What to watch on Showmax in Nigeria in June 2024

This June, Showmax is turning up the excitement with the arrival of the new season of the Emmy-winning series House of the Dragon, flying express to Showmax. We also see the return of Tommy in Power Book IV: Force Season 2, and have a fascinating line-up of HBO documentaries to stream.

Showmax Originals

Kenya

Jiji S1 | Showmax Original | Mondays and Tuesdays from 17 June

 Jiji is a fast-paced youth drama that follows the lives of four young girls in the streets of Jericho, a low-income settlement in Nairobi, who are forced into a life of crime to make ends meet.

Eighteen-year-old Julz will do anything to provide for her family. When her younger brother is accepted into a prestigious international school, she and three friends take another job with Jericho’s kingpin, Makali, leading to tragic consequences that change their lives forever.

Directed by Enos Olik (Famous), Jiji features Fridah Mumbe (Pepeta), Nungari Kiore (Volume), Sybil Collette (Igiza), and Aicy Stevens in the lead roles of Julz, Achie, Vee and Mwende respectively. Also look out for the likes of Keith Chuaga

South Africa

The Mommy Club S2 Reunion | Stream from Monday, 10 June

TV presenter, actress and singer Ntombee Ngcobo-Mzolo will host the reunion special of The Mommy Club S2. 

Now in its second season, The Mommy Club set the record for the most social media views of any reality series on Showmax and has seen the entire cast trend at the same time on X when a new episode drops.

The dramatic Season 2 finale featured a spiritual medium; the throwing of champagne; and confrontations where the mommies put all their issues on the table – so there is a lot to unpack at the reunion. There is a clear divide in the group. On the one side, you have Hermajesty and Mrs Mops and, on the other, Nunurai, Ratile Mabitsela and newcomer Mrs Sande. She was recently seen on social media hanging out with Hermajesty – has she switched camps? Newcomer Nozipho Ntshangase has remained neutral.

Born Into Fame | Tuesdays from 18 June

Born Into Fame is a Showmax Original reality show about living up to the legacies of your famous parents while discovering your own unique path to success.

The cast includes media personality and host Shamiso Mosaka, the first-born daughter of radio legend and businesswoman Azania Mosaka; actor and musician Phila Madlingozi, son of Ringo Madlingozi, who won a South African Music Award for Male Artist of The Year and is a member of the National Assembly of South Africa; rapper Tank, the first child of DJ Tira; the late Robbie Malinga’s son, social media sensation Robbie Junior; and Arthur Mafokate’s daughter Owamie, who is a DJ.

Born Into Fame is produced by GOAT Productions, the creative minds behind Unfollowed, one of the 10 most-streamed South African shows on Showmax in 2023, last year’s South African Film and Television Award winner Life With Kelly Khumalo S3, and the upcoming The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip South Africa.

016FM | Wednesdays from 26 June

To save their much-loved community radio station in the Vaal from closing, two polar opposite DJs prepare to compete in a radical, live on-air programme battle (Kwaal). They know it will be a fight to reclaim the hearts of listeners and advertisers, but don’t realise they will also have to oust a dangerous, shadowy syndicate that has infiltrated the station.

SAFTA nominee Mpho Sebeng (Ring of Lies, Miseducation), who tragically passed away in May 2024, stars as DJ Whiskey – his last role. His co-stars include Joseph Sedibo (Rhythm City) as DJ Tsietsi and the likes of four-time SAFTA winner Nthati Moshesh (Saints & Sinners, Isono), SAFTA winner Sophie Ndaba (Lockdown), Sello Motloung (The Wife), Katlego Mabote (Outlaws), Mapula Mofole (Rhythm City), Noni Mafani (1802: Love Defies Time), Mapaseka Koetle (Lenyalo Ha Se Papadi) and YFM DJ Caddy Tsotsetsi.

016FM is executive produced by Motswako star DJ Lemonka and author Tuelo Gabonewe, as the first scripted series from their production company, 2gotomedia. Nolo Phiri (Umkhokha: The Curse, eHostela) and Percy Vilakazi (The River) are producing.

“The Vaal is the Little Italy of South Africa,” says DJ Lemonka. “It’s a hotbed of creativity and musical influence that extends across South Africa, but that hasn’t received the props it deserved until now. I think people are going to be amazed by how much talent there is in The Vaal.”

International series 

House of the Dragon S2 | Express from the US | Mondays from 3am from 17 June

The second season of House of the Dragon flies express to Showmax and M-Net from 17 June 2024. The Emmy-winning first season was named Best TV Series – Drama at the 2023 Golden Globes and Best TV Series at Rotten Tomatoes’ Golden Tomato Awards for the best-reviewed show of 2022.  

Based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of House Targaryen. Following King Aegon Il’s coronation, Alicent and Rhaenyra cling to fading memories of their old friendship as their opposing factions gear up for civil war. 

Matt Smith is back in his Critics Choice-nominated role as Daemon Targaryen, as is Emma D’Arcy in her Golden Globe-nominated role as Rhaenyra Targaryen. Olivia Cooke, Tom Glynn-Carney, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel and Rhys Ifans also return.

New cast this season include BAFTA nominee Abubakar Salim (Father in Raised by Wolves) as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin (Sheila the She-Wolf in GLOW) as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox (Slow Horses, The Great) as Ser Gwayne Hightower, and Kieran Bew (Bill O’Hara in Warrior) as Hugh Hammer. 

Special Ops: Lioness | Binge from 13 June

Zoe Saldaña was up for a Critics Choice Super Award for her performance in Special Ops: Lioness as Joe McNamara, the leader of an undercover all-women US special ops team dedicated to befriending the wives, girlfriends or daughters of high-value terrorist targets and working to turn them for the CIA.

Created by Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1923), Special Ops: Lioness became Paramount+’s most-watched global series when it launched and has already been renewed for a second season. The stacked cast includes the likes of Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman.

Home Economics S3 | Saturdays from 22 June

The Hayworth siblings are back in the third and final season of Home Economics, coping with the highs and lows of life terribly… but together. 

Caitlin McGee (Mr Monk’s Last Case) returns as Sarah, alongside Topher Grace (BlacKkKlansman) as Tom, and Jimmy Tatro (Theater Camp) as Connor. The show has an 82% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Moonshine S3 | Binge from 19 June

A raucous tale of lust, legacy and lobster, Moonshine follows a dysfunctional family of adult half-siblings battling to take control of the ailing family business, a rundown summer resort in Nova Scotia.

Everyone needs something to fight for, and in Season 3 there’s plenty to go around for the Finley-Cullen clan as a luxury resort being built next door threatens the Moonshine – and may be just what they need to bring them together.

Alice & Jack S1 | Binge from 27 June

A British romantic drama about love in all its unexpected, technicolour, kaleidoscopic beauty, Alice & Jack follows the highs and lows of a 16-year relationship between two imperfect lovers, played by Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson. 

Times (UK) says Alice & Jack is “gloriously, magnificently spot on about love, which is its main job. The selfishness of their pull to each other is exquisitely observed, and I entirely believe in their passion, the fierce, cruel intimacy of their time together.”

Best international movies

Past Lives | First On Showmax | Stream from 13 June

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are torn apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to America. Two decades later, they are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.

Winner of 79 international awards so far, Past Lives was nominated for Motion Picture of the Year and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars this year, as well as for the Critics Choice Best Actress Award for Greta Lee and the BAFTA Best Actor Award for Teo Yoo.

Past Lives was MetaCritic’s best-reviewed narrative film of 2023, with a 94/100 rating. Rolling Stone calls it, “A stunning, pitch-perfect romance”; Variety says, “Celine Song’s exceptional debut will have audiences swooning”; and The Hollywood Reporter writes, “It’s difficult to convey the multilayered beauty of Past Lives beyond just urging people to see it and lose themselves in its transfixing spell.”

Expend4bles | Stream from 17 June

Old blood meets new in Expend4bles (aka Expendables 4) as a new generation of stars joins the world’s top action icons. Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on – and the skills to use them – the Expendables are tasked with a brutal mission to stop a terrorist organisation targeting a consignment of nuclear warheads in a bid to trigger World War III. 

Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Olympic wrestler Randy Couture reunite as the team of elite mercenaries that is called in when all other options are off the table. 

Joining the cast for the first time are Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox and Oscar nominee Andy Garcia. 

Mr Monk’s Last Case | Stream from 6 June

Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) returns as beloved and brilliant OCD detective Adrian Monk in Mr Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. Based on the hit 2000s comedy series Monk – which ran for eight seasons and won eight Emmys – the film sees Monk tackling one last, very personal case involving his stepdaughter Molly, a journalist preparing for her wedding. 

At this year’s Critics Choice Awards, Mr Monk’s Last Case was nominated for Best Movie Made for Television, with Shalhoub up for Best Actor in a Movie Made for Television. 

Mr Monk’s Last Case has a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with TheWrap noting that, “Two decades later, we can all relate a bit to Adrian Monk. He may even be the perfect sleuth for the post-pandemic jungle we’re living in. Is this case truly his last? One can only hope the answer is ‘No’.”

Infinity Pool | Stream from 27 June

While indulging in an exclusive island getaway, novelist James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård, Big Little Lies) and his wealthy wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman, Rebel Moon) break the rules and venture beyond the resort grounds. But a tragic accident leaves James facing a zero-tolerance policy for crime and a horrifying choice – execution, or, for a hefty sum, watching himself die instead…

The adults-only horror boasts an 87% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Time Out hailing it as “one hell of a twisted ride…  damn-near unmissable and, from a safe distance, addictive as all hell.”

Polite Society | Stream from 20 June

Polite Society follows martial artist-in-training Ria Khan (Priya Kansara), who believes she must save her older sister, Lena (Ritu Arya, Barbie), from her impending marriage. After enlisting the help of her friends, Ria attempts to pull off the most ambitious of all wedding heists in the name of independence and sisterhood. 

Following its world premiere at Sundance, Polite Society was named among The Guardian’s Best Films of 2023 and racked up a 90% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “Polite Society throws, kicks, and punches the genre etiquette book out the window to deliver a fun film that blends Bollywood splendour and British wryness.” 

Champions | Stream from 17 June

Their best shot is his last shot. 

Woody Harrelson stars in Champions as Marcus Marakovich, a hot-headed former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of missteps, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities. He soon realises that despite his doubts, together, this team can go further than they ever imagined. 

Kaitlin Olson (Hacks) co-stars, along with an impressive young cast who hold their own opposite the likes of Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), and comedy legend Cheech Marin (War with Grandpa). 

Newsday says, “Harrelson shines as a man learning that there’s more to life than NBA fame, and he has a terrific leading lady in Katilin Olson,” while Financial Times says, “By the end you just want to hug everyone in it.” 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry | Stream from 6 June

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry tells the story of an ordinary man who has passed through life living on the sidelines, until he goes to post a letter one day and just keeps walking.

The uplifting tale of self-discovery and learning to seize the moment stars Oscar winner Jim Broadbent (Moulin Rouge!) and Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey), with Linda Bassett (Call the Midwife) among its support cast. 

It has earned an 80% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Spectator says, “Broadbent is a wonder, so real and sincere it doesn’t feel like acting,” while Times (UK) says The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry “is immediately one of the great movies about ageing and regret.”

Greatest Days | Stream from 17 June

Multiple Brit Award-winning boy band Take That’s official stage musical The Band became a smash hit, but so far it’s only toured the UK and Europe. Luckily for us, its movie adaptation Greatest Days is coming to Showmax.

Greatest Days follows a group of best friends who have the night of their lives watching their favourite boy band in concert. 25 years later, their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, and a chance to rekindle their friendship. 

Digital Spy says, “It’s a wholesome celebration of friendship, tinged with heartbreak… a crowd pleaser whether you like Take That or not.”

The Old Way | Stream from 24 June

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) stars in his first-ever Western as Colton Briggs, a cold-blooded gunslinger turned respectable family man. When an outlaw and his gang put Colton and his family in peril, Colton is forced to take up arms with an unlikely partner: his 12-year-old daughter (award winner Ryan Kiera Armstrong from Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Black Widow). 

Classics on the couch

Showmax is also bringing back a wide range of classics this month, including:

• Oscar winners like the animated Happy Feet (from 17 June) and Oscar nominees like Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, based on Ernest Cline’s bestselling sci-fi novel (from 27 June)
• Edge of Tomorrow (from 3 June), which earned Emily Blunt the Critics Choice Best Actress In An Action Movie Award
• #1 box office hits like the romcom Hitch (from 3 June), starring Will Smith; the horrors Annabelle, Annabelle: Creation and The Conjuring 1 and 2 (all from 6 June); the comedy Due Date, with Robert Downey Jr (from 13 June); and Harry Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (from 20 June

Documentaries 

David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived | First on Showmax | Stream from 5 June

Nominated for the 2024 BAFTA for Single Documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived is the story of the friendship between Daniel Radcliffe and his stunt double in Harry Potter, who was paralyzed in a tragic on-set accident on the penultimate film. 

The HBO documentary has a 94% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In their five-star review, The Guardian writes, “This incredibly emotional film paints a moving portrait of Daniel Radcliffe’s double – and the accident that left him paralysed. It’s a smart study of friendship, kindness and guilt.”

Yes to the impossible: The Nolo Letele Story | Stream from 14 June

Yes, to the Impossible: The Nolo Letele Story is an inspirational documentary about former MultiChoice Group executive chairperson Nolo Letele, who received a Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize for Media Development in Africa; the Naspers Phil Weber Award; and the Black Business Executive Circle Chairman’s Award.

After playing a major role in starting the first TV station in Lesotho in 1988, Letele  joined M-Net in 1990. In spite of South Africa’s image during those apartheid years, Letele succeeded in pioneering MultiChoice’s expansion into the rest of Africa, and in 1995 went on to serve in Ghana as West African regional general manager. He returned home when he was appointed chief executive of MultiChoice South Africa a few years later.

In 1999, he was appointed as MultiChoice Group chief executive until 2010, when he was appointed executive chair of the MultiChoice South Africa Holdings board, a position he held for 11 years. He became a non-executive director of MultiChoice Group Limited after the company was spun out of Naspers and listed independently on the JSE.

“I’m proud to have helped connect Africa to the world and give the continent a voice,” says Letele. “MultiChoice’s reach is unparalleled in Africa, and it has given the people of Africa the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own languages. We have grown industries, created jobs and contributed meaningfully to economic growth across the continent – it’s something I hold very dear as the realisation of a vision I had over 35 years ago when I joined a small Pay-TV business in South Africa”.

Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | First on Showmax | Stream from 19 June

Nominated for a 2024 Producers Guild of America Award, Albert Brooks: Defending My Life is an HBO documentary from Oscar-nominated director Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men) about his best friend – comedian, actor, and filmmaker Albert Brooks, who has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960s. 

The star-studded documentary features the likes of Steven Spielberg, Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller, Larry David, Jonah Hill and Conan O’Brien.

It has a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with CNN hailing it as, “a warm and wonderful trip down memory lane for those who know Brooks’ work, and a grand introduction for those who don’t.” 

The Janes | Stream from 12 June

The Janes tells the revelatory story of a group of unlikely outlaws. Defying the state legislature that outlawed abortion, the Catholic Church that condemned it, and the Chicago Mob that was profiting from it, the members of Jane risked their personal and professional lives to support women with unwanted pregnancies in the pre-Roe v. Wade era.

The Janes won Emmys for Best Documentary, Best Social Issues Documentary and Outstanding Direction. 

The documentary has a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says: “Frighteningly timely and powerfully persuasive, The Janes offers a unique opportunity to look back at a pivotal chapter in American history through the eyes of those who helped define it.”

Showmax is also streaming the dramatised film version, Call Jane, starring Elizabeth Banks and Sigourney Weaver. 

Reality series

The Real Housewives of Potomac S8 | First On Showmax | Thursdays from 6 June

The Real Housewives of Potomac returns for its eighth season, with Gizelle Bryant in a situation-ship with a younger man, Grande Dame Karen Huger making some lifestyle changes after a health scare, and Ashley Darby confronting life as a single mom. Wendy Osefo tackles an exciting new endeavour, but clashes with the new housewife, Nigerian American attorney and entrepreneur Nneka Ihim, who reveals some serious accusations about Wendy’s mom. Despite rumours of cheating, Robyn Dixon is sticking with Juan —and everyone has something to say about it. Candiace Dillard-Bassett (whose Season 6 clash with Mia Thornton earned the show an MTV TV Award nomination for Best Fight – Unscripted) is touring her album, but bankrolling the cost is taking its toll on her and Chris. Mia, meanwhile, is debating starting couples therapy – or finding a divorce lawyer…

My Mom, Your Dad S1 | Binge from 13 June

A second chance at romance never gets old.

Hosted by actress and standup comedian Yvonne Orji, My Mom, Your Dad follows a group of single parents who have been nominated by their college-age kids for another chance at love. 

Co-created by Greg Daniels (The Office), the HBO Max reality dating series was nominated for a 2024 BAFTA for Best Reality and Constructed Factual. 

Summer House: Martha’s Vineyard S1-2 | Binge from 24 June

Ten young Black professionals and entrepreneurs head to Martha’s Vineyard, an island south of Cape Cod that was one of the first beach destinations where African-Americans could vacation and purchase property. 

With beach parties, decadent dinners, and summer hookups, both fun and drama are in store for these young Black professionals and entrepreneurs.

Kids’ shows and movies

Cats in the Museum | Stream from 24 June

Adventure awaits and history comes alive in the 2024 winner of Russia’s Golden Eagle Award for Best Animation Film, Cats in the Museum. 

The story kicks off with a young cat named Vincent who’s stranded on a desert island. When Maurice the mouse saves Vincent from a flood, the pair escape in an old piano and soon find themselves in St Petersburg, where Vincent meets an elite feline squad tasked with protecting priceless artworks from mice. Vincent dreams of finding a real cat family, but doesn’t want to lose his unlikely friend Maurice, who saved his life. 

What else to watch on Showmax in June

3 June

Chasing Liberty | Drift: Partners In Crime | End of Us | Rare Objects | The Astronaut’s Wife

6 June

Vampire’s House of Cain

7 June

RMB Starlight Classics TBC

10 June

15 Minutes | 17 Again | Mr. Vampire 1-2 | Sinister Sorority | Takers | The Aviary | The Iceman Cometh | The Magic Flute

13 June

Father Figures | Megamind vs the Doom Syndicate | Noah’s Ark | Sight: Extended | Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 1-2 | Warhunt

16 June

Married at First Sight S1

17 June

Black Ransom | Exit Wounds | Happy Feet 2 | Prisoner of Love | VR Fighter

20 June

3 Days In Malay | Blended | Dear Zoe | 

24 June

Cats & Dogs | Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore | The Corruptor | Tom & Jerry: The Movie | Wire Room

27 June

High Heat | Teen Titans Go! To The Movies