Some of these South African shows are newly announced, and others have been renewed for follow up seasons. This selection of 10 South African series with the most buzz leading up to 2021, is not exhaustive. You’re just going to have to be a regular around here for the freshest in local TV and streaming content.

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF JOBURG SEASON 3

The explosive season 2 Reunion Special of the Real Housewives of Joburg was far too lit for us to be left fumbling in the dark with no answers.

Too many shady mysteries still need to be solved. Is there any truth to the tea spilled by Brinnette about Mrs. Mops’alleged affair? Who really paid for LeJoy’s hotel room after the Durban July shindy? Was Lebo’s wedding cake really 80% plastic fillers all the way out in Mauritius?

We aren’t making any of that up, but we were concerned for a hot minute that none of this good mess would be coming back.

Fortunately, despite the reality series skipping a year in-between seasons thanks to the pandemic (and the closure of the original production company ‘RHOSA’), QuenchSA has reliably heard the ladies are making their sparkling return to 1Magic in early 2021.

What we need this season is the beautiful gowns continued, if you catch what we are throwing.  We also need all the girls to return this time because starting over with half a new cast will be a lot.

Mrs. Mops must come back and read them for filth as usual. Lethabo must yell and keep up the drama. Christall must keep us in stitches. Brinnette can continue eating these girls up with her lewks, but locals will be looking forward to an update on her moving out from her mother’s house. And not to forget, the soft-spoken Lebo can continue whispering her harmless shade.

SHAKA ILLEMBE

Anything that puts us in a time capsule containing a pre-colonial visual of life in the age of Shaka Zulu’s reign can only be good. It’s even better that Bomb Productions, who have given us timeless greats like Yizo Yizo and Isibaya through the decades, are behind the making of a looming project based on this era.

Production for Shaka Illembe is underway. Photo Credit: Bomb Productions

In partnership with Mzansi Magic, the production company announced in 2018 that they would be working on a prime retelling of the story of Shaka ka Senzangakhona.

The filming of the series already is underway as we speak, with locations for filming said to be spread all over the country. Bomb Productions is tasked with the assignment of scouring the country to find the best scenery that can be best transformed into iconic landscape reminiscent of the times in which Shaka lived and reigned.

Teboho Mahlatsi, executive producer and co-creator at Bomb Productions, revealed how the show intends to explore different clans. “We will depict the great kingdoms of the AmaThethwa, the AmaNdwandwe, AmaQwabe, AmaHlubi and AmaZulu amongst others, and on this epic canvas, we will see the heroic rise of Shaka. We are telling an African story about a great African empire”, he said in a press statement.

According to News24, the series is expected to premiere on Mzansi Magic sometime in 2021.

BLOOD PSALMS 

Pictures on set from the filming of Blood Psalms were enough to trigger a frenzy earlier this year.

It’s the closest we are getting to Game of Thrones, the producers have said. Multichoice in partnership with CANAL+, has gone all out with the budget for the production of this pre-colonial epic piece.

Shot on various locations through South Africa, including the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and North West province, Blood Psalms chronicles the powerful story of a fierce teenage African queen, Zazi, who battles a world-ending prophecy to navigate her people through complexities, politics and endless wars.

The series results from a co-production partnership between global broadcasting TV operator Canal+ and Multichoice Group. Several shots have been released showcasing the set and cast in character, and from the glimpses, a Games of Thrones-ique texture can be seen.

The series will be premiering on Showmax in 2021.

BACHELORETTE SA S1

Those passionate kisses might have not guaranteed Qiniso Van Damme a happy ever with The Bachelor SA season 2’s Marc Buckner, but the girl is having the last laugh.

Following the reality show’s success in South Africa, M-Net in July announced that they’d commissioned a local version of popular international Bachelorette franchise. Qiniso now has the bragging rights of being the first-ever bachelorette on the upcoming series.

Marc and Qiniso were once at it! Photo Credit: M-Net

The lady will be inviting South Ah to come along her journey as she embarks on a romantic search for her Mr. Charming, and we are here for all of it!

“I’m still single, so clearly I haven’t found that guy,” M-Net’s first Bachelorette admitted. “I’m really open to meeting all kinds of handsome hunks with beautiful personalities who think I might be their gal. I want someone who isn’t afraid to be themselves, is a citizen of the world, proud to be South African and willing to grow with me.

If he can make me laugh, he will definitely score some extra points. And being tall would be a bonus. But c’mon guys, surprise me. Don’t be afraid, as long as you’re caring, kind and honest and think we’re a potential match, I want to meet you and get to know you”.

We’ll be tuning in when the reality show premieres on M-Net, channel 101, in 2021.

BLOOD & WATER SEASON 2

The South African series soared to #1 on Netlfix across several countries when it premiered on May 20th this year. The series, which centres around the life of a Puleng Khumalo, was renewed for a second season just days after the highly buzzed debut.

Fans will be thrilled to follow the 16-year-old as she navigates her way around the prestigious Parkhurst College to investigate the cold case of the abducted-at-birth older sister she’s never met. The teen mystery, which is airing to viewers in 190 countries around the world, also propelled a few of the young cast to instant fame.

LOVE ISLAND SOUTH AFRICA SEASON 1

If you are into the popular ‘Love Island’ international franchise, you will be delighted to know that a local version is currently in the works. M-Net announced last month that they have opened the casting for the reality show, which will be filmed in Cape Town by production company Rapid Blue.

The first season of Love Island South Africa is set to launch on M-Net 101 on DStv in February 2021.

If you’ve never seen the format, it basically centres around a group of single ‘Islanders’, who come together in a stunning setting, ready to embark on a summer of love, friendships, and, ultimately, relationships. Every few days, the Islanders must couple up – those who fail to find a partner to couple up with risk being dumped from the island.

The Islanders are on the lookout for romance, but the road to love doesn’t always run smoothly. Challenges abound with new Islander arrivals and dramatic twists as friendships and relationships form.

Further to choosing their partners wisely, Islanders must also win the hearts of viewers who have the opportunity to shape events on screen and ultimately crown one lucky couple the winners, who will then have the chance to walk away with both love and the cash prize of half a million rand.

REYKA

We recently talked to you about Reyka, an upcoming drama series that will be coming to M-Net in mid-2021. Production has already begun on the Fremantle produced eight-part contemporary crime drama.

Kim Engelbrecht from M-Net’s Reyka.

The series, which stars amongst others South African-born actress Kim Engelbrecht (Isidingo, Dominion and The Flash) and Game of Thrones actor Iain Glen, is scheduled to premiere sometime in July 2021.

Reyka tells the story of a flawed but brilliant criminal profiler, Reyka Gama (portrayed by Enge Engelbrecht). She’s haunted by her past while drilling down to the bottom of a string of brutal murders committed by a serial killer in the sugar fields of Kwa Zulu Natal.

Having been abducted as a child by a farmer named Speelman (Iain Glen), Reyka is traumatised by the experience but this also helps her enter the minds of Africa’s most notorious criminals and turn them inside out.

M-Net is putting a lot of money behind this one. We are waiting.

SHARK TANK S2

We were starting to think they’d never say anything! But on Tuesday, a brand new season of Shark Tank was announced and we need to freshen up our minds with some old episodes already. The award-winning reality show will sure get your entrepreneurial instincts put to the test.

According to Bizcommunity, the looming season will be featuring an all-new lineup of ‘Sharks’, who are tough, self-made, multimillionaire and billionaire tycoons. They will begin their search early in 2021 as they seek to best business innovations that South Ah and the rest of Africa have to offer.

The Sharks will be looking to offer a diverse group of driven minds the opportunity to chase the ultimate dream, and potentially secure a business bag that could transform their lives and, of course, turn them into millionaires.

The current lineup of sharks includes South African billionaire, Quinton van der Burgh; UN Global Award Honoree, Dr. Jasmine Pega; serial entrepreneur, Lebo Gunguluza; and tech entrepreneur, Prashanthi Akaloo.

SKEMERDANS

A Cape Flats ‘neo-noir’ is billed to debut on Showmax sometime in 2021, with exact dates to be confirmed closer to launch. It’s one of the local original production the streaming platforms has commissioned for the coming year.

After the murder of owner Glenn Fortune, The Oasis jazz club becomes the centre of a power struggle between two brothers, a scorned widow and an organised crime syndicate.

SAFTA winners Kevin Smith (Isidingo, Arendsvlei), Ilse Klink (Stroomop, Isidingo) and Brendon Daniels (Four Corners, Sara se Geheim, Arendsvlei) lead the all-star cast as Glenn, his wife Shireen and his brother Trevor respectively.

OTHER SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2021

• Production has just wrapped for a new series called ‘Dam’. Set to launch in 2021 on Showmax, the small-town psychological thriller shot in the Eastern Cape stars Pallance Dladla and Lea Vivier.
• Our ears are hearing about a Real Housewives of Durban that’s shooting, but nothing has been confirmed. You are going to have to be a regular around here because it’s not cute not knowing.
• The Bachelor SA season 3.  Go ahead girls, break a heart.

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