5 fly-on-the-wall mockumentaries that deliver wall-to-wall laughs

Tired of life’s stresses? Satire is your solution on Showmax with a pick of five fly-on-the-wall-style mockumentary shows that’ll have you snort-laughing tea out your nose on those cold winter evenings. From odd-ball vampires, to musicians on misadventures and ditsy Tali taking on a wedding and motherhood, mockumentaries are the best thing you’ll watch right now. Starting locally, nogal…

Hotel Seasons 1-5

Hotels are anything but boring! This Afrikaans series is set in the fictional Fransen Hotel and nothing is what it seems – especially the kooky housekeeper who does every job in the hotel – she’s a Jill of all trades and a master of many of them.

Manager Ferdie (James Borthwick) is more of a laid-back boss and although he wants the hotel to thrive, he leaves his staff to get their hands dirty and make things happen while he sits back and counts the cash. In Season 1, The Fransen is sold to The Lourier Hotel Group, and Thomas (Beer Adriaanse) is send from head office to monitor the transition. Soon Thomas becomes a full-time employee at the hotel, and he has an on-off fling with saucy, sassy receptionist Jony (Simone Pretorius).

Don’t miss the cast interview specials with porter Danny (Schalk Bezuidenhout), waitress Malanie (Mila Guy) and game keeper Brenda (Martelize Kolver).

Tali’s Wedding Diary

Oh, the life of an influencer – constantly snapping selfies, endorsing products to build a social media following, getting into Twitter feuds with plebs who call you out… that’s the life of Tali (Julia Anastasopoulos, the creator of the SuzelleDIY YouTube series), a Joburg princess who moves to Cape Town to find “her person” and get hitched.

It’s comedy gold as Tali tries to convince viewers that being an influencer is hard work and that it’s real work, all while trying to plan her upcoming wedding. There are silly situations that only an influencer can get into, there are problems that come from being privileged… and there’s trouble for Tali as she tries to throw the wedding of the year and get sponsors to pay for it all. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?

Tali’s Baby Diary

Tali and her hubby, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a mockumentary special-themed carriage. That’s right – Tali’s got a bun in the oven and she and hubby Darren (Anton Taylor) are ready to go viral. Well, at least momfluencer Tali is.

This satire takes on the world of influencers and sees Tali promote everything from breast pumps, to nappies with cots, to pacifiers as she prepares to sit on top of the momfluencer throne. Just wait for her hormones to take over – you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Flight of The Concords Seasons 1-2

Satire so straight it’ll make you think you’ve had a rockstar makeover for a Vogue magazine photoshoot.

Originally made in 2007, the show more than holds up today thanks to its pre-woke wokeness as comedian musicians Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement take their last pennies and swap boring, grey New Zealand for hip-and-happening New York. It’s time to get a record deal and become obscenely rich… well, that’s their goal. The problem is that they’re not very good at the music thing and life in the Big Apple isn’t exactly cheap.

What piano-playing besties Bret and Jemaine are good at is getting themselves into ridiculous situations that would make most people pull their hair out with pure frustration. You can also check out their concert doccie Flight of The Concords: Live In London for a little more satirical genius.

What We Do In The Shadows Season 3

From the utterly ridiculous, to the sublimely fantastical – this fly-on-the-wall mockumentary is from the stupendous mind that is Taika Watiti. In the film of the same name, he plays 379-year-old Viago Von Dorna Schmarten Scheden Heimburg (Taika based his character styling on his own mom – ouch!), one of a coven of vampire members living in the “real world”.

The series’ premise is similar, but is set in Staten Island, where three vampires who have lived together for centuries go about their daily chores and lives, making a mockery of many vampire stereotypes (like being afraid of garlic and sunlight), being completely inept and almost literally at each other’s throats at every turn.

What We Do in the Shadows has also already been renewed for Season 4. The New York Times calls the series “genuinely ha-ha funny,” adding, “If you are feeling a bit frayed right now and want something brilliant and silly, a true pleasure, watch this.”

If you prefer your blood-sucking vamps a little more serious, check out A Discovery of Witches and the more graphic adult series True Blood on Showmax.