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.
Sullivan’s Crossing S1-2
A riveting and emotional romantic drama series based on Robyn Carr’s bestselling novel. Follow Neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan as her life is upended, leading her to return home to Sullivan’s Crossing.
The Last Rifleman (2023)
A WWII veteran escapes his nursing home in Northern Ireland to attend the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in France.
One Life (2023)
A London broker helps save hundreds of predominantly Jewish children from the Nazis just before the start of WWII.
Back to Black (2024)
Marisa Abela becomes the musical titan in this extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s early rise to fame and her tumultuous personal life.
The Color Purple (2023)
A woman faces hardships in her life, but finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
Chicago Med S9
Another compelling instalment of the pulse-pounding medical drama about the courageous team of doctors at a trauma centre in Chicago.
Die Skynwerper (2024)
After Nelis’s audition for the reality show The Spotlight fails, he starts suspecting the manipulative presenter. A Silwerskermfees 2024 short film.
Made in South Africa
Selah (2024)
A sleep-deprived mother struggling with a colicky baby finds herself unable to handle her new harsh reality. A Silwerskermfees 2024 short film.
Emperor of Ocean Park S1
When a Black candidate for the Supreme Court dies of a heart attack, his daughter, a former journalist, believes his death was foul play.
Spooksoeker S1
When he is suddenly thrust into the supernatural realm, a teenage boy must quickly learn how to banish ghosts and save his town, friends, and family.
Made in South Africa
My Brilliant Friend S4
This gorgeous HBO series recounts a 60-year friendship between two women, which began in 1950s Naples, based on the bestselling novels.
Soft Life S1
An ordinary township girl enters the secretive world of high-society companionship to settle her mother’s medical bills in this Showmax Original drama.
Made in South Africa
The End We Start From (2023)
Jodie Comer’s performance propels this compelling story of a family’s survival. As flood waters submerge London, a mother and child are forced to leave home in search of safety.
Youngins S1-2
When a teen flees from a family tragedy in rural KZN to a boarding school in Jozi, she gets entangled in a scandal of epic proportions.
Made in South Africa
The Good Doctor S7
Freddie Highmore stars as a young, autistic surgeon in this fan-favourite medical drama. Season 7 is the final season.
100 Days to Fall in Love S1
Two good friends put their marriages on the line when one takes a break from her husband and the other reunites with an old flame.
Looking For Frida S1
An upper-class family’s perfect world is shattered when their daughter, Frida, suddenly disappears. As the search unfolds, everyone is a suspect, including Frida.
How To Manifest a Man S1
Duduzile refuses to accept that her husband wants to leave her. She takes drastic steps to ensure she gets a second chance.
Made in South Africa
Lioness S1-2
A woman is wrongly convicted of fraud and, after eight years in prison, goes on a quest to reunite with her children and clear her name.
Made in South Africa
Roomies S1
After a bad breakup and going broke, besties Naledi and Tsholo move into an apartment with two guy friends, and navigate love, family and work while living in Jozi.
Made in South AfricaLooking for something lighter?
Laid S1
A woman discovers her exes are dying in unusual ways and must go back through her sex timeline to confront her past in order to move forward.
Showmax to adapt NBCUniversal’s Superstore for South Africa
Showmax orders a South African isiZulu adaptation of NBCUniversal’s hit US comedy Superstore on the 10th anniversary of the debut of the original series.
Made in South Africa
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings
Ramy Youssef returns to the stage to offer his unique reflections on our divided world, the unexpected perils of charitable giving, and more.
Based on a True Story S2: 10 reasons to date this serial killer
Ava’s little sister has found her mister: the ultimate “he’s a 10, but…” – The Westside Ripper – in Based on a True Story Season 2. Crazy? Well, here’s why we’d give love a chance.
30 Rock’s most demanding divas
Basking in time off from the office? Oh, the stories you could tell. But could you match the insanity behind the scenes at TGS in the comedy series 30 Rock?
Son of a Critch S3
The executive producer of Schitt’s Creek delivers this heartfelt comedy that is a window into the life of an 11-year-old boy battling through middle school in the 80s.
30 Rock S1-7
Emmy winner Tina Fey stars as Liz Lemon, head writer of the fictional sketch-comedy show TGS with Tracy Jordan, who has to deal with an arrogant boss and a crazy […]
Somebody Somewhere S1-3
Binge-watch the final season of this semi-autobiographical HBO dramedy about Sam, who finds an unlikely community in her small home town after the death of her sister.
These shows are out of this world
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.
Dune: Part Two – what lies ahead for Paul and Chani?
Dune: Part Two’s leads Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, and director Denis Villeneuve discuss their fates and the nitty-gritty of riding a sandworm across the desert.
Showrunner Alison Schapker on Dune: Prophecy
The Dune: Prophecy showrunner talks about creating the HBO series, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Monday until 23 December.
We rate 11 aliens from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is bringing wonder back to space exploration. But with each new alien encounter comes the possibility of getting eggs laid in you!
Meet the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crew
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is bringing wonder back to space exploration as a crew of familiar friends and new characters join a five-year mission to explore the universe.
Jodhi May on playing Empress Natalya in Dune: Prophecy
Jodhi May tells us about playing “fearless” Empress in Dune: Prophecy. New episodes land on Showmax express from the US at 21:30 every Monday.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1-2
Venture into the unknown with Captain Pike, Spock, Number One and the USS Enterprise crew a decade before Captain Kirk’s legendary five-year mission.
Showmax is the home of HBO in Africa
Get Millie Black S1
An ex-Scotland Yard detective returns to Jamaica to work on missing persons cases, and soon finds herself on a the toughest quest case of her career.
The true story behind Get Millie Black’s Gully Queens
Detective Millie Black is on the hunt for missing people, as series writer-creator Marlon James tells the story of Jamaica’s LGBTQIA+ community: the Gully Queens.
Ramy Youssef: More Feelings
Ramy Youssef returns to the stage to offer his unique reflections on our divided world, the unexpected perils of charitable giving, and more.
Showrunner Alison Schapker on Dune: Prophecy
The Dune: Prophecy showrunner talks about creating the HBO series, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Monday until 23 December.