3 December 2018
5 reasons to binge The Deuce S2
Season two of The Deuce, which chronicles the rise of pornography and the multibillion-dollar industry’s transformation of American culture, is now available to binge first and only on Showmax in Africa.
Here are five reasons to add the HBO hit series to your watchlist right now.
1. It’s about the Golden Age of Pornography
Season 2 of The Deuce picks up in 1977: the start of the Golden Age of Pornography and five years after the culmination of the first season.
“This is the moment when porn had its most exaggerated ambitions for itself,” says co-creator David Simon (The Wire). “It was almost granted a full artistic license. There was this moment when people thought – and not entirely naively – that pornography could become its own narrative form that would be taken seriously. It almost seems silly and quaint now but at the moment it felt like the world was opening up for anything.”
2. It stars Maggie Gyllenhaal in a Golden Globe-nominated role
Image: HBO
Oscar nominee Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in The Deuce as Eileen “Candy” Merrell, a prostitute turned pornographer.
In Season 2, she’s getting more ambitious: she wants to make “art porn”, which will appeal to both women as well as men.
“Porn was just beginning when she started. She’s like, ‘I want to be a part of figuring out what it can be, what its limits are,’” says Maggie. “She wants to express herself in her work, and why shouldn’t she?”
3. It’s from the creators of The Wire
The Deuce was created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, who previously collaborated on the HBO series The Wire, widely hailed as “the best TV show ever.”
They put together a star-studded writing team that includes the likes of Edgar-winning crime novelists Richard Price and Megan Abbott, and Edgar nominee Lisa Lutz – with season one earning a Writers Guild of America nomination.
4. Season 2 is even better than Season 1
The second season has even better reviews than the first, with a whopping 99% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus is that “The Deuce’s excellent character-driven drama returns with even more immersive world-building and a welcome focus on its leading ladies, carried by a tour de force performance from Maggie Gyllenhaal.”
Unsurprisingly, HBO has renewed The Deuce for a third and final season.
5. It’s the best conversation starter of the year
According to Pornhub’s 2017 Year in Review insights, the site had over 28 billion visits last year. Pornhub’s visitors voted over 120m times – a million more votes than were cast in the last US election.
So it’s about time we talked about porn – and The Deuce is the perfect way to slip it into polite conversation. The series will also get you talking about #metoo, blaxploitation, grindhouse, the mafia, peak disco, attempts to regulate sexuality, how pagers displaced pimps, and among other things, the need for “intimacy coordinators” on TV series, something The Deuce was a pioneer on.
As Vogue put it, The Deuce is “one of the most risk-taking and interesting shows on TV… It’s entertaining, sure, a time capsule, a thinking person’s drama—but also a conversation starter and a provocation in the best possible way.”
Original African stories by local talent
Empini S1
Stream the Showmax Original drama series Empini from 23 May 2024.
Made in South Africa
Original Sin: My Son The Killer
Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows the murder of Andrea Venter by Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who then went on the run from South Africa to Brazil.
Made in South Africa
Tracking Thabo Bester
From the makers of Devilsdorp and the director of Convict Conman comes the true-crime documentary South Africa has been waiting for. All the episodes are streaming on Showmax.
Made in South Africa
The Illuminated
The Showmax Original docuseries The Illuminated explores different religious movements in South Africa. Stream now, with new episodes every Wednesday.
Made in South Africa
Koek S1
The crime comedy Koek, starring Cindy Swanepoel, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Made in South Africa
Ekhaya Backpackers S1
Stream the Showmax Original comedy series Ekhaya Backpackers. All the episodes are now streaming.
Made in South Africa
Cheta M
Cheta M explores the love story between Adanna and Nnanna, young lovers who battle the spiritual and political forces in their way. Stream now, with new episodes Wednesday to Friday.
Made in Nigeria
Youngins S1
Stream Tshedza Pictures’s first teen drama, Showmax Original Youngins, with three new episodes every week.
Made in South AfricaThe Roast of Minnie Dlamini: The roast everyone's been waiting on
Empini, coming soon
More Mzansi gold
The Mommy Club Season 2 Episode 10 recap: Getting to the bottom of it
In episode 10 of The Mommy Club S2, Hermajesty and Mrs Sande go head-to-head and Nozipho confides in Mrs Mops. New episodes land every Monday on Showmax.
Made in South Africa
The Real Housewives of Durban S4: Nonku and Slee’s friendship is dead and buried
In the finale episode of The Real Housewives of Durban S4, all is laid on the table at the ladies’ dinner. All episodes are now streaming on Showmax.
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row. The two-part reunion will stream on 15 May and 22 May 2024.
Made in South Africa
Your initiation into the cool, chaotic world of Wyfie
Feel like we’re almost at midterms but you stopped going to class after you skipped a couple of lectures? Let’s swot up on Episodes 1-24 of Showmax Original Wyfie.
Made in South Africa