Top crime series to binge-watch on Showmax
Feel like sinking your teeth into a gritty thriller, crime caper or police procedural series? Here are some of the most addictive series that fit the bill, all available on Showmax.
Prepare to be gripped by police procedurals that take you behind the scenes of law enforcement, gritty stories of ordinary people turning to a life of crime to secure their families’ futures, and shows about the pursuit of justice in all its forms. These crime series on Showmax are sure to keep you hooked for hours on end.
Grosse Pointe Garden Society S1
Four members of a garden club get entangled in a scandalous murder, and are forced to bury the body in their own flower beds in this crime drama.
Accused S2
An engrossing anthology courtroom drama based on the acclaimed BBC crime series. Each episode follows a new defendant as they await their verdict, while flashbacks reveal how they ended up in court.
Red Eye S1
A London police officer is escorting a man back to Beijing where he has been accused of a crime, when an escalating conspiracy unfolds on board flight 357.
Marmalade (2024)
A recently incarcerated man narrates the colourful tale of a romantic bank heist with the love of his life, Marmalade.
The Rookie S6
The oldest rookie in the LAPD uses his life experience, determination and sense of humour to keep up with colleagues 20 years his junior.
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 Day of the Jackal
Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne stars as the unrivalled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee.
Found S2
Found follows recovery specialist Gabi Mosely as she and her team work tirelessly to find missing people forgotten by the system.
White Lies S1
Natalie Dormer drives this thrilling crime drama set in the Mother City. When an investigative journalist’s estranged brother is murdered, she’s drawn into the underworld of Cape Town.
Made in South AfricaLaw & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent S1
This spin-off of the hit crime drama franchise follows an elite squad investigating corruption and high-level criminality in the Greater Toronto.
Sweetpea S1
Rhiannon Lewis doesn’t make much of an impression – until she is pushed over the edge and loses control. Her life transforms, but can she keep her killer secret?
Heist 88 (2023)
In this captivating heist thriller inspired by a daring true story, a criminal mastermind recruits a group of young bank employees to steal $80 million.
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist S1
An explosive star-studded limited series based on the infamous story of an armed robbery after Ali’s historical comeback fight.
Devil’s Peak S1
This crime series follows Detective Benny Greissel in his quest to track down a righteous vigilante killer in Cape Town.
The Truth vs Alex Jones
This doccie looks at how families of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting took conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to court for spreading lies about the event being a hoax.
The Penguin S1
Based on the DC Comics character, Penguin, this limited series explores the transformation of Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) from a disfigured nobody to a noted Gotham gangster.
Die Bloedhonde (2024)
Katrien is on holiday with her family when an unexplained death gives her reason to suspect the beloved local pastor of foul play…
Tell Them You Love Me (2023)
A true-crime documentary about the university professor who had a controversial affair with a non-verbal man with cerebral palsy.
Dr Death S1-2
Investigative journalist Benita Alexander discovers a new subject in world-renowned surgeon Paolo Macchiarini, known as The Miracle Man.
Daar’s Bloed (2023)
A famous South African actress becomes paranoid when private photos of her appear in a magazine. Does she have a stalker?
Eye-opening documentaries to stream
Chimp Crazy S1
Tiger King filmmaker Eric Goode delivers another view into exotic animal owners – this time, focusing on the lengths chimpanzee “owners” go to keep their ape babies.
All That Breathes (2022)
Two Muslim brothers devote their lives to protecting black kites, a majestic bird of prey falling from New Delhi’s skies at alarming rates.
Boyzone: Life, Death & Boybands S1
In exclusive interviews, Boyzone band members reveal personal experiences in their massively successful boy band and the true cost of global fame.
1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (2023)
Emmy-winning filmmaker and comedian W Kamau Bell tackles the joys and challenges of growing up mixed-race through conversations with kids and families, including his own.
Striking with Pride
See how striking miners in South Wales and gay activists in London came to form an unlikely alliance during the mid-1980s.
100 Foot Wave S1-3
This Emmy-winning docuseries follows big-wave pioneer Garrett McNamara’s decade-long odyssey chasing a massive wave in a small fishing village in Portugal.
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.
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Looking for something lighter?
The F-Show (2025)
The F-Show features a strong roster led by one of South Africa’s favourite comedians skewering the daily chaos that comes with being South African.
Made in South Africa
Funny Woman S1-2
Based on the Nick Hornby novel Funny Girl, this is the story of a Blackpool beauty queen who tries to make is a comedian in the 1960s.
Hacks S1-4
Emmy winner Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder make an odd partnership in the acclaimed HBO dramedy Hacks, about a legendary Vegas comedian and her new writer.
Stream Julio Torres’s fantasy film Problemista on Showmax
Emmy nominee and Peabody Award winner Julio Torres makes his dazzling feature debut with Problemista, now streaming on Showmax.
Problemista (2023)
A struggling toy designer from El Salvador becomes an assistant to an erratic art-world outcast to stay in the US in this Julio Torres comedy.
Would you join The American Society of Magical Negroes?
Writer-creator Kobi Libii cracks open his bag of tricks to reveal what’s really going on in The American Society of Magical Negroes. And we suggest 5 more Black comedies with culture.
The American Society of Magical Negroes (2024)
In this satirical comedy, a man is recruited by a secret magical society of Black people. Their important cause? Making white people’s lives easier.
Seth Meyers: Dad Man Walking (2024)
Late Night host Seth Meyers ditches his political jokes and focuses on his family life and fatherhood in this refreshing and hilarious stand-up special.
Shows you'll find only on Showmax
Iyanu S1
When a teenage orphan discovers she has magical powers, she embarks on a remarkable journey with her friends to discover the truth about the evil lurking in her homeland.
Made in NigeriaChimp Crazy S1
Tiger King filmmaker Eric Goode delivers another view into exotic animal owners – this time, focusing on the lengths chimpanzee “owners” go to keep their ape babies.
Wicked (2024)
An epic, star-studded first instalment in a two-part adaptation of the Broadway hit. A young woman with green skin forms an unlikely but profound friendship with a popular young woman.
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