The best drama series and movies to stream on Showmax
These tearjerking drama series and movies will bring on all the feels – stream them all on Showmax, but be sure to keep the tissues handy, and bring along your nerves of steel.
We’ve got heart-pounding crime dramas, psychological thrillers where we know things aren’t all going to be okay, romantic dramas that clutch at our hearts, and devastating stories that unfold in emergency rooms, on the streets, in troubled homes and in workplaces of all kinds.
1923 S2
In this powerful prequel of Yellowstone, the Duttons face new challenges, from the Western expansion to the Great Depression.
Queen Modjadji S1
In a land facing desperation and strife, one woman will rise up to save them all. From hit-makers Rhythm World Productions (My Brother’s Keeper, Sibongile & the Dlaminis, Umkhokha the […]
Made in South Africa
Rob Peace (2024)
An underprivileged, gifted young Black man reaches Yale University, only for past injustices to threaten his future, in this emotional drama based on a true story.
Matlock S1
Retired 70-year-old Madeline Matlock rejoins the work force at a prestigious law firm, where she uses her wily tactics to win cases and expose wrongdoing in this hit reboot.
Better Man (2024)
This Oscar-nominated unusual biopic tells the tale of pop superstar Robbie Williams’s pursuit of money, fame and acceptance.
Here (2024)
Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright are reunited for this quirky yet emotional drama. Follow the lives of multiple generations who have lived in the same home over a century.
Code 13 S1
In the gritty heart of Johannesburg, a hard-edged police unit scrambles to recapture classified escaped prisoners before anyone finds out.
We Live In Time (2024)
An emotional and unconventional love story led by Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. Almut and Tobias meet, fall in love and start a family, but their love is tested by cancer.
Am I OK? (2024)
In this queer comedy-drama about self-discovery and friendship, a woman in her 30s navigates coming out and her lifelong friend’s impending move to London.
Goodrich (2024)
Andy Goodrich needs help raising his kids after his wife checks into rehab – so he leans on his daughter from his first marriage in this bittersweet family drama.
Doc S1
A powerful medical drama based on an incredible true story. Dr. Amy Larsen (Molly Parker) loses her memory during a car accident and must return to being an intern as she rebuilds her life.
Mountainhead (2025)
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong delivers a star-studded satire about a group of super-rich tech gurus who meet for a boys’ trip as an international crisis unfolds.
Summertide S1
An exhilarating South African multi-generational drama following the Field family and those who cross their paths – each with their own secrets and desires.
Made in South Africa
Bet I Love You (2024)
Financial gain and social status are necessary for Rex, a compulsive gambler, who strives to overcome his addiction and recover squandered funds in a series of humorous situations.
Made in South Africa
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.
Die Tragiese Saak van Pamina Vermaak (2022)
An unemployed journalist ends up back in her small West Coast hometown, where she meets a floundering rock star.
Happy Face S1
A young woman’s world is turned upside down when she discovers that her father is an infamous serial killer in this tense series.
Widow Clicquot (2023)
This extraordinary period drama tells the story of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who, at the age of 20, became the head of the Veuve Clicquot champagne family.
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 Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies
Two very different women, Alice, a formidable PA, and Cheryl, a bestselling fantasy author, become trapped in a triangle of epic proportions.
Looking for something lighter?
Felix Hlophe on his comedy special, fat jokes, sex and cheating
Comedian and radio personality Felix Hlophe opens up about his stand-up comedy special at Laugh Africa Comedy Festival 2025, landing on 15 August on Showmax.
South African
Everyone Else Burns and 8 more cult classics
Strap in for armageddon! British sitcom Everyone Else Burns is set in a rigid sect – but they’re not the only ones with weird haircuts. Let’s all join a cult show and become one big, happy family.
Everyone Else Burns S2
This hilarious comedy series, which has drama and heart, follows a family devoted to a religious cult as they navigate modern-day life and prepare for the world’s end.
Bringing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice back from the grave
Production designer Mark Scruton and The Beetlejuice Beetlejuice production team reveal how they brought Tim Burton’s cult horror comedy movie into the modern world.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
A family tragedy brings Lydia Deetz back to Winter River, where her daughter discovers the portal to the afterlife … and meets the creepy Beetlejuice.
Khanyisa Jam Jam opens up in Laugh Africa Comedy Club special
Comedian Khanyisa Jam Jam talks about being part of the Laugh Africa Comedy Club special, now available to stream on Showmax.
South African
Laugh Africa Comedy Club
A high-energy celebration of stand-up, spotlighting the continent’s finest comedic talent and international guests, straight from the iconic Laugh Africa Comedy Festival.
Made in South Africa
Embrace the cringe in The Rehearsal Season 2
Hateable or relatable? We’re here to look at our 10 favourite characters with awkward, offputting energy – starting with The Rehearsal’s Nathan Fielder.
These shows are out of this world
The Institute S1
In this Stephen King sci-fi series, a kidnapped 12-year-old genius awakens at The Institute, a facility full of children who all possess unusual abilities.
Wild Wild Space (2024)
A high-stakes HBO doccie that chronicles the modern-day, celestial land grab – a fast-paced, high-stakes race of epic proportions in which companies compete to blast satellite-carrying rockets into low Earth orbit.
Bella Ramsey on Ellie’s new love interest in The Last of Us S2
Bella Ramsey talks about her award-winning role as Ellie in The Last of Us S2, and her new co-star, Isabela Merced. Catch new episodes every Monday.
10 things to know before watching The Last of Us Season 2
As the new season takes a five-year leap into the future, we recap what you need to know from The Last of Us Season 1, from a guide to the Infected, cults, militias and communities, to who still know about Ellie’s immunity.
The Last of Us S1-2
Five years after the events of Season 1, Joel and Ellie are living a relatively peaceful life in Jackson, Wyoming – until the past comes calling. Stream The Last of Us S2, plus all of S1, on Showmax.
The Last of Us co-creator on why we all feel so protective of Ellie
Emmy winner Craig Mazin, co-creator and executive producer of The Last of Us, discusses why audiences feel so protective of Ellie. The new season premieres on M-Net and Showmax from 14 April 2025.
Breathe (2024)
Air-supply is scarce in the near future, forcing a mother and daughter to fight to survive when two strangers arrive desperate for an oxygenated haven.
Dune: Part Two (2024)
The second instalment in an epic two-part adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed novel. Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge.
Showmax is the home of HBO in Africa
Music Box: Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary (2024)
This documentary chronicles the world of soft rock epitomised by artists such as Christopher Cross, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Steely Dan, and Toto in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Binge five of the 10 biggest Emmy nominees on Showmax
Showmax has 5 of this year’s top 10 Emmy-nominated titles, from The Penguin to The White Lotus — all ready for you to stream now.
Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York S1
This intense and emotional book-inspired documentary tells the story of a serial killer who preyed on gay men in New York City in the early 90s.
Duster S1
Working on taking down a crime syndicate, the first Black female FBI agent recruits a gutsy getaway driver in this gritty series set in 1972.