Skemerdans
Made in South Africa
In this Cape Flats neo-noir, the owner of a jazz club is murdered, leading to a deadly power struggle. Binge all 13 episodes now.
The Showmax Original series kicks off with the murder of Glenn Fortune, the owner of The Oasis jazz club, which leads to a power struggle with the club at the centre. Binge it all on Showmax now.
SAFTA winners Kevin Smith (Isidingo, Arendsvlei), Ilse Klink (Stroomop, Isidingo) and Brendon Daniels (Four Corners, Sara se Geheim, Arendsvlei) lead the all-star cast as Glenn, his wife Shireen and his brother Trevor respectively. Ceagan Arendse (Suidooster, Arendsvlei) is the black sheep of the family, Warren; Trudy van Rooy (Die Byl, Sara Se Geheim) is Glenn’s prodigal daughter, Jessie; and SAFTA nominee Vinette Ebrahim (7de Laan, Binnelanders) is the formidable Fortune family matriarch.
2019 Comics Choice nominee – and Good Hope FM Happy Hour host – Carl Weber also stars as one of the Adams brothers, mob bosses who are busy buying up the strip around The Oasis. Bongo Mbutuma (Die Spreeus, Erfsondes) plays his partner in crime and brother from another mother.
The murder mystery’s ensemble cast also includes Fleur du Cap winner Mbulelo Grootboom (Sara Se Geheim, Projek Dina), Fleur du Cap nominee Ann Juries (Arendsvlei, Ander Mens), Danny Ross (Nommer 37, Arendsvlei, Suidooster), Kim Syster (Binnelanders, Suidooster), Carmen Maarman (Arendsvlei, Lui Maar Op, Belinda), Sanda Shandu (The Kissing Booth 1 and 2) and legendary Cape Town muso Alistair Izobell.
2019 Standard Bank Young Artist Amy Jephta (writer: Trackers, Die Ellen Pakkies Storie, and director of the upcoming feature Barakat) is executive producer and showrunner on this new 13-part series, co-directing alongside Ephraim Gordon (Sara Se Geheim, Suidooster). Nagvlug Films (Rage) is producing.
Filming is taking place along Voortrekker Road and at Club Galaxy in Rylands, arguably Cape Town’s most famous club ever since it opened in 1978, which is doubling as both The Oasis and the Adams brothers’ strip club The Velvet Room. SAFTA-winning DOP Chris Lotz (Jan, The Endless River, Rage, Shoreline) is shooting mostly between dusk and dawn, leaning into the shadows, silhouettes and neon lighting that makes the locations so perfect for a noir series.
“We wrote the story with Galaxy and Voortrekker Road in mind,” says Amy. “We wanted to take these completely local settings and give them the same treatment we associate with LA noir, to make them feel as cinematic and iconic.”
A organic, hyper-local mix of both Afrikaans and English, the 13-part half-hour series has a nostalgic Cape jazz soundtrack guaranteed to take you back to your own time on the Galaxy dancefloor as you try figure out who killed Glenn Fortune, and why.
Other recent Showmax Originals include the reality series Lebo M – Coming Home; the Megan Fox action movie Rogue; the long-awaited second season of the South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA)-winning comedy Tali’s Wedding Diary, Tali’s Baby Diary; and the small-town psychological thriller DAM. Another Original to look forward to in 2021 is Jahmil XT Qubeka’s ancient Africa series Blood Psalms, a co-production with Canal+ International.
More about Skemerdans
Skemerdans: “The type of storytelling that South Africans have longed for”
Skemerdans, the latest Showmax Original, is now ready to binge on Showmax.
Skemerdans
In this Cape Flats neo-noir from award-winning screenwriter Amy Jephta, the owner of a famous jazz club is murdered, leading to a deadly power struggle with the club at the centre. Who killed Glenn Fortune, and why?
Meet the cast of Skemerdans
Meet the impressive cast of Showmax’s latest Original, the neo-noir series set in a nightclub on the Cape Flats.
Interview: Skemerdans directors’ fresh take on Cape Town
“We don’t want to show the mountain or the sea. We want to show the inner city, the grittiness,” says Amy Jephta, who co-directed Skemerdans with Ephraim Gordon.
Interview: Kantie Patel, owner of the oldest nightclub in Cape Town
Galaxy has been a Cape institution since the late 70s, which made it the perfect setting for the upcoming Showmax Original, Skemerdans.
Watch: New trailer for upcoming Showmax Original Skemerdans
Showmax has just released a stylish first trailer for Skemerdans, the next Showmax Original, which will be available to binge from 28 April 2021.

Skemerdans
In this Cape Flats neo-noir, the owner of a jazz club is murdered, leading to a deadly power struggle. Binge all 13 episodes now.
First look: New Showmax Original Skemerdans
Now filming on the Cape Flats, Skemerdans is a neo-noir series that follows the power struggle over control of a nightclub.
More Afrikaans hits to stream

The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad breaks Showmax record
The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad is now the most-watched Afrikaans show on Showmax since its relaunch. Cast member Johandri Johnson tells us why it’s so popular.

Hans Steek die Rubicon Oor: Growing old disgracefully
In Hans Steek die Rubicon Oor, Pierre van Pletzen transforms a retirement home from a funeral parlour’s waiting room into a prison riot! And if you love a white-haired rebel, we have 10 more stories for you to stream.

Hans Steek die Rubicon Oor (2022)
A 90-year-old widower wants to grow old on his own terms, but when he is forced into a retirement home, he leads a revolt against the management.

Reënboogrant’s first term report
What subjects are we passing, and who’s getting a failing grade? Find out how the students at Hoërskool Reënboogrant did in their first term on Showmax.

Ansu Viljoen on The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad, being a mom and more
Ansu Viljoen gives us the scoop on The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Friday.
Onthul S1-2
Onthul is a series of documentaries that investigate the current affairs that are gripping the Afrikaans viewers.
Adam (2024)
In modern-day South Africa, 18-year-old Adam is sent to Prinsloo Bush School, where he faces brutal training from his militaristic teachers.

“We all know an Adam”: The haunting Showmax Original movie
Writer-director Winford Collings and co-director Liyema Speelman talk about the haunting Showmax Original film Adam, now streaming.
More binge-worthy series

Crime Scene Kitchen S2
Joel McHale hosts this outrageous culinary guessing game where bakers must decode what type of dessert was made when all that’s left are the crumbs, flour trails, and a few elusive clues.

Power Book III: Raising Kanan S1-4
Teenaged Kanan Stark works to join the family drug business in Queens in the prequel series to the hit show Power.

Where to watch The Real Housewives franchise online
Showmax is the home of The Real Housewives, giving an inside look at the lives of these glam women from Durban, Abuja, Lagos, Joburg, Nairobi and more. Plus, go on vacation with The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip!

Plan B
In the shady world of art heists and romance scams, an unlikely alliance develops between the owner of a bookshop, and former military operators.

The Real Housewives of Durban Season 5
Three new faces join the OGs on The Real Housewives of Durban in Season 5, bringing luxury, glamour and drama to your screens. New episodes every Friday.

The Righteous Gemstones and 5 more Danny McBride hustles
As The Righteous Gemstones returns for its final season, we look at 5 of writer-creator-actor Danny McBride’s best side hustles, from Eastbound & Down, to Halloween.

The Cleaning Lady S1-4
Cambodian doctor Thony becomes a cleaning lady for an organised crime syndicate in the US to keep her ill son alive in this fan-favourite series.

Gangs of London S1-3
When a shipment of cocaine is spiked, rocking the Gangs and causing hundreds of deaths, the hunt is on for who is responsible in the third season of this British crime thriller.
More Originals you'll love

Showmax and Laugh Africa reveal the panel for the Roast of Helen Zille
The star-studded lineup of panelists at the Showmax Roast of Helen Zille includes Patricia de Lille, Loyiso Gola, Zwai Bala, JJ Tabane and more.

Kites (2024)
On a night when Sihle is driving his DJ friends to their gig, things turn upside down when they get a call about a body in an apartment.

The Mommy Club Tanzania
One of Showmax’s biggest Original reality shows, The Mommy Club, heads to Tanzania where five celebrated actresses balance motherhood, careers, and friendships.

The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad breaks Showmax record
The Mommy Club: Van Die Hoofstad is now the most-watched Afrikaans show on Showmax since its relaunch. Cast member Johandri Johnson tells us why it’s so popular.