What to watch on Showmax in Kenya in June 2023

Don’t miss top international series landing this month, such as The Idol, starring ultimate nepo baby Lily-Rose Depp, and Mrs Davis, starring Betty Gilpin, are both highly anticipated series coming first to Showmax. Then, catch The Woman King and Oscar winner King Richard with Will Smith.

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Showmax Original 

Rosemary’s Hitlist | Showmax Original | Thursdays from 14 June

Rosemary’s Hitlist is a Showmax Original true-crime documentary series about cop-turned-serial-killer Nomia Rosemary Ndlovu. 

On 12 October 2015, Ndlovu’s live-in lover, Yingwani Maurice Mabasa, the father of her only living child at the time, went missing. Three days later, his body was found in Olifantsfontein – with 76 stab wounds. Mabasa had 16 policies in his name, totalling over R400 000 – and Ndlovu was the beneficiary of all of them …

These weren’t the first payouts from suspicious deaths to Ndlovu. She was eventually sentenced in 2021 to six concurrent life terms for the murders of not only Mabasa but also five of her family members: her sister, two nephews, a niece and a cousin. Together, their killsurance was worth over R1.4 million to Ndlovu.

Rosemary’s Hitlist is produced by IdeaCandy, the company behind the SAFTA-winning true-crime sensation Devilsdorp, and directed by Valen’tino Mathibela (the first season of The Real Housewives of Durban, Lebo M – Coming Home), with SAFTA winner Richard Gregory (Steinheist) as a consulting director.   

The Mommy Club S1 | Showmax Original | Tuesdays from 27 June

The Mommy Club is a reality show based on the lives of Johannesburg’s most glamorous and loaded mothers. It is an inside look of what happens behind their mansion gates, how they raise their children and the helpers who assist them. 

From opulent shopping sprees at Diamond Walk, pushing prams that cost more than an average car, to hosting glittering soirees, this reality show follows five women who’ve taken motherhood to the ultimate level, establishing themselves as the most glamorous momfluencers on the internet.

The moms include Mrs Mops, the breakout star of the second season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg; Tshego Manche, who was one of the first South Africans to occupy the influencer space; Happy Simelani, an entrepreneur and author, and, last but not least, Nunurai, who is an events planner and florist to the stars. 

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International series 

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The Idol | First on Showmax | 5 June, express from the US 

Fresh from its world premiere at the 2023 Festival de Cannes, The Idol is a new HBO Original co-created and co-written by Emmy-nominated director Sam Levinson (Euphoria), Oscar nominee and Grammy winner Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye (who also co-stars), and Reza Fahim. 

After a nervous breakdown derailed her last tour, Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp, The King) is determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited by self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye). Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul? 

South African-born pop star (and star of the Spud trilogy) Troye Sivan co-stars. 

Mrs Davis S1 | First on Showmax | 2 episodes on 5 June, then weekly, with the 2-episode finale on 10 July 

Who will defy the AI?

“Mrs Davis” is the world’s most powerful Artificial Intelligence. Simone (Betty Gilpin, Gaslit) is the nun devoted to destroying her.

The Peacock Original scores 89% on Rotten Tomatoes with a critics’ consensus that says: “Positively bonkers while undergirded by an intelligent design, Mrs. Davis makes Betty Gilpin a hero for modern times in a highly imaginative mixture of spirituality and technology.”

Without Sin S1 | 5 June

Line of Duty star Vicky McClure was nominated for a 2023 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in the psychological thriller Without Sin, which follows the relationship between a grieving mother and the man she believes murdered her daughter.

In their 4/5-star review, the Guardian calls it “a top-notch conspiracy drama,” saying, “Vicky McClure is fantastic in this heavyweight thriller.” 

The Righteous Gemstones S3 | First on Showmax | 2 episodes on 19 June, then weekly

The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed, and charitable work. When the spoiled Gemstone children finally get their wish to take control of the church, they discover leadership is harder than they imagined and that their extravagant lifestyle comes with a heavy price.

Steve Zahn (The White Lotus) and Kristen Johnston (3rd Rock from the Sun) join the cast this season. Danny McBride (who also created, wrote and executive produces), Adam Devine, Edi Patterson, Skyler Gisondo, John Goodman and Walton Goggins all return to what Collider hails as “one of the greatest ensembles in comedic television.”

The Righteous Gemstones Season 2 has an 88% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus calls it “uproariously funny.” 

Warrior S3 | First on Showmax | Fridays from 30 June, express from the US

Hailed by Inverse as “the most underrated action series of the century,” Warrior is set in the ruthless world of late 19th century San Francisco, where rival Chinatown tongs fight for dominance. In the wake of the race riots that upended Chinatown in Season 2, Mai Ling (Dianne Doan from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) uses her government connections to consolidate power, while Ah Sahm (Andrew Koji, Bullet Train) and the Hop Wei tong must find new ways to survive.

Filmed in Cape Town, you’ll spot several South Africans in the cast, including former Idols presenter Colin Moss, Robert Hobbs, Andre Jacobs and many more.

Warrior is based on the writings of Bruce Lee, and has a 100% critics’ rating for Season 2 on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 1 was among Rolling Stone’s Best New Television Shows of 2019, with The Ringer calling it “a supremely kick-ass and criminally underappreciated martial arts Western.”

C.B. Strike: Troubled Blood S1 | First on Showmax | 2 episodes each on 2 and 9 June 

Based on the Cormoran Strike book series by Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling), C.B. Strike: Troubled Blood sees Strike visiting family in Cornwall, England, when he is approached by a young woman who seeks his help finding her mother, who went missing in 1974.

Tom Burke (Mank) once again leads the four-part series as war veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike, with Holiday Grainger (The Capture) as his trusted partner Robin Ellacott.

In their five-star review, Independent (UK) wrote: “This drama should be cherished. It’s BBC at its best.”

A Town Called Malice | First on Showmax | 2 episodes on 9 June, then weekly 

The Lords, a family of South London gangsters, have fallen to the bottom of the criminal food chain – and they’re not happy about it. When they flee to the Costa del Sol in Spain following a gangland battle, the Lords realise this is a golden opportunity to reinvent themselves and recapture their former glory. 

The Lord family is headed up by Martha Plimpton (The Good Wife) as Mint Ma and Jason Flemyng (Pennyworth) as Albert Lord. In their four-star review, Evening Standard hailed A Town Called Malice as “a blast of Eighties-flavoured fun…”

The Rookie S4 | Binge from 23 June 

Nathan Fillion (Castle) returns as the LAPD’s oldest rookie, John Nolan, in the new season of popular police procedural The Rookie which opens with joyous news, and a shocking tragedy ... 

Season 4’s returning cast includes Alyssa Diaz (Ray Donovan’s Teresa) as LAPD detective (and expectant mom) Angela Lopez and Richard T Jones (Santa Clarita Diet) as Sergeant Wade Grey, while guest stars to look out for include Nash-Betts (Claws) as Simone Clark, the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy, in a two-part special episode which serves as a backdoor pilot for the show’s spin-off series, The Rookie: Feds.

The L Word: Generation Q S3 | Binge from 2 June

In the third and final season, Jennifer Beals returns in the iconic role she reprised from the original series as Bette Porter-Kennard. If you’ve been wondering about the Tibette endgame, Laurel Holloman is back as Bette’s ex-wife Tina Kennard, after Bette sabotaged her engagement to Carrie Walsh (Rosie O’Donnell) last season. Then again, Vanessa Estelle Williams is also back as Pippa, so don’t place your bets just yet.

The L Word: Generation Q was up for Best TV Drama at this year’s Queerties, having been nominated for Best TV Series and TV Performance (Leo Sheng) in 2020. It was also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the GLAAD Media Awards in both 2020 and 2022.

All American: Homecoming S2 | Binge from 16 June 

The journeys of a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills and an elite baseball player from Chicago continue, as they contend with the high stakes of college sports while navigating the highs, lows and sexiness of unsupervised early adulthood at a prestigious historically black college.

Created by Nigerian-American Nkechi Okoro, the young adult sports drama’s debut season landed a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety calling it a “a big-hearted, worthy spinoff.”

The Fear Index | First on Showmax | Weekly from 23  June

Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbour) stars as Dr Alex Hoffman, a tech genius who faces the worst 24 hours of his life when he finds himself at the centre of a plot to destroy the world’s financial markets in the Sky Original psychological thriller The Fear Index.

Based on the best-selling novel by Robert Harris, about the 2010 Flash Crash, the four-part miniseries also stars Arsher Ali (Avenue Five), Senegalese actress Aïssa Maïga (The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,), and Leila Farzad (I Hate Suzie, Avenue Five).

The Guardian says, “It’s solid, satisfying stuff… given a remarkable lift by Hartnett, who invests Hoffman with a palpable, credible and increasingly corrosive fearfulness from the off.”

Witness Number 3 S1 | Binge from 30 June

How far are you prepared to go to do the right thing? This claustrophobic British psychological thriller follows Jodie, who is setting up early one morning at her hairdressing salon when she glances out of the window and witnesses a killer and his victim moments before a murder. Her statement could make all the difference, but at what cost?

The four-part miniseries stars Nina Toussaint-White (Bodyguard), who, RadioTimes says in their 4/5-star review, “shines as [the] embattled murder witness,” as well as BAFTA nominee Sue Johnston (Downton Abbey). 

This “low-budget Channel 5 thriller punches above its weight,” says The Telegraph, calling it, “a tense and convincing crime drama.”

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International movies 

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The Woman King | 12 June 

The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the West African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. 

Filmed in Cape Town and KwaZulu-Natal and inspired by true historical events, The Woman King follows the epic journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits in preparation for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Co-starring is SA actress Thuso Mbedu (Is’Thunzi, The Underground Railroad), alongside John Boyega (Star Wars’ Finn), Uganda-born Sheila Atim (The Underground Railroad), SA rising star Masali Baduza (Noughts + Crosses), Makgotso M (Is’Thunzi, The Girl from St. Agnes), as well as South African Miss Universe 2019 Zozibini Tunzi in her debut film role.

Shot in South Africa and Ghana, It has a 94% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus simply says: “All hail Viola Davis! The Woman King rules.” The Independent (UK) calls it “a vibrant, restorative celebration of Black womanhood in all its glory.”

Nope | 22 June

From Oscar-winning thriller auteur Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) comes this neo-Western sci-fi horror.

Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out) and Keke Palmer (Scream) play horse trainer OJ Haywood and his goofball sister, Emerald, whose lives are derailed by a mysterious phenomenon in the clouds over their ranch.

Among its numerous accolades, Nope won Best Science Fiction Film at the 2022 Saturn Awards, and picked up five nominations at the 2022 People’s Choice Awards. Nope has an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Vulture calling it “thrilling… a work of sly devastation”, and Daily Telegraph (UK) “a film that does for open skies what Jaws did for the beach…”

The Northman | 15 June 

Inspired by Norse mythology and the legend of Amleth (which inspired Shakespeare’s Hamlet), the film stars Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård (Succession) as a Viking prince determined to avenge his father’s murder. 

The all-star cast includes Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit), Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, award-winning Danish actor Claes Bang (Bad Sisters), and Oscar- and 16-time-Grammy-nominated artist Björk.

It scored 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus calls it, “a bloody revenge epic and breathtaking visual marvel.” 

The Fallout | 1 June

Jenna Ortega (Wednesday) stars as Vada Cavell, a high school student navigating trauma following a school shooting in The Fallout, which Silver Screen Riot calls, “The first defining movie of Gen Z”. 

A raw and honest coming-of-age story, The Fallout has a 93% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Variety saying, “It’s a remarkable accomplishment: a film with the confidence to pose big questions, and the humility to leave them unanswered.” “The Fallout is terrific,” says Vox, “…and terrifically real.”

King Richard | 5 June

The inspiring biographical sports drama King Richard earned Will Smith the 2022 Oscar for Best Actor as Richard Williams, a determined father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time: Venus and Serena Williams.

Based on the true story that inspired the world and changed the sport of tennis forever, King Richard was nominated for a total of six Oscars last year, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song for Beyoncé’s Be Alive, and Best Supporting Actress for Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Lovecraft Country) as the girls’ mom, Oracene “Brandi” Williams.

The young Venus and Serena are played by Saniyya Sidney (Hidden Figures) and Demi Singleton (Godfather of Harlem), while the film counts Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith and both Williams sisters among its exec producers. 

It has a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “King Richard transcends sport biopic formulas with refreshingly nuanced storytelling – and a towering performance from Will Smith in the title role.”

Father of the Bride | 19 June

A father must come to grips with his daughter’s upcoming wedding in a sparkling Cuban-American update of the timeless romcom Father of the Bride.

Oscar nominee Andy Garcia stars as Billy Herrera, the eponymous father of the bride, Sofia, played by Adria Arjona (Andor’s Bix Caleen).

Gloria Estefan co-stars as Sofia’s mother, Ingrid; Diego Boneta (Die in a Gunfight) plays groom-to-be Adan; and Isabela Merced (Dora and the Lost City of Gold) is Sofia’s sister, Cora.

The movie has an 80% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics praising this new cultural take on the story, and RogerEbert.com saying, “Garcia and Estefan and all of our feelings about weddings bring so much warmth and good humour to the movie that it calls for a ‘Yes’ on the RSVP.”

Demonic | 1 June 

Written, co-produced and directed by Oscar-nominated South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (District 9), the science-fiction horror film Demonic follows Carly, a young woman who unleashes terrifying demons when supernatural forces at the root of a decades-old rift between mother and daughter are exposed.

The film is led by Carly Pope (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’s Davie Adams) as Carly, with South Africans Nathalie Boltt (Riverdale) as her mother, Angela, and Kandyse McClure (Sew the Winter to My Skin) as her best friend, Sam. 

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | 5 June

Based on an extraordinary true story, this award-winning biographical comedy-drama stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the eccentric English artist who rose to prominence at the end of the 19th century with surreal, playful, and even psychedelic pictures that helped to transform the public’s perception of cats forever, even as his work seemed to reflect his declining sanity.

Moving from the late 1800s through to the 1930s, the story follows the incredible adventures of this inspiring, unsung hero, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world and, in so doing, to better understand his own life and the profound love he shared with his wife, Emily Richardson (Claire Foy, The Crown).

Time Out says: “It’s an effervescent movie, one that reflects the colourful whimsy of Wain’s work and a far more vivid image of Victorian and Edwardian England than your usual period film.”

I Love My Dad | 15 June

Inspired by a real experience in the life of writer, director, and star James Morosini (Dalton in The Sex Lives of College Girls), I Love My Dad “takes cringe comedy to the next level,” says Screen Daily.

The film follows Chuck, a hopelessly estranged father who desperately wants to reconnect with his troubled son, Franklin. Blocked on social media and concerned for his son’s life, Chuck creates a fake online identity as waitress Becca, but things start to spiral when Franklin falls for this imaginary girl. 

On the Come Up | 8 June

This music drama centres on Bri, a gifted 16-year-old rapper who sets out to take the battle rap scene by storm in a bid to lift up her family and do right by the legacy of her father, a local hip hop legend whose career was cut short by gang violence. But when her first hit song goes viral for all the wrong reasons, she finds herself torn between the authenticity that got her this far and the false persona that the industry wants to impose upon her. 

Based on the best-selling novel by Angie Thomas, who also wrote The Hate U Give, the screenplay was written by Emmy-nominated Nigerian writer and producer Kay Oyegun (This Is Us).

On the Come Up has drawn critical praise for its star, newcomer Jamila Gray, as well as its director, Emmy nominee and Black Reel Award winning actress Sanaa Lathan (Succession), with Variety saying: “As frank and tough-minded and as it is warm and sweet, On the Come Up is a hugely promising debut from the actor-turned-director.”

Torn Hearts | 29 June

Things are headed south in this horror/music drama, as a country music duo in Nashville seek out the private mansion of their idol, only to find out it isn’t quite the dream they imagined ….

The film stars Abby Quinn (Knock at the Cabin) and Alexxis Lemire (The Half of It), with Katey Sagal (Married with Children’s Peg Bundy) as former country legend Harper Dutch. 

The film is exec-produced by Jason Blum, who’s brought us blockbusters like Get Out. Torn Hearts has an 89% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Bloody Disgusting saying the film, “combines country music’s frequent themes of love and loss with horror’s twisted pursuit of fame, delivering a mean thriller anchored by one playfully unhinged performance by Katey Sagal.”

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Non-Fiction

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Survivor USA S43 | 21 June

Since the USA version of the megahit reality-adventure series franchise Survivor first started airing in 2000, it’s won 45 awards, including four People’s Choice Awards, two GLAAD Media Awards and 7 Emmys, with a further 56 nominations.

This season, five-time Emmy-winning Survivor host Jeff Probst welcomes 18 new castaways (including Paralympic 100 metre sprinter Noelle Lambert) to the idyllic Mamanuca Islands in Fiji, where they’ll be divided into three tribes – Baka, Coco, and Vesi – to battle the elements, and each other, as they compete for the title of Sole Survivor and $1 million in prize money.

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Family and kids 

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The Bad Guys | 22 June

The Bad Guys follows a gang of notorious animal criminals pretending to seek rehabilitation in a bid to avoid prison … only for their leader to secretly find that he genuinely wants to change his ways.

The Bad Guys has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Guardian saying: “This is Tarantino for ankle-biters with a bit of Ocean’s 11 thrown in: funny, energetic and just smart enough.” Common Sense Media gives it a 4/5-star rating, recommending it for ages 6+ and saying it’s “so fun, it’s criminal.” 

The movie boasts an all-star voice cast including the likes of Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit), Awkwafina (Crazy Rich Asians), Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Anthony Ramos (In the Heights), Zazie Beetz (Atlanta), and Marc Maron (Super Pets).

DC League of Super Pets | 26 June

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Sit! Stay! Save the world!

In this animated action-adventure film, Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the Superheroes.

Krypto is voiced by Dwayne Johnson, while his Jumanji films co-star Kevin Hart voices Ace the hound. The rest of the pack includes Diego Luna (Andor) as Chip the Squirrel, Vanessa Bayer (SNL) and Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) as PB the potbellied pig and Merton the turtle, and Kate McKinnon as Lulu, the evil hairless guinea pig. The rest of cast includes the likes of John Krasinski, Jemaine Clement, Olivia Wilde and Keanu Reeves.

Common Sense Media says, “DC corrects their history of making superhero stories too dark, violent, and mature for kids with this animated tale focusing on the heroes’ crime-fighting furry friends. Ideal for elementary school-age kids, these Super-Pets aren’t their parents’ Justice League. And, with comic geniuses Kevin Hart and Kate McKinnon doing most of the lifting in the voice cast, it’s definitely the funniest big-screen DC movie.” 

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More to watch in June 

1 June
Ninja Assassin | Once Upon A Time in China 2 | Operation Bangkok | Shut In | Superman Returns | War of the Worlds

5 June
B.O.T. And The Beasties S1 | The Accountant | The Bodyguard | Bounty Hunters | Kung Fu Angels | Looney Tunes: Back In Action | Malibu’s Most Wanted | Take The Lead

8 June
Concussion | Hall Pass | Last Looks | Must Love Dogs | Sucker Punch | Wonder Woman 

12 June
Are We Done Yet? | Are We There Yet? | Executive Decision | The Intern | Panama |  The Control Room S1 | We’re The Millers | What A Girl Wants

15 June
Father’s Day | The Green Lantern | My Son | Secret Headquarters | Stuart Little

19 June
Gemini | Getaway | Inkheart | Love Don’t Cost A Thing | Journey to the Centre of the Earth | Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

22 June
Barbarians | Hoot | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Suicide Squad

26 June
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Dennis the Menace | Marshall | Unaccompanied Minors

29 June
Angry Birds Movie | Catwoman | Cop Out | Hot Seat | No Reservations | Pan