TVPlus’s top 10 picks on Showmax for 2019

There’s more television than anyone can watch in a lifetime. And with so many brilliant storylines, fabulous actors and near-perfect productions heading to platforms like Showmax, it’s difficult to know what’s hot and what’s not until you’ve settled in and started streaming. Unless you follow this handy 10-of-2019’s-best guide (in no particular order).

Siren

Mermaids aren’t happy, singing animated angels of the deep in this dark series. They’re monsters who lure men to their deaths with their hypnotic voices and songs. And they’ve arrived in the sleepy coastal town of Bristol Cove, ready to feast upon men. Season 1 in 2018 set the tone, but 2019’s second instalment is where the action really kicks off – inexplicable events are taking place. Local communities of sea lions are behaving strangely. Whale pods are beaching themselves. And a dead mermaid is discovered, threatening the peace that Marine biologist Ben and mermaid Ryn have tried to make. Plus, the mermaids need to breed…

Suits

If you’re going to watch one legal drama in your life, this should be it. Because it’s all about the characters’ personal lives as much as their professional worlds at the law firm of Pearson Specter Litt. While the 2019 final season 9 is still on its way to Showmax, there are 8 seasons to catch up on first. Whether it’s Mike Ross’s lying his way into law and doing a damn fine job thanks to his eidetic memory, Harvey Specter’s bond with his secretary Donna (and the secret about their can-opener ritual) or annoying Louis Litt’s hilarious idiosyncrasies as he searches for acceptance, there’s more than enough entertainment here for anyone.

The Righteous Gemstones

If there’s one thing Danny McBride is good at, it’s dark comedy and satire. Which makes this 2019 creation one of his best as he tackles the world of big-business religion in the US and how tele-evangelists prefer it to be “do as I say rather than as I do”. Because if there’s one thing that the Gemstone family are good at, it’s sinning. Murder, drugs, debauchery, theft – if it’s forbidden in the good book, you can bet that the Gemstones are doing it!

Godfather of Harlem

Dramas are always better with an autobiographical foundation because you know it’s real and happened – no matter how outrageous it may seem. From the casting of Forest Whitaker as Harlem gangster “saviour” Bumpy Johnson, to the period-perfect costumes and historical accuracy (the dialogue between figures like civil rights leader Malcolm X and boxing legend Muhammad Ali is historically accurate to the last letter), Godfather of Harlem is one of the best dramas you’ll find. Be warned though: it’s graphically violent and includes adult imagery and subject matter, so it’s a definite no-no for kids.

The Girl From St Agnes

It’s local and one of Showmax’s biggest drawcards of the year. An elite boarding school is rocked by a student’s murder, and the more her friends and the police dig, the more lies and secrets come out of the closet. There are only eight episodes, 52 minutes each – but it’s a drama with more twists and turns than you’d expect. It’s also proudly South African, an original Showmax production, filmed in SA with a full South African cast – hooray for no dodgy fake accents from international stars trying to fit in then!

Project Blue Book

What we know about ET and his alien friends is what we’ve seen in movies and heard from experts. But that’s how much the government wants us to know. Project Blue Book lifts the lid on the US Air Force’s investigation into UFOs during the 1950s and the story arcs are (mostly) really real. It’s based on the work by Dr J Allen Hynek (Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen aka Littlefinger) as he leads a top-secret research facility determined to find the truth about visitors from outer space. You think you know, but you have no idea what’s out there and what we know about them.

Game of Thrones

TV’s greatest fantasy epic finished in 2019 (with some saying the final eighth season was a flop), but you need to watch it. From episode 1 through to the finale, the visuals are mind-blowing, the storytelling is intricate and masterfully played out, the characters (and the actors portraying them) are more like family than figments of someone’s creation, and it’s a show you just need to have seen as a self-respecting television fan. Showmax has the added plus of behind-the-scenes specials showing the cast winding down the production that turned them from nobodies into the biggest names in television.

Die Spreeus

If there’s something strange in your neighbourhood, don’t call the ghostbusters – call Die Spreeus lead detectives Bas Koorts and Beatrice Mack. They’re experienced cops who’ve both got ties to the world of the supernatural and paranormal. The show is created by award-winning local author Tertius Kapp and the 13 episodes cover everything from the tokoloshe imp to zombies, werewolves and ghosts from South African folklore. Keep an eye out for loads of famous actors from other shows, including Schalk Bezuidenhout, Lea Vivier, Denise Newman, Jana Strydom, Deon Coetzee and more.

Euphoria

This adult-oriented teen drama is graphic, doesn’t hold back anything, gets real and raw about its content matter and it shows viewers that a lot can go wrong while you’re trying to do right. Lead star Zendaya is perfectly cast as recovering addict Rue; the script is exciting but scary at the same time, and watching Rue go off the rails with every vice (alcohol, drugs, sex and everything in between) makes you reflect on the dangers out there. It was so well received by viewers, critics and network bosses that it was renewed for a second season after the premiere episode.