian Quinta Brunson from A Black Lady Sketch Show, and WWE wrestler Ettore ‘Big E’ Ewen, with Reginald VelJohnson (Die Hard) as the voice of God.

LA Times describes the show as “African American, retro, futuristic and strange… relaxed, but at the same time packed with tension.”

WORLD ON FIRE S1 | Thursdays at 23:30 from 24 September, same day as M-Net

Set in 1939, on the eve of the German invasion of Poland, World on Fire follows the interwoven stories of ordinary people caught up in catastrophic global events beyond their control.

The critically acclaimed World War II drama has an 84% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has already been renewed for a second season.

The impressive cast includes BAFTA winner Sean Bean (Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings), Oscar winner Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets, Mad About You), Oscar and BAFTA nominee Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Harlots), and Jonah Hauer-King (Little Women) who’s set to star as Prince Eric in the upcoming Disney live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.

“It’s hard to recall any dramatic work that captured the terror of this invasion with such immediacy,” says Wall Street Journal.

 BBC hailed it as a “must-watch”, with Scott Bryan calling it “deeply haunting… a remarkable form of storytelling; from different sides, different locations, people from different classes, sexualities…”, and Hayley Campbell praising its depiction of “war, on a personal level… focusing on civilians rather than soldiers; this huge global thing shrunk right down.”

LOVE ISLAND UK S6 – THE CAPE TOWN EDITION | 5 eps every Saturday. Binge from 26 September

For South African fans dying to see the latest season of the BAFTA-winning reality show Love Island UK, the long wait is finally over. And it’s all the more delicious because this is the season that was filmed at a villa in Constantia, Cape Town.

Laura Whitmore of Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! fame is this season’s new host for the drama-packed reality show, where single hopefuls flirt, date, break up and make up while trying to capture the hearts of viewers, who will vote for their favourite couple to take home the £50k prize money.

BRIARPATCH S1 | Mondays at 2300, same day as M-Net. Binge from 28 September

Senator’s aide Allegra Dill (MTV Movie Awards nominee Rosario Dawson from Sin City, Luke Cage and Jane the Virgin) returns to her border-town Texas home to investigate the death of her sister – a local cop killed by a car bomb. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring her corrupt hometown to its knees.

Kenyan Teen Choice nominee Edi Gathegi (X-Men: First Class) and Golden Globe nominee Alan Cumming (The Good Wife) co-star in this latest offering from Emmy nominated writer/producer Sam Esmail (Mr. Robot, Homecoming), based on the Edgar-winning crime novel by Ross Thomas.

Briarpatch has a 78% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Hollywood Reporter saying, “Anchored by a strong Rosario Dawson performance and flavoured with wit and a real sense of place, Briarpatch is a charmer: It keeps those aspects of Mr. Robot that were most audience-friendly, and jettisons the rest.”

I MAY DESTROY YOU S1 | Wednesdays at 22:30, same day as 1Magic. Binge from 11 November

  I May Destroy You centres on Arabella (BAFTA winner Michaela Coel from Chewing Gum), a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.

I May Destroy You is #23 on Rotten Tomatoes Best TV of 2020 (So Far), with a 97% critics rating and a critics’ consensus that reads, “I May Destroy You is at once brave and delicate, untangling the trauma of sexual assault with dark humour and moments of deep discomfort, all held together on the strength of Michaela Coel’s undeniable talent”.

In their five star review, The Guardian raved, “It is the drama of the year so far… Michaela Coel’s exploration of consent, race and millennial life… works on every level… An extraordinary, breath-taking achievement without a false note in it, shot through with humour and with ideas, talent and character to burn at every perfectly plotted turn.”

Including it in their roundup of the 10 Best TV Shows of 2020 So Far, The Hollywood Reporter called it, “The most ‘2020’ show of 2020”, adding that it’s “representative of the mood of the moment – the combination of anger, confusion, uncertainty and unexpected humour; the exploration of intersections of gender and race, sexuality and violence, youth and hard-earned experience.”

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M-Net has been gearing up for a great run for the last lap of 2020, producing new local content to keep you glued to your TV sets during these challenging times. And, we can confirm that the new drama Inconceivable will have you hooked in no time.

The dramedy (a perfect blend of dramatic twists mixed with comedic humour) features a stellar cast of household names in the South African television industry that brought their individual roles to life. Watching the series, audience members will be able to see themselves in at least one character on the series.

The 13-part series follows the drama in the lives of four couples, all in different stages in their relationships. There is an expectant couple hoping to be made whole with a new addition into the family, while another enjoys the freedom that comes with not having children. The last pair features couples with children and only one breadwinner. Mix the increasing needs of children and a stretched financial condition of any family and all you’ll get is drama.

RELATED TV NEWS: M-NET DRAMA ’INCONCEIVABLE’ CAST MEMBERS AND STORYLINE

Aptly named, the drama series interrogates the theme of bringing life into the world, becoming a parent and how that dynamic changes one’ s life. It is at this point that you see the lengths that one is willing to go to maintain the supposed ‘perfect picture’.

After watching the first episode, you’ll be yearning to see what happens next! Each character’s development on the show offers a different lens into parenthood, being a parent and all the reason that would make you think twice before you brought a life to this planet.

Catch the premiere episode on M-Net DSTV channel 101, straight after The Single Wives debut. After a couple of episodes, you’ll be able to binge watch the entire first season on Showmax.

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Even with a python slithering around her shoulders, Thando Thabethe manages to keep calm.

Well, in a shot of a scene for her role on Blood Psalms, the highly anticipated Showmax and Canal+ South African original series, the actress looks rather chilled for someone carrying a massive serpent.

Along with a spine chilling visual teaser, the actress looks enchanting in a series of new pics from the set of the ancient African mythology. The series, which is set to premiere on the streaming platform sometime in 2021, has already garnered much attention thanks to its star-studded cast.

The heavy-weight ensemble cast includes the likes of Hlubi Mboya, Sello Maake Ka Ncube, Warren Masemola, and amongst others Thishiwe Ziqubu.

MORE: ‘BLOOD PSALMS’ CAST, PLOT, DATES & MORE!

Currently shooting on location in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, Blood Psalms chronicles the rise to power of a fierce teenaged princess, Zazi (Bokang Phelane from Keeping Score, Emoyeni), who battles a world-ending prophecy to navigate her people through ancient curses, long-standing tribal vendettas, and the wrath of the Gods.

Show creators Layla Swart and Jahmil X.T. Qubeka from Yellowbone Entertainment were responsible for South Africa’s 2020 Oscar entry, the boxing drama Knuckle City, the most awarded film at this year’s South African Film and Television Awards, where it took home six awards, including Best Director for Jahmil and Best Editor for Layla.

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