What to watch on Showmax in Kenya in December 2024

Showmax is ending the year on a high, with a packed December lineup that includes: 

• Two Showmax Original series: Soft Life, an escort agency drama for adults, and Spooksoeker, a ghost-hunting drama for teens
• A second season of Based on A True Story, starring Kaley Cuoco
• 2024 blockbusters Bad Boys: Ride or Die, A Quiet Place: Day One and IF, and Wonka, the 7th biggest film of 2023
• Final seasons of critics’ favourites My Brilliant Friend and Somebody Somewhere
• 2024 SAFTA Best Factual Programme winner Outopsie, starring forensic pathologist Hestelle van Staden
• The first two seasons of 2024 Critics Choice Best Drama nominee Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
• Emmy-nominated stand-up comedy special John Early: Now More Than Ever 
• A Showmax Original Christmas movie, Christmas Clothes
• Season 28 of reality TV phenomenon The Bachelor
• All seven seasons of 30 Rock, one of the most acclaimed comedies of all time

Showmax Originals: Kenya

Nairobi Bachelor S1 | Fridays from 6 December

Hosted by the dynamic celebrity couple Daddie Marto (Sue na Jonnie) and Koku Lwanga, Nairobi Bachelor is a Showmax Original reality dating show that promises to bring love, drama and unexpected twists. 

Nairobi Bachelor follows the journey of young bachelors and singletons as they embark on a quest to find their perfect match. Each bachelor enters the show believing they are the sole participant, competing against five queens for their affection. 

The show also features a unique Baggage segment, where successful couples face two rounds of baggage claims. In this segment, three sets of revelations are presented, with only one being the true baggage for both the queens and bachelors. Couples who can navigate and accept their partner’s baggage will earn the opportunity to go on a date. 

Nairobi Bachelor is produced by Clementina Kabutha through Real Strike Studios, the team behind the award-winning short film Kanairo.

The Hot Seat | Tuesdays from 10 December

From the masterminds behind Roast House comes another laughter-packed extravaganza, The Hot Seat.  Produced by Eugene Mbugua’s D&R Studios (The Real Housewives of Nairobi), The Hot Seat promises to deliver sharp wit, bold banter, and unforgettable moments as some of Kenya’s biggest celebrities and media personalities step up as the roastees.

The star-studded lineup of roastees includes household names such as comedians Eddie Butita and Terrence Creative, content creator Kabi wa Jesus, journalist and entertainer Willis Raburu, outspoken media personality Andrew Kibe, musician Willy Paul and Sauti Sol’s Savara. No one is safe here.  

Leading the charge as roast master is the sharp-witted Emmanuel Kisiangani, supported by a powerhouse lineup of comedians, including Ruth Nyambura, George Waweru, Maina Munene, Oluoch Kariuki, Bashir Halaiki, Marcus Douglas, Stan Saleh, Tonio Kibz, and Ty Ngachira.

Showmax Originals: South Africa

Soft Life S1 | Mondays from 2 December

In the bid to settle her mother’s rising medical bills, a beautiful township girl plunges into the secretive world of high-society companionship. Fearful of how her profession could shatter everything she holds dear, she must keep her dual life hidden.

Zizipho Buti (Generations: The Legacy) stars as Owami. National Film and Television Awards Best Newcomer winner Katlego Lebogang (Spinners, Yoh! Christmas) and Mampho Brescia (Isibiya) play Zinhle and Zam: the star employee and owner at the escort agency respectively. 

Created by Vusi Zion for Afriprime, the 18-rated drama series is produced by Urban Brew Studios. SAFTA winners Nozipho Nkelemba and Nthabiseng Mokoena (both of Gomora fame) direct.

Spooksoeker S1 | Showmax Original | Thursdays from 5 December

When Warno Alberts turns 15, he suddenly becomes aware of ghosts in his dorpie – and that it’s now his job to banish them. 

Based on the bestselling young adult novels by multi-award-winner François Bloemhof, Spooksoeker introduces Rico Immelman as Warno and Zarelda de Bruin as the literal girl-next-door Melissa, with Silwerskerm 2023 Best Supporting Actor winner and double Aardklop 2024 nominee Joshwin Dyson (2024 Oscar entry Old Righteous Blues) as Warno’s best friend Allies. 

SAFTA nominee Roeline Daneel (Reyka S2) and Laudo Liebenberg (DAM, One Piece) play Warno’s parents, while the stacked cast also includes SAFTA winners June van Merch (Sara Se Geheim) and Morné Visser (Dis Ek, Anna), not to mention the likes of Daneel van der Walt, David Isaacs, Deon Coetzee, Ira Blanckenberg, Ivan Zimmerman, Izel Bezuidenhout, Jane de Wet, Terence Bridgett, Marguerite van Eeden, and Waldemar Schultz in supporting roles – some as ghosts…

Christmas Clothes | Stream from Friday, 6 December

Set in Soweto on Christmas Eve, Christmas Clothes stars Omhle Tshabalala (Scandal!, Classified, Unseen) as Nqubeko, a teenager who embarks on a quest to reclaim his stolen Christmas clothes from a neighbourhood bully.

Produced by Media Sync and directed by Athi Petela (M’tase Khaya), the heartwarming Christmas film also features SAFTA winner Thami Mngqolo (Generations, Isono, Muvhango) and Khanya Sosibo (Generations: The Legacy, The Estate) as Nqubeko’s parents. 

Also look out for rising stars Slindokuhle Tshabalala (Youngins, Nikiwe) and Siphosihle Khanyile (Adulting, The Estate). 

Series

Based on a True Story S2 | First on Showmax | Binge from Tuesday, 3 December

Season 2 of Based on a True Story finds new parents Ava and Nathan Bartlett three months into parenthood. Focused on taking care of her family, Ava (Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant) is determined to resist her true crime obsession and return to work as a real estate agent, while Nathan trains private tennis clients. 

But a series of new murders pulls her back in. Is Matt behind the slayings? Is Tory, now entangled in a relationship with Matt, in danger? 

Sweetpea S1 | Thursdays from 12 December at 21:30

Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets) stars in Sweetpea as Rhiannon, the girl everyone overlooks, who may just be able to get away with murder. 

The twisted and darkly comic coming-of-rage thriller has an 86% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says: “Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior.”

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S1-2 | Binge from Monday, 16 December

The first two seasons of Emmy-nominated series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are set to dock on Showmax this month, boasting a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating of 98% – the highest in the franchise. 

A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows Star Trek: Discovery fan-favourites Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they explore new worlds around the galaxy aboard the USS Enterprise.

Salon.com says, “Pike is the Starship captain Trekkies have been missing, and Strange New Worlds is a welcome return to the Star Trek they know and love,” while Rotten Tomatoes praises the series for “recapturing the sense of boundless discovery that defined the franchise’s roots.” 

My Brilliant Friend S4 | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 2 December 

Two lives. Forever intertwined.

The fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend brings us The Story of the Lost Child, the concluding chapter in author Elena Ferrante’s best-selling Neapolitan Novels series, which follows the coming-of-age story of two young women growing up on the outskirts of Naples during the latter half of the 20th century.

Season 4 delves into the adult lives of Elena (Alba Rohrwacher) and Lila (Irene Maiorino), who find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 1980s, as the two friends find themselves living in the same neighbourhood once again. 

The first foreign-language series ever to premiere on HBO, My Brilliant Friend has a 97% overall critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. BBC.com hails the series as “one of the best shows on TV… as complex, gripping and immersive as the novels, while also being one of the best-looking series on television.”

Somebody Somewhere S3 | First on Showmax | Binge from Sunday, 15 December

The third and, sadly, final season of HBO comedy Somebody Somewhere brings growth against all odds for Sam (comedian and singer Bridget Everett) as she fields the changes and challenges that come with working at the local bar, her best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) falling in love at the end of Season 2, Fred (Murray Hill) getting married, and her now-single sister Trish (Mary Catherine Garrison) having her hilarious throw cushion business take off.  

Somebody Somewhere won a Peabody, an American Film Institute’s TV Program of the Year award, and the Dorian Award for Best Unsung TV Show. 

All three seasons cracked a rare 100% critics’ ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. As Awards Watch says, “The final season of one of HBO’s most delightful comedies solidifies its place as one of the greats of the decade so far.” 

Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent S1 | Binge from Friday, 20 December

The legendary Law & Order franchise comes to Canada, following an elite squad of detectives from the Specialised Criminal Investigations Unit of the Toronto Police Department as they investigate high-profile crime and corruption cases ripped from the headlines.

Law & Order Toronto became the #1 prime-time drama of the year in Canada at launch, and has already been renewed for a second and third season.

The first season introduces us to the lead investigative team of Detective Sergeants Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe) and Henry Graff (Aden Young from Rectify). Karen Robinson (Ronnie Lee in Schitt’s Creek) plays Inspector Vivienne Holness, and KC Collins (Chucky, The Cleaning Lady) is Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, with award-winner – and real-life Ethiopian royal family member – Araya Mengesha (Anne with an E) as Mark Yohannes.

Chicago Fire S12 | Binge from Friday, 27 December 

Nominated for Drama Show of the Year at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, One Chicago’s flagship series Chicago Fire returns to Firehouse 51 six months after last season’s breathtaking finale. 

Season 12 promises the return of not one, but two beloved characters, and a sad (but happy, but still sad) farewell later in the season.  

There’ll also be big developments at the station for both Violet (Hanako Greensmith) and Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), and it’s going to be a busy season on the romantic front too …

Emperor of Ocean Park S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 6 December 

Set between the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, Emperor of Ocean Park centres on Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman from Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Lawmen: Bass Reeves), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack. 

The judge was a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, and Tal’s sister (Tiffany Mack from Jessica Jones), a former journalist who’s now a conspiracy theorist, believes his death was foul play. 

Emperor of Ocean Park is based on Stephen L Carter’s New York Times best-selling first novel in the Elm Harbor series. 

Chicago Med S9 | Binge from Wednesday, 11 December

Chicago Med returns to our screens with some new faces joining the dedicated staff of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Centre as they confront the city’s most critical medical cases and challenging ethical dilemmas with courage, compassion and state-of-the-art treatment.  

Though Nick Gehlfuss will be sorely missed following Dr Halstead’s move to Seattle, the ER welcomes a new doctor as Aussie Luke Mitchell (Blindspot) joins the cast as Mitchell Ripley, an ED Attending Physician who has a troubled history … and a connection to Dr Charles. 

Season 9 picks up six months later, with a promising new development in Dr Archer’s transplant storyline, and the arrival of new first-year resident Dr Zola Ahmad (Sophia Ali from Grey’s Anatomy), who is ready to challenge hospital protocol to do right by her patients.

Son of a Critch S3 | Binge from Monday, 23 December

Season 3 of Son of a Critch picks up with the now 14-year-old Mark eager to begin his senior year of elementary school. Finally, he’ll be at the top of the social food chain! Or will he?

Based on the best-selling memoir from Mark Critch, the Canadian comedy series is a coming-of-age story set​ in 1980s Newfoundland, where the young Mark Critch uses comedy and self-deprecation to find his place in the​ world. 

Already renewed for a fourth season, Son of a Critch cracked a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes on its release in 2022.

Classic comedy

30 Rock S1-7 | Binge from Friday, 20 December

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 star while trying to run a successful television show – without losing her mind.

Emmy winner Alec Baldwin co-stars as network executive Jack Donaghy, with Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski as TGS’ unpredictable star Tracy Jordan and his co-star Jenna Maroney. 

During its 2006-2013 run, 30 Rock won 100 awards, including 16 Emmys – three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Look out for guest appearances from the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and many, many more. 

Movies

Bad Boys: Ride or Die | Stream from Monday, 16 December

The world’s favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy. This time there’s a twist: Miami’s finest are now on the run.

South Africa’s second most Googled movie and third biggest box office hit of 2024, Bad Boys: Ride or Die reunites Oscar winner Will Smith and multi-award-winner Martin Lawrence as Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett. Supporting cast include People’s Choice nominee Vanessa Hudgens, Emmy winner Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip), Eric ‘McSteamy’ Dane (Grey’s Anatomy, Euphoria), and Critics Choice Super nominee Alexander Ludwig (Vikings, The Hunger Games, Heels).

As TheWrap says, “Ride or Die shows that not only is there still life in this series, but as long as it stars Smith and Lawrence with skilled directors like Adil & Bilall, you could have Lowrey and Burnett wheeling themselves around the old folks’ home and have a blast.”

A Quiet Place: Day One | First on Showmax | Stream from Friday, 20 December

The #15 biggest box office hit of 2024 so far, A Quiet Place: Day One stars Kenyan Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o (Us, Black Panther) as Sam, a terminally ill cancer patient who finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing. 

The prequel is the third instalment in the A Quiet Place film series, and has already racked up a Fangoria Chainsaw Award nomination for Best Lead Performance for Nyong’o.

It has an 86% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian’s 4/5-star review says Day One is “a bleak, bruising but also curiously life-affirming account of the start of the end of the world.”  

IF | Stream from Monday, 9 December

Let your imagination run wild with the heartwarming family movie IF.

From writer-director John Krasinski (The Office), IF is about a girl who discovers that she can see everyone’s imaginary friends (aka IFs) and embarks on a magical adventure to reconnect forgotten IFs with their kids. 

Cailey Fleming (Judith Grimes in The Walking Dead) stars as Bea, alongside Emmy winner Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) as Cal. The all-star voice cast includes Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Awkwafina and more. 

In their 4/5-star review, Common Sense Media recommends IF for ages 6+, hailing the film as “imaginative… poignant and full of wonder… a mind-bending, eye-popping, musical extravaganza that’s truly unforgettable.” 

Wonka | First on Showmax | Stream from Thursday, 6 December

Inspired by Roald Dahl’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka stars Timothée Chalamet (Dune) as the young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time. 

Chalamet won the Kids’ Choice Award for Favourite Movie Actor, while Calah Lane was nominated for a Critics Choice Award, Keegan-Michael Key for a Kids’ Choice Favourite Villain Award, and Olivia Colman for a Critics Choice Super Award. Also look out for Hugh Grant as an Oompa Loompa.

Wonka has an 82% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Guardian hailing the family film as “spectacular, imaginative, sweet-natured and funny.”

The Colour Purple | Stream from Monday, 23 December

The Oscar-nominated musical adaptation of the beloved classic The Colour Purple traces the extraordinary decades-long story of three women who share an unbreakable bond. Set against the backdrop of Georgia in the early 1900s, the story centres on Celie (Grammy winner Fantasia Barrino), who endures countless hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood. 

Directed by Ghanaian Blitz Bazawule (The Burial of Kojo), The Colour Purple is based on the Tony-winning Broadway stage musical, which was in turn based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. 

The film has an 81% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety saying, “The Colour Purple [feels] even more monumental than it did in Spielberg’s hands. And that’s saying something…”

Eileen | Stream from Monday, 2 December

Critics Choice nominee Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho, Jojo Rabbit) and Oscar winner Anne Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) star in Eileen. 

Set during a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, the psychological thriller centres on Eileen, a young secretary who becomes enchanted with Rebecca, the glamorous new counsellor at the boys’ correctional facility where she works. Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret — setting Eileen on a sinister path.

“Eileen Is the Anti-Christmas Movie You Never Knew You Needed,” Vogue headlined, calling it, “a gem destined for cult classic status… an unbearably tense Hitchcockian thriller…  a moody, sexy, filthy, dangerous sliver of a film that drives a freezing, smoke-filled truck through all the cloying seasonal cheer.”

Back to Black | Stream from Monday, 30 December

Back to Black charts the extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse’s rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black, which catapulted her to global fame.

Variety says Marisa Abela (Industry, Barbie) “nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood and note”. 

BAFTA winner Jack O’Connell (SAS Rogue Heroes) co-stars with multi-award-winner Eddie Marsan (The Thief, His Wife and the Canoe) and Oscar nominee Lesley Manville (The Crown, Phantom Thread).

The Killer | Stream from Monday, 2 December

Legendary action director John Woo (Silent Night, Mission: Impossible II, Face/Off) brings us an English-language reimagining of his 1989 Hong Kong classic The Killer. 

Nathalie Emmanuel (Missandei in Game of Thrones) stars as Zee, a mysterious and infamous assassin known, and feared, in the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. 

During an assignment from her shadowy handler, Zee refuses to kill a blinded young woman in a nightclub. The decision plunges her into a sinister criminal conspiracy that sets her on a collision course with her own past.

IndieWire calls The Killer “shockingly good,” saying: “Woo rediscovers what made his work so much fun,” while The Guardian affirms that “Woo… still knows how to stage mayhem more inventively than a hundred other Hollywood up-and-comers who probably worship the original Killer.”

The Garfield Movie | Stream from Monday, 30 December

Garfield, the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.

Listen out for Chris Pratt as Garfield, Samuel L Jackson as Vic, and Critics Choice nominee Harvey Guillén (Guillermo in What We Do In The Shadows) as Odie, not to mention Emmy-winning Ted Lasso favourites Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham, and even Snoop Dogg – as a cat.

The 19th biggest box office hit of 2024 globally, The Garfield Movie was nominated for the 2024 Kids Choice Award for Favourite Animated Movie.

Classics on the couch

Showmax is also bringing back a host of classics this December, including: 

• The blockbuster young adult franchise The Hunger Games, starring Jennifer Lawrence (from 9 December)
• The Oscar-nominated romcom Bridget Jones’s Diary, starring Renée Zellweger (from 5 December)
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (from 9 December), the Steven Spielberg classic which won four Oscars
• Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (from 9 December), which won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
• The Coen Brothers cult classic The Big Lebowski (from 26 December), starring Jeff Daniels as The Dude. 
• Spike Jonze’s cult classic Being John Malkovich (from 30 December), which was nominated for three Oscars

Documentaries

Crush | First on Showmax | Binge from Monday, 23 December

Nominated for a 2024 Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, Crush unravels the chilling events of the deadly 2022 Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea that killed 159 people.

Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist (11 Minutes, Favela Rising, The Two Escobars), the documentary delves into both the tragedy itself and the investigative hearings and government response in its aftermath, centring on evidence of police failures to respond to numerous emergency calls as 100 000 people converged on the popular Itaewon neighbourhood on the evening of 29 October.   

Rolling Stone says this “horrific tale, told calmly and soberly… unfolds like a slow-motion nightmare,” while Decider calls it “brutally effective,” saying, “Crush is just damn good, effective journalism.”

Great African Crimes with Mandy Wiener | Binge from Monday, 16 December

Dive into the gripping world of Great African Crimes with multi award-winning investigative journalist, author and radio host Mandy Wiener.

The History Channel special unravels the chilling tales of deceit, betrayal, and intrigue behind South Africa’s first documented serial killer, Daisy de Melker; the Krugersdorp tunnel bank robbery – which remains unsolved to this day; and the amazing story of Sea Cottage, the nation’s favourite champion racehorse, which was shot ahead of the 1966 Durban July. 

Reality TV

The Bachelor S28 | Binge from Friday, 13 December

Season 28 of The Bachelor promises to be one of the most exciting yet, with oodles of romance, drama, heartache… and a shocking series-first ending. 

This season’s bachelor is none other than 28-year-old tennis coach pro Joey Graziadei, who stole hearts across Bachelor Nation on Season 20 of The Bachelorette. He’ll be wooed by 32 contestants, all kept in line by host Jesse Palmer. The “most romantic season in Bachelor history” will sweep the contestants to incredible locations from Malta to Mexico – but will any of them find love? 

Comedy 

John Early: Now More Than Ever | Stream from Thursday, 12 December

In his first HBO comedy special, John Early brings his unique blend of cutting commentary, pop star swagger, and all-around loveable hilarity. 

In the style of a gritty 70s rockumentary, Early performs stand-up and explosive song covers, from Britney to Neil Young, intercut with Spinal Tap-esque backstage sketches. The comedy special has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  

More to watch on Showmax in December 

2 December

Fire of Conscience | How To Train Your Dragon | Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted | My History Moments | Puss in Boots | Shrek Forever After | The Adventures of Kino & Zani | The Croods: A New Age 

5 December

Breaking News | Cats | Curious George | Over The Hedge | Project One | Rise of the Guardians | Spirit: Stallion of Cimarron | The Sniper | The Tale of Desperaux | Trolls World Tour

6 December

Noise & Neighbours

10 December

Forever Maybe

11 December

Hawking: Can You Hear Me?

12 December

Admission | Antz | Blockers | Drunk Parents | Sam Jay: Salute Me or Shoot Me | Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas | The Holiday Dating Guide | Trivisa

16 December

Beethoven | Beethoven’s 2nd | Space Dogs: Adventure to the Moon | Sworn Justice | The Flintstones | The Flintstones in Viva Las Vegas | The Last Blood | What Happens Later

18 December

Hijacked: Flight 73 | Juan Carlos: Downfall of a King

19 December

American Gangster | Bowfinger | Ray | The Boy | The Boy Next Door

23 December

Almost Christmas | Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch | Dr. Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas | Last Christmas | The Dilemma | The Heist Before Christmas

25 December

Menendez & Menudo: Boys Betrayed S1

26 December

Bulletproof | Catch A Fire | The Constant Gardener | Half Baked: Totally High | Waterworld

30 December

Driven | Kung Fu Panda 2 | Nobody | Warcraft