Your Kenyan binge-watch playlist

Yes, Olivia Pope is great and all, but have you ever come across a brilliant Kenyan show and wondered why you hadn’t discovered it sooner? Well, your search ends here because Showmax has the best selection of authentic local shows – from comedies to dramas to thrillers and everything in between. Get comfortable, your bingeing starts now.

Comedies

Varshita

The relationship between Varshita (Eve D’Souza) and Donovan (Maqbul) is the kind that relationship columns warn you about. Theirs is a toxic relationship that just keeps getting worse every time they are in a room together. In this Auntie Boss spin-off, we follow these two “lovebirds” as they enter a more serious relationship that somehow leads to marriage without consent from the groom or any of their family members. It’s a hilarious ride from there as Donovan tries to dissolve the marriage while Varshita channels all her craziness to make it work. If you like Varshita, you will definitely enjoy Auntie Boss – the series that gave birth to the spin-off. S1-7 is streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

Sue na Jonnie

With her imposing presence, Catherine Kamau can do no wrong when put in front of a camera – from her recent show-stealing performance in Tosh Gitonga’s Disconnect to her award-winning role in Sue na Jonnie. In this dramatic comedy series, Catherine plays Sue, a street-smart character who will do anything to get her daughter back even if it means becoming a girlfriend for hire. Sue finds herself in a dramatic mistaken identity twist when she is hired by Martin Githinji’s Jonnie to play his girlfriend after he lands a lucrative job meant for somebody else with the same name. Sue na Jonnie is now streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

For more authentic Kenyan comedies, catch Jela 5-Star also streaming on Showmax.

Thrillers

Maza

The dramatic thriller Maza takes you to the coastal town of Mombasa where anything is possible, for instance the family cat you see running around the house might just be a long-lost relative everyone thought was dead. Such is the fate of Lea who is thought to be dead after she mysteriously disappears. But as it turns out, Kate (Lea’s best friend) becomes so jealous of her good life that she turns her into the family cat – I swear I’m not making this stuff up – and steals her life. Maza is now streaming on Showmax. If you like Maza you will also like the drama-packed Swahili series Huba, also streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

New Beginnings

The romance-thriller-drama New Beginnings is the story of a man left behind by life when he goes into a five-year coma. When he wakes up from his coma, Sean (played by Neville Misati) finds himself in an odd predicament that no man should ever have to go through – his wife is now married to his best friend and the people around him (even his own brother – Mugambi Nthiga) will go to great lengths to make it stay that way. New Beginnings is streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

Drama

Selina

Brought to life by director Reuben Odanga, the Cinderella-esque Swahili telenovela Selina is arguably the show of the year. Newcomer Celestine Gachuhi plays the titular role of Selina, a humble village girl whose luck seems to run out when she’s is sold off by her jealous stepmom to work as a housemaid in the city. And so begins a bittersweet tale of love as she finds herself in a star-crossed romance with her rich boss’ son Nelson (Pascal Tokodi). Also watch out for familiar faces like Sense8 and Mali alumnus Abel Amunga and New Beginnings‘ Kone Nouhoum. Selina S1 is now streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

Rueben Odanga seems to be the master of star-crossed-romance storylines: catch his other hit Swahili telenovela Saida, also streaming on Showmax.

For more Kenyan dramas, don’t forget to check out How to Find a Husband, Stay, and Wrath also on Showmax.

Reality shows

Stori Yangu

Forget the Twitter-published authors and sensational bloggers for a second and go beyond the headlines to the stories that shaped your favourite celebrities. Stori Yangu brings you the story you never knew as told by the celebrities themselves – their struggles, failures, heartaches and sacrifices that defined their journey to success. From inspirational stories like how Caroline Mutoko became the voice of a generation to Bahati’s meteoric rise to fame, Stori Yangu season 1 is now streaming on Showmax. Watch now »

Our Perfect Wedding

Our Perfect Wedding answers the question no wedding show in Kenya is willing to confront: what actually happens behind the scenes in creating a perfect wedding? It is not secret that planning a successful wedding is not a walk in the park – sometimes things don’t go according to plan. And then there are those aunties who always want to take over and uncles who have certain demands to be met before they release “their daughter” to her would-be husband. Our Perfect Wedding doesn’t shy away from presenting the reality of weddings even as it shows their beautiful side. Stream it now on Showmax. Watch now »

From the makers of Stori Yangu and Our Perfect Wedding, Young Rich is also streaming on Showmax.

Start watching now »