Television
AS WE get into the swing of the festive season, two things happen.
Firstly, many regular series go on a break; and secondly, there is a ton of tinselly viewing focused on families and Christmas itself.
Just the other day, I was browsing through Explora Catch Up and found a channel filled with at least half a dozen of these titles, so if that’s what you want, off you go.
They’re not my taste, which leans more towards gritty dramas like The Deuce, which I’ve already binged on Showmax.
More about that in my round-up of the best (and perhaps the worst) of this year, on December 29.
The platform has plenty of alternative viewing for non-Christmas folk, as does Netflix.
Both come in handy while other favourites are on a break. However, here are some appropriate highlights on Showmax this month.
The Bible is a new title, which was nominated for three Emmys, including Outstanding Miniseries, among other awards. In 2013, it was Mark Burnett’s (Survivor etc) first scripted series.
He co-created it with Roma Downey (Touched By An Angel), who stars as Jesus’s mom, Mary.
The series covers Genesis to Revelation in “one grand narrative” within five two-hour parts, each containing two or three biblical stories told through live action and computer-generated imagery.
According to Burnett, it included “obvious” stories such as Noah’s Ark, the Exodus, and the life of (white) Jesus Christ. Five hours are taken from the Old Testament, and five from the New Testament, based on the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible.
For the young and the young at heart, watch Stick Man, animated in Cape Town by the award-winning Triggerfish studio. Stick Man lives in the family tree with his Stick Lady Love and their three stick children, and he’s on an epic adventure across the seasons. Stick Man was nominated for a Bafta, and has won numerous awards.
If you fancy compiling your own playlist, Friends season 7, episode 10 is The One with The Holiday Armadillo. Season 5, episode 11 of House is titled Joy To The World, in which Dr House (Hugh Laurie) is trying to be nice to his patients over the holiday season.
This is what we would call a losing battle, especially when a young woman who doesn’t know she’s pregnant comes in. And, yes, you guessed it – she swears she’s a virgin.
Six Feet Under is always worth a revisit. Find episode 8 of season 2 (It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year) in which each member of the Fisher family takes a moment to quietly remember their time with patriarch Nathaniel, on the first anniversary of his death.
Housekeeping: Trust Me, which has only just begun on M-Net 101 (Mondays at 8pm) to replace The Good Doctor, which is on hiatus, will itself be taking a two-week break. ‘Tis the season, as dedicated TV fans will know, which is a good reason to have at least one streaming service to take up the slack.
BBC Proms 2015: Seth Macfarlane Sings Sinatra will air on December 18 in this timeslot, and a Gwen Stefani Christmas Special on December 25. We’ll share more festive season programming in next Friday’s column.
The Good Doctor is due to return on January 1. Please note that all programming information is supplied by the channels and correct at time of going to print.
Boy Band (M-Net 101, 7pm): As if we don’t have enough of these already, here comes another reality competition show dedicated to the pretty boys. The 10-episode series is hosted by singer Rita Ora, who was a coach on the fourth season of The Voice UK in 2015 and, later that year, a judge on the 12th season of The X Factor. Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, the Spice Girls’ Emma Bunton and Timbaland serve as the “architects” who help guide the contestants throughout the series. Starlight Classics 2017: (M-Net 101, 5.30pm): Three South African tenors, Siyabonga Maqungo, July Zuma and Sunnyboy Dladla, returned to Joburg earlier this year to perform with Karen Zoid, Zolani Mahola and Lynelle Kenned; international trio NeuKlang; and The Drakensberg Boys Choir.
They were accompanied by the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Richard Cock and directed by Darren Hayward.
Village of the Damned (ID, Wednesday at 10pm): Just in case you’re suffering from an overdose of sugary sentimentality, here’s the antidote.
Cue dramatic sinister music: “for years darkness and murder has defined the community of the up-state New York suburb of Dryden”.
“Though some still find it hard to believe the reality they live in, those who have seen it are certain it’s a curse. This terrifying series tails events as far back as 1989, when a horrifying Christmas-time massacre claimed the lives of the Harris family.
As the shadow of murder clouds over the community, a chain of disappearances, abductions and dreadful violence leads the locals to believe their once-safe hometown is now the Village of the Damned.”