What’s new on Showmax in West Africa in April 2020

There’s no reason to leave the house when there’s this much to stream from the comfort of your living room.

Want an edge-of-your-seat thriller? Try the new Stephen King series The Outsider. Looking for something you can relate to? Andrea Savage in I’m Sorry is utterly hilarious as she tries to balance her job as a comedian with motherhood. Then there are two new reality shows from Africa Magic: Mercy and Ike, and Judging Matters.

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International Series

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I’m Sorry S1 | First on Showmax | 1 April

Andrea is a seemingly-confident comedy writer, wife, and mom, with zero filters and a tendency to put her foot in it. I’m Sorry comically exposes her inner immaturity and neuroses in this laugh-out-loud series, inspired by the life of creator and star Andrea Savage (Veep, Step Brothers, Episodes).

Tom Everett Scott (13 Reasons Why) plays Andrea’s husband Mike, while Golden Globe winner Kathy Baker (Picket Fences, Edward Scissorhands), Golden Globe nominee Allison Tolman (Emergence, Fargo), Jason Mantzoukas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place), and Screen Actors Guild nominee Judy Greer (Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men) co-star in this series that scored 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Los Angeles Times says, “This is a show about what happens when the compulsively comic mind meets the casually funny (or humorless) one, and what can seem the astonishing willingness of the professional comedian to violate taste and decorum.” 

The Outsider S1 | Same day as M-Net, Thursdays from 23 April

Based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King, HBO miniseries The Outsider follows police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn from Bloodline), who is still grieving the recent death of his own son when the mutilated body of 11-year-old Frankie Peterson is found in the Georgia woods. 

The mysterious circumstances surrounding the horrifying crime lead Ralph to bring in unorthodox private investigator Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo, nominated for two Oscars and two Golden Globes this year for Harriet), whose uncanny abilities he hopes will help explain the unexplainable.  

The cast also includes Golden Globe winner Jason Bateman (Ozark), who is also one of the directors. Creator Richard Price was also behind the Emmy-winning The Night Of and was a writer for The Wire and The Deuce, among others. 

It has an 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and 8.1/10 on IMDb.

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Loving Local

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Mercy & Ike Show S1 | Starts 26 April

This Nigerian reality series from Africa Magic follows Mercy and Ike’s relationship after Big Brother and their struggle to solidify their commitment to each other. Mercy’s sister Promise is the thorn in Ike’s journey to win Mercy’s heart. Will he win Promise’s respect and be the right guy for her little sister or will Mercy have to sacrifice one of them? Will Promise agree to the two lovers moving in together? And will Mercy break her culture and traditional beliefs to stay with a man?

Judging Matters S1 | Starts 27 April

Judging Matters is another Nigeria reality show from Africa Magic which helps to address legal issues using the arbitration system. It deals with real people seeking justice from a small claims court and is produced in partnership with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. Starring Justice Olushola Williams, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.

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Best of Africa

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The System | From 6 April

Corruption, murder, political conspiracies and rivalries are just a few of the themes on The System, the new political drama that follows the lives of the political class in Kenya. With the country at the brink of chaos, and heightened further by the murder of a beloved activist and Nobel laureate, the ailing president seeks to right the wrongs of the government by commissioning a damning report that some people would kill for never to see the light of day. Legendary veteran actor Raymond Ofula (Queen Sono, Monica) plays the incorruptible Teiye, the only politician who would rather risk his promising political career than bribe a tabloid journalist to bury a story about his family. The System also features Elsaphan Njora (Kati Kati), Joseph Omari (Makutano Junction, Supa Modo), Ken Ambani (Kovu, From a Whisper), Maryanne Nungo (Supa Modo), Brian Ogola (18 Hours), Ian Mbugua (Changes, House of Lungula) and Joe Kinyua (Njoro wa Uba).

Madam and Mercy S1 | Sundays from 8 April 

Evodia ‘Madam’ Mogase and her daughter, Mercy, totally stole the show when we first got to know them on The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (RHOJ), so fans of the glam pair were thrilled when it was announced late last year that Mzansi Magic would be giving them their very own spin-off show. Well hunnies, it’s here! The RHOJ Season 1 favourites’ exclusion from Season 2 caused an outcry on Twitter but, as Madam promised on Instagram, “MADAM and MERCY are finally coming back.” Evodia, a former teacher and caterer, is well-known for her lavish lifestyle and collection of luxury cars, while Mercy is herself a businesswoman and model. 

How to Steal a Country | First on Showmax | 23 April

How to Steal a Country documents the Gupta family’s rise from flea market shoe salesmen to owners of a controversial business empire in South Africa in less than ten years. It’s a suspenseful detective story uncovering one huge bribery scandal after another, involving the top echelons of political power and several well-known multinational corporations. 

How to Steal a Country is the latest offering from multi-award-winning documentary filmmakers Rehad Desai (Everything Must Fall) and Mark J Kaplan (The Lion’s Trail). 

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Kids

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Paddington 2 | 9 April

Paddington 2 is not only a blockbuster hit but also one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, across all genres. The sequel to the 2014 movie centring on Michael Bond’s beloved character, it’s widely regarded as being even better than its predecessor, and Hugh Grant said in an interview with Vanity Fair: “I genuinely believe it may be the best film I’ve ever been in.” 

Paddington is happily settled with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens, where the bear has become a popular member of the community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes. While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington spots a unique pop-up book in Mr Gruber’s antique shop. He embarks upon a series of odd jobs to earn the money to buy it. But when the book is stolen, Paddington is framed for the crime. Now, it’s up to the Browns, some new friends, and a foolproof plan to unmask the real thief and clear the beloved bear’s name.

Golden Globe winner Ben Whishaw voices Paddington, Oscar nominee Imelda Staunton plays Aunt Lucy, and Golden Globe nominee Michael Gambon is the voice of Uncle Pastuzo. Hugh Grant is the OTT villain, Phoenix Buchanan, Golden Globe nominee Hugh Bonneville and Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins play Mr and Mrs Brown, and Oscar nominee Dame Julie Walters is Mrs Bird. 

“Paul King did the unthinkable and made a sequel to his insta-classic, yet more charming, inventive and across-the-generations entertaining,” says The Guardian. “It’s humour with the citrus tang of top quality thick-cut marmalade.” 

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International Movies

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Shazam! | 19 April

Every kid dreams of having superpowers. 

Billy Batson is a teenage foster kid with a track record of running away and looking out for himself, until he takes a stand against the school bully for his foster sibling Freddy, an act that leads to a strange encounter with an ancient wizard and some er… unexpected physical changes. Like turning into grown-up superhero Shazam, and discovering he now comes with an a la carte menu of superpowers. Of course, with great power comes the inevitable great enemy, and Billy, aka Shazam, needs to get a handle on his abilities ASAP if he’s to fight the evil Dr Thaddeus Sivana. 

“An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre’s real power: joyous wish fulfillment,” says Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus. 

It’s a four-star Common Sense Media Selection, rated 12+ (with a warning for some scary and violent scenes). “This refreshingly delightful, lighthearted entry in the DC Extended Universe has enough charm for the whole family thanks to standout performances, broad humor, and positive messages.”

Crawl | 23 April

If the storm doesn’t get you… they will. And by ‘they’, we mean a pair of six-metre alligators who take up residence in the crawl space of a run-down house in Florida, following a Category 5 hurricane. 

With the house rapidly flooding, competitive swimmer Haley and her estranged father, Dave, find themselves trapped in the maze of the basement, where every shadow conceals the waiting jaws of a brutal apex predator.     

This excellent schlock creature-feature horror with real monsters demands lots of popcorn, the lights off, and feet pulled up on the couch. 

“Crawl is a great example of a simple story exceedingly well-told,” says Vulture. “It’s a bloody adventure full of teeth-gnawing turns of fortune, mordant wit, vicious gator kills, and surprising tenderness — that clocks in at a blessedly fleet 87 minutes. It’s a perfect horror film for the summer, as much an ode to the cataclysmic, humbling aspects of Mother Nature as it is a love letter to father-daughter relationships.”

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Documentary

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McMillion$ | 1 April 

Revenge, drugs, greed and Ronald McDonald…

HBO’s brand-new true crime documentary series constructs a detailed account of the McDonald’s Monopoly game scam during the 90s that saw the contest’s promotion agency security head “Uncle Jerry” Jacobson and his accomplices rake in $24m in fraudulent profits. The story is told by the participants in the case, including the prizewinners and the FBI agents involved. The series is exec produced by Mark Wahlberg and Emmy-nominated Ballers producer Stephen Levinson.

The Wall Street Journal calls it “a terrific story and a captivating, snowballing, six-part docuseries”.

We Are The Dream: The Kids of the Oakland MLK Fest | 3 April 

Every year, hundreds of children of all ages take to the stage at the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest, a public speaking competition where they perform poetry and speeches inspired by the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr and the American Civil Rights Movement. 

Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Amy Schatz (In the Shadow of the Towers) and executive produced by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, Green Book, True Detective), We Are The Dream covers the months leading up to the 40th annual festival, as schools across the city send their top-placing students to compete. It is a portrait of young people from across the diverse cultures and religions of America who raise their voices about issues they care about, and of the unique community that celebrates and supports them.

BlackGirlNerds praises the documentary as “adorable yet inspirational”.

The Case Against Adnan Syed | 10 April 

Eighteen years after he was sentenced to life plus 30 years in jail, this true-crime investigation takes a fresh look into the case against Adnan Syed, who was convicted of the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The four-part HBO docuseries from Oscar, Emmy and Bafta-nominated director Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil) follows on the success of the investigative journalism podcast Serial, which brought international attention to the trial and to Syed’s continued insistence that he did not kill Hae.

“As testament to a tragedy, Berg’s documentary was wrenching. As a quiet indictment of true crime and its ghastly razzmatazz, it was devastating,” says Daily Telegraph (UK)

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Reality

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The Amazing Race S31 | 10 April

It’s a reality showdown in the latest season of The Amazing Race, where eleven teams of contestants from past seasons of Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race compete against one another in a race across the globe, from the US to Japan, Uganda, Croatia, The Netherlands and the UK. With host Phil Keoghan and the $1m prize waiting for them, the teams face challenges from a 120m free-fall into the Gletscherschlucht Glacier in Switzerland, to fishing for prawns in Vietnam to… karaoke? 

The Amazing Race has scored 145 award nominations and 41 wins, including 15 Emmys.

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Also streaming on Showmax this April

1 April

Sanditon S1 | Hackerville S1 | Love Daily S1 | All Night S1 | Will & Grace S1-2 | Foursome S1 | Guidance S1-3 | Sisters | The Boss | The Hottie & The Nottie | First Kill

2 April

Chemo Club | LEGO Friends: Girls On A Mission S1-2 | Run as One 

4 April

Ray of Hope (Nollywood)

5 April

Open Scar (Nollywood) | Two Wrong (Nollywood)

6 April

Second Act | The Boy Next Door

9 April

A Million Ways To Die In the West | LEGO Ninjago: Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu S1 | The Last Word | The Sisters Brothers

11 April

Freedom (Nollywood) | Merry Go Round (Nollywood)

12 April

Rubicon (Nollywood) | Six Feet Too Far (Nollywood)

13 April

Robot Chicken S7-8  

16 April

Anon | A-X-L | Lucy

17 April

Mnakwethu S1

18 April

Seven and a Half Dates (Nollywood) | Turbulence (Nollywood)

19 April

Crumbling Cookies (Nollywood) | The Unsaid (Nollywood)

20 April

Army of One | Dead Trigger

23 April

J.T. Leroy | Mary Shelley | Ted 2 | Colette (2018)

25 April

Fatal Attraction (Nollywood) | No I Don’t (Nollywood)

26 April

New Money (Nollywood) | Sick Bait (Nollywood)

27 April

Drone | Megan Leavey

30 April

Brimstone | Extortion | Just Getting Started | Hey Duggee S3