Everything new on Showmax in West Africa in February 2020

Check out the fantastic line-up of great shows coming to Nigeria and Ghana this month, including weekly highlights and eviction wraps for the African Magic dating reality show Ultimate Love, plus your after-Power binge-watch series: Ambitions, A Black Lady Sketch Show, Black-ish, and Grown-ish. New movies include Rocketman and I, Tonya, as well as the best of Nollywood and Bollywood. Don’t forget a bumper month of live sports, too!

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Editor’s Pick: Reality Series

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Ultimate Love | Watch from 10 February

20 singles. 8 weeks. And the ultimate prize, for only one Ultimate Love in this first-of-its-kind dating and reality TV show format coming to Showmax from Africa Magic.

How it works: 20 singles looking for love enter Auntie’s Love Pad. These male and female strangers have one thing in common: they’re searching for The One! Can Auntie help these hopefuls find true love, and will it lead to a real proposal?

Visit Showmax on Saturday nights for the Weekly Highlights Show, and early on Mondays to see what, or rather, who went down on the previous night’s Nomination and Elimination Show.

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Editor’s Pick: International Series

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Ambitions S1 | Binge from 1 February

They used to be best friends, but now Stephanie Carlisle, the wife of Atlanta’s mayor, Evan Lancaster, and Amara Hughes, a prosecutor in the US Attorney’s Office, are on opposite sides. Lancaster dreams of being Georgia’s first African-American governor and will do anything to get there. Meanwhile, Amara’s husband, Titus, works for big pharma and is fighting a class-action suit brought by Stephanie’s powerful family.

A Black Lady Sketch Show | Binge from 1 February 

Laugh-out-loud funny, not afraid to be controversial and unprecedented in sketch comedy TV history, A Black Lady Sketch Show is created, written and directed by and starring a stellar array of black women, including Issa Rae (Emmy and Golden Globe nominee for HBO’s Insecure) who is a producer. 

Each episode consists of five to six sketches, and guest stars include Oscar nominee Angela Bassett, Emmy winners Lena Waithe and Loretta Devine, Emmy nominees Laverne Cox and Amber Riley, Gina Torres from Suits, Nailed It! star Nicole Byer, Grammy winner Kelly Rowland and Grammy hall-of-famer Patti LaBelle.

Hollywood Reporter hailed the show as “energetic, funny and wonderfully distinctive” and PopBuzz as “sharp, entertaining and seriously overdue.”

#18 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the best TV shows of 2019, with a 100% critics rating; featured in Best of 2019 lists from AV Club to Los Angeles Times, Salon and Vulture; “sharp, entertaining, and seriously overdue” Pop Buzz; already renewed for a second season.

Black-ish S1-3 | Binge from 3 February

Dre Johnson and his wife, Rainbow, are living a comfortable life in an upper-middle-class neighbourhood. But he worries that his children are losing touch with their black culture in this mostly white neighbourhood.

Grown-ish S1 | Binge from 3 February

In this spin-off of the hit series Black-ish, Zoey (the eldest Johnson daughter) heads off to college. She soon realises that life away from her parents is not as easy as she imagined it would be.

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Editor’s Pick: Movies

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A United Kingdom | 1 February

A biographical romance based on true events, A United Kingdom is the story of a love that defied an empire. The controversial 1947 marriage of King Seretse Khama of Botswana to a British white woman, Ruth Williams, met with fierce opposition from both their families and the British government. The union threw Botswana into political and diplomatic turmoil, jeopardised the British Empire’s position in Africa and came close to sparking a war with the apartheid government of South Africa.

The movie stars two-time Golden Globe nominee David Oyelowo and Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike, as well as Terry Pheto, Vusi Kunene and Tom Felton (Harry Potter’s Draco Malfoy).

84% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes

I, Tonya | 6 February

This Oscar-winning mockumentary-style comedy-drama is based on the life of figure skater Tonya Harding, who was implicated in the attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. It stars two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie and Allison Janney.

Allison Janney won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress, with Margot Robbie earning nominations for all these for her lead role; Nominated for an Oscar for Best Editing; 89% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes

Rocketman | 10 February

Rock biopic meets musical fantasy in this fabulous rollercoaster of a movie about a little boy called Reginald Kenneth Dwight, who grew up to be one of the greatest musical icons of all time – Elton John. 

Taron Egerton won a 2020 Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elton John. He stars alongside Richard Madden (Game of Thrones’ Robb Stark), Jamie Bell (Billy in Billy Elliot) and Bryce Dallas Howard. Rocketman was penned by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall and directed by double-BAFTA Award nominee Dexter Fletcher (who took Bohemian Rhapsody to completion after Bryan Singer was fired).

Nominated for a 2020 Oscar for Best Achievement in Music (Original Song), as well as a 2020 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and four BAFTAs; 89% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes 

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Editor’s Choice: Documentaries

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Earth’s Great Rivers | 1 February 

Narrated by David Oyelowo (A United Kingdom), the BBC’s epic journey along Earth’s Greatest Rivers explores the Mississippi, the Amazon and the Nile, and takes a look at the extraordinary animals and people who live alongside them. Episode 2 focuses on the ever-changing landscapes and cultures of Africa’s lifeline, the Nile. Explore the river’s legacy, from its ancient wonders to the animals that call its banks home, some of whom have taken up residence in the ruins of Idi Amin’s former hunting lodge in Uganda.

8.3/10 IMDb

Untouchable | 6 February

Untouchable tracks the rise and fall of the disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, featuring interviews with former colleagues and accusers in the wake of the scandal that shook Hollywood and catapulted the #MeToo movement to a global phenomenon. 

Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls it “a gut-wrenching look at horrific abuses of power,” while London Evening Standard writes, “More than a portrait of one monstrous man, it’s a polemic against the complicit silence that accompanied years of alleged sexual misconduct, abuse and bullying.”

85% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes

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Editor’s Choice: Best of Nollywood

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Halita S2 | From 3 February

When Halitha’s mother becomes ill, she leaves her village in the hopes of being able to provide for her family. But she ends up working as the Zamani house help. Along her journey, she makes new friends as well as some enemies.

Samba S1 | From 4 February

This soap opera looks at the resilient role of African women in society. It focuses on the lives of two women in positions of power and the effect that has on their domestic lives.

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Editor’s Choice: Best of Bollywood

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Dahleez S1 | From 2 February

Lawyer Swadheenta and IAS officer Adarsh are madly in love. But their relationship has to withstand a number of challenges, most of which Adarsh’s mother is behind.

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Editor’s Choice: Best of Africa

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Lockdown S5 | New episodes weekly

Notorious for its cliffhangers, plot twists and emotional rollercoasters, Lockdown takes viewers into the daily battle for survival in the cells and offices of Thabazimbi Women’s Correctional Facility.  

As Season 5 picks up, Masebata’s cult is no longer in power. Arch-rivals Mazet (Dawn Thandeka King in a SAFTA-winning role) and Tyson (Lorcia Cooper in a SAFTA-winning role) are running the prison yard together, for now. Governor Deborah Banda (Pamela Nomvete in a SAFTA-nominated role) is under pressure from the Department of Correctional Services, after one death too many at the prison. And Monde (Zola Nombona in a SAFTA-nominated role) is trying to make things right with Vicky (Lauren Jenae). The new season also sees Sophie Lichaba join the cast.

Won SAFTAs for Best TV Drama in 2019 and Best Drama Script in 2018. Dawn Thandeka King and Zola Nombona are both up for Favourite Actress at the 2020 Mzansi Viewers Choice Awards. 

This Is Life | Binge from 6 February

This Is Life is a Kenya drama series about love but don’t be fooled by its familiar premise: this series is not a wispy tale about romance. It’s a series about real life and real issues. It’s a chronicle that follows the life of two sisters: Amara and Shera. This is a captivating story of two sisters in their quest for love. Amara is in love with a pathological liar, a man so deep in debt that it will tear them apart. Shera has been dating her college sweetheart for years. They struggle to pay the rent but they are so deeply in love. They both go to work for a Jamal, a man whose always been obsessed with Shera and he is determined to break them apart.

An Act of Defiance | First on Showmax | 6 February

Historical drama meets political thriller in the courtroom as 10 political activists (including Nelson Mandela) face a possible death sentence in the Rivonia Trial after they are arrested in 1963. Lawyer Bram Fischer risks his career and freedom to defend the men while trying to keep his own involvement in the struggle a secret from the police. 

The film is based on the Joel Joffe novel The State vs. Nelson Mandela and stars SAFTA and Silwerskerm Award winner Antoinette Louw (Axis Mundi) as Molly Fischer, Sello Motloung (The Queen) as Nelson Mandela, and Peter Paul Muller as Fischer himself.

Winner of eight international festival awards, including Best Actress and Best Script at the Cape Town & Winelands International Film Festival

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Editor’s Choice: Kids

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The Snail and the Whale | First on Showmax | 1 February

The Snail And The Whale follows the amazing journey of a tiny snail who longs to see the world and manages to hitch a ride on the tail of a huge humpback whale. The story is a joyous, empowering tale about the natural wonders of the Earth and discovering that however small you are, you can make a difference. 

The half-hour adaptation of The Gruffalo author Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler’s best-selling children’s book is voiced by British Comedy Award winner Rob Brydon as the whale and Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins as the snail, with Golden Globe nominee Dame Diana Rigg as the narrator. 

The Snail and the Whale is produced by Magic Light Pictures, who’ve given us BBC Christmas treats like The Gruffalo and Zog, and animated in Cape Town by Triggerfish, with South African Daniel Snaddon co-directing. 

BBC One’s Christmas Day broadcast of The Snail and the Whale drew over four million viewers; Zog, Triggerfish’s previous collaboration with Magic Light, is up for an International Emmy.

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Also streaming on Showmax this February

1 February

Mr. Robot S4 | The Long Road Home | Sticks & Stones S1 | Deep State S1 | False Flag S1 | Les Miserables S1 | The Hot Zone

All About Nina (First on Showmax) | A Case of You | Barbie in a Mermaid Tale | Barbie in a Mermaid Tale 2 | Thomas & Friends Collection

Extraordinary Rituals | Spy In The Wild| Spy In the Wild: Meet the Spies | I am Paul Walker | Expedition Impossible S1 | 9/11: The Plane That Hit the Pentagon

2 February

Moms at War

4 February

Bad Idea | One Last Chance | Basket Case

6 February 

Little Italy (First on Showmax) | Something Borrowed

Pablo S2 (First on Showmax) | Top Chef Junior S1-2 | Counterfeit Cat S1 | Wildernuts S1 | The Polos S1

Ovet (First on Showmax) | Tyd met Aleit S5

9 February

She Is

10 February

Life Itself | About Time | Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds | Ana Maria in Novela Land

Skunk Fu S1 | Aliens Love Underpants and Panta Claus

Hier Gaan ons Alweer S17-S18 | Fill Up Orlando Stadium | Fill Up The Dome | Go Nyelela Ga Puo | Death of Language

11 February

When A Man Cries | My Ex My Next | Who Send Us Message | Laila Adam

13 February

Fifty Shades of Grey | How To Train Your Dragon | How To Train Your Dragon 2 | Megamind | How To Train Your Dragon Series & Movies Collection

Dragons: Riders of Berk S1 | Dragons: Defenders of Berk S2

Epiphany (First on Showmax) | Meisies Wat Fluit (First on Showmax) | Finding The One S1 | The Lifesaver

Amar A Muerte (Love to Death) | Lo Imperdonable (Unforgivable) S1 | El Hotel Del Los Secretos (Secrets at the Hotel) S1

Fatima Ko Zara | Hajjaju | Bayan Wuya | Nadiyatu

14 February

Love Island – USA S1 (2019), Australia S2 (2019) and UK S4-5 (2018 and 2019)

Shampaign S2 | Maisha Mkanda

16 February

Sylvia

17 February

The Forgiven | Wildling | S.M.A.R.T. Chase

Glam Guru S15-S17 | Skorokoro | Mignon Mossie van Wyk | Land of Milk & Money | Trouvoete

18 February

Same Difference | A Day Without Rain | Dark Closet

20 February

Hotel Artemis | Jurassic Park Collection | Jurassic Park | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Jurassic Park III | Lap Dance

Oppi Kassie S2

24 February

Arizona (First on Showmax) | The Titan | Steve Jobs

New Money

25 February

Blood Battle | Sick Bait | Six Feet Too Far

27 February

Atomic Blonde | Wonder Wheel | Gotti | Snow White and the Huntsman | The Huntsman: Winter’s War | Wanted

Siembamba – The Lullaby

* Please note all shows and dates are subject to change.