We are already in the second month of the year, February. And this is the second week of February, during which the world marks what has become known as the day of love and romance, Valentine’s Day.
Of course, not everyone is loved up or looking for romance on screen. And February is as good a month as any to get your teeth into one of the excellent series on Showmax. They’re just as good binged with someone you love, or alone on the couch with a giant tub of popcorn.
(TOP: Poster of The Girl from St Agnes. ABOVE: A scene from the series).
A Showmax Original that has just been released to the public, the series focuses on the murder of a popular student at St. Agnes boarding school, with the female student’s body being found at the bottom of an old mill. The first episode of the 8-part series, titled Before the Devil Fell, covers the discovery of Lexi Summerveld’s body during the school’s Valentine’s Day dance by a worker in the school. The crime and mystery series, set and filmed in South Africa, was released in January this year.
Apart from The Girl From St Agnes, which is a crime and mystery drama, check out these more romantic options for the Valentine’s season: Permission (a romantic comedy that’s ideal for the less conservative as it has gay scenes), If I Stay and Love in the City, a local romantic drama from Maisha Magic East.
(Sharp Objects poster)
Another new show which made its global debut in July 2018, Sharp Objects revolves around Camille Parker, a newspaper reporter who is sent back to her hometown, Wind Gap in Missouri, by her editor to investigate the disappearance of one child and death of another who was apparently strangled. On arrival in the town where she grew up, Parker checks herself into a motel. Then events (and experiences) from her past start haunting her while inside the bathtub. To follow the rest of this suspense-filled drama, stream it here.
(Vikings official poster).
For action and adventure buffs, you can continue catching up on new episodes of Vikings Season 5 which makes its debut on Showmax this month. This season – which begins at the start of the Viking age with the the Lindisfarne raid in 793 – sees the story moving away from Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok to his four sons, who are on an expedition to conquer England.
(The Magicians. Image: Showmax).
Binge all four seasons of this spooky series, only on Showmax. Developed from a novel with the same name, the sci-fi and fantasy drama tells the story (and exploits) of Quentin Coldwater, a young man who discovers and attends a secret college of magic in New York, called Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy. In the fourth season, the young magicians have lost their memories, just as a new danger threatens.
(Siren S2. Image: Showmax).
This is another fairly new and engrossing drama released at the end of March 2018. It tells the story of a coastal town, Bristol Cove, which legend claims was once the home of mermaids – and how it’s experiencing some mysterious incidents after the arrival of a new lady, Ryn, who is on a mission to locate and rescue her captured sister, Donna.
The Bold Type S2:
(Part of the cast in The Bold Type. Image: Showmax).
After highlighting dark shows dealing with crime and murder mysteries, let’s now lighten (or loosen) up with The Bold Type, a romantic comedy about three determined (yet funny and cheeky) ladies who elbow their way up the ranks of a women’s magazine publisher. Released in 2017, it comes in two seasons, each with 10 episodes.
(The official poster of Trippin with Skhumba. Image: Showmax).
This is another Showmax Original production, and comes just after the release of The Girl From St Agnes (which we highlighted above). Set to be released on February 28, Trippin with Skhumba features the host – the hilarious Skhumba – and six of his comedian friends as they go back to their roots, travelling to their hometowns, from Kempton Park to Empangeni and everywhere in between, in the ultimate South African road trip. Lovers of local comedy shows should look out for this new production.
(Poster of Vinyl. Image: Showmax blog)
Set in 1970s New York, Vinyl brings us the story of Richie Finestra (played by Bobby Cannavale from another series currently on Showmax, Boardwalk Empire) a jaded and struggling record executive making desperate attempts to try and resuscitate his collapsing record label. The series was released in 2016 and features a single season of 10 episodes.
(The producers of 2 Dope Queens. Image: YouTube).
This single-season, 4-episode series is an adaptation of the podcast, 2 Dope Queens produced by Jessica Williams and Phoebe Robinson, who are also featured in the series. The four episodes – which run for about an hour each – deal with various themes ranging from sex (and romance) to race, hair and living in New York.
(Poster of The Leftovers).
And finally, last but in no way least, as this production can’t be derogatively be referred to as a ‘left over’, this three-season series is a supernatural mystery drama based on the novel of the same name. The Leftovers is set three years after the “Sudden Departure”, an event during which 2% of the world’s population vanished. It focuses on the lives of those who were left behind after the Sudden Departure and highlights how they’ve made efforts to adjust to life after the event.
Of course this list is not conclusive – there’s plenty more to entice and excite you on Showmax. Sample it all by signing up to Showmax.
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