You have no idea!
At tvplus we watch an absurd amount of television. And while we might not like all of it, we do our best to give every show a fair viewing. But it’s not all work. We do get passionately attached to shows.
Streaming allows us to follow series and binge to our hearts’ delight, and also fit our favourite shows in around all the live TV viewing that we do professionally. It allows us to sit back with a sweet, funny pickme-up after reviewing intense dramas and thrillers on dark topics. And sometimes it just lets us switch off and enjoy for a moment when we’re neckdeep in season 4 of a twisty, detail-driven show with 40 different essential characters.
This issue, here’s what tvplus is watching for fun… and why.
Name: Genevieve Terblanche. Position: senior writer who’s finally watching that show I was told about three years ago.
I am watching: documentary Now (2015-2019), seasons 1-3 are on Amazon Prime Video.
Bill Hader as Oscar-obsessed producer Jerry Wallach.
My take on this show: each episode of this mockumentary uses an existing documentary as a starting point to parody not just the story, but the documentary genre and expose the different aspects of factual storytelling. The attention to detail is exquisite as the show recreates sets, scenes, costumes and even oldtime Hollywood photos seamlessly, but with a comic twist. Some doccies that might seem familiar include Grey Gardens (1975) spoof Sandy Passage (season 1 episode 1) and Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (2011) parody Juan Likes Rice & Chicken (season 2 episode 2).
My favourite moment so far: season 2’s parody of Hollywood producer Robert Evans’ 2002 documentary The Kid Stays In The Picture. The episode tattles on tinseltown stupidity as producer Jerry Wallach (Bill Hader) insists on casting a sexy starlet as a Holocaust survivor.
Why I am watching it now: dark comedy series Barry (seasons 1-2, 2018-now, on Showmax) got me back into series’ director and star Bill Hader’s work and I had to track this down! Familiar faces: it’s crammed with comedy greats, including sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (1975-now) stars
Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen.
Name: Lucia Poolman. Position: editor who gyms by chasing after a busybody toddler and lifting a newborn.
I am watching: true crime miniseries The Serpent (2020) on Netflix.
My take on this show: this biographical drama is set in the ’70s and tells the story of Charles Sobhraj (Tahar Rahim, FBI agent Ali Soufan in drama miniseries The Looming Tower, 2018), a serial killer in Bangkok, Thailand. He targets tourists, then uses their passports to travel the world with his lover. The wardrobe and set design team have done amazing work and you’re transported back in time, but the script and Tahar especially are flawless. Tahar casts a spell on you as this mercurial serial killer who pretends to be a nice guy.
My favourite moment so far: the very first time you see Charles – you instantly feel that he is someone very bad.
Why I am watching it now: I’d planned on watching it when it came out in January here but there was a little pregnancy pause – plus, it’s eight episodes so I took the gap when I had it. Familiar faces: Jenna Coleman (Queen Victoria in period drama series Victoria, 2016-2019) as Charles’ girlfriend, and Billy Howle (Caden in miniseries MotherFatherSon, 2019) and Ellie Bamber (Cosette in miniseries Les Misérables, 2018) as potential victims Herman and Angela Knippenberg.
Name: Andrea Lewis.
Position: (dead) tired scheduler. Insomnia is the devil’s work.
I am watching: seasons 1-2 of British dramedy After Life (2019-now) on Netflix. No release date yet for season 3.
My take on this show: after 25 years of marriage, newspaper writer Tony (Ricky Gervais, David in the UK version of comedy series The Office, 2001-2003) becomes a widower. Still grieving, he says and does whatever he likes, not caring how it will affects anyone. But he can’t hide the nice guy he really is. Tony wants to commit suicide but when he tries, his beloved dog is always there. I like the dry humour of the series but also that it shows the truth of how debilitating grief can be. My favourite moment so far: in season 1 episode 3, Tony squares off with a waitress on why it’s ridiculous that he can’t choose a kid’s meal. And Tony’s description of actor Kenneth Branagh (Kurt Wallander in British cop series Wallander, 2008-2016) is laugh-out-loud funny in this episode. Plus, the interviews with the locals are hilariously pathetic.
Why I am watching it now: I love snarky, irreverent Ricky Gervais – as himself. But I was pleasantly surprised by how heart-breaking he is in as a man who misses his wife terribly. Familiar faces: Penelope Wilton (Isobel Crawley in period drama series Downton Abbey, 20102019) is widow Anne.
Name: Ipeleng Rakgantsho. Position: a writer who utterly adores The Real Housewives franchise, local and international. The Real Housewives Of Durban ladies (2021, now on Showmax) came to slay all the way and I’m totally here for it!
I am watching: season 12 of talkshow The Wendy Williams Show, weekdays on BET (*129) at 10:15.
Wendy Williams spills all the celebrity tea in The Wendy Williams Show.
My take on this show: anyone can report celebrity gossip, but only a few can make it sound interesting while sitting on a purple couch and sipping green tea, which makes Wendy Williams stand out as a talkshow host. An episode feels like a catch-up session with an old friend who knows everything about fashion, lifestyle and the entertainment industry. Sometimes she hits below the belt, but that is what makes Wendy the queen of sensationalism. I also like that she doesn’t shy away from airing her own dirty laundry on the show.
My favourite moment so far: Wendy’s catchphrase always gets me. She dips her eyes and smears her lips, flicks her wrists and with her New Jersey accent, she utters: “How you doing?” Why I am watching it now: when there’s nothing interesting to watch and I need a good laugh, I’ll tune in.
Familiar faces: Wendy is the star of the show! But her producer Norman Baker, who serves as sort-of co-host, is a fan-favourite with his hilarious remarks.
Name: Craig Falck. Position: deputy editor who loves all cake – there’s no time for discrimination.
I am watching: season 1 of biographical comedy series Young Rock (2021-now) on DStv Catch Up – there will be a season 2.
My take on this show: former WWE star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Hobbs in action film Hobbs & Shaw, 2019) runs for US President in 2032. He’s looking back at his life, revealing how his youth – as the son of a wrestling star and member of a wrestling family – shaped him. It’s split into Dwayne at three ages: 10, 15 and 18-20 – and everything you’re seeing is the truth. This is an intimate look at things like him fighting in school, stealing clothes and the injuries that ended his NFL dreams during college.
My favourite moment so far: every flashback of his dad Rocky Johnson (Joseph Lee Anderson, Tony in 2018 in action show SWAT, 2017-now) with fellow WWE icons like Andre The
Giant and Macho Man Randy Savage – they’re simply amazing and reveal the people behind the wrestling personas.
Why I am watching it now: I’m in full comedy mode, having watched too many dramas in 2021 already. I’m also a lifelong WWE fan, so this is amazing! Familiar faces: Dwayne himself, and Randall Park (Luis Huang in biographical sitcom Fresh Off The Boat, 2015-2020) as a talkshow host version of himself. NB! See more on p47.
Name: Kashief Achmat. Position: scheduler in search of the perfect koesister recipe.
I am watching: Doccie miniseries Fear City: New York vs The Mafia (2002) on Netflix.
My take on this show: the mafia looks so cool and interesting in films like The Godfather (1972) and series like The Sopranos (1999-2007), but once you see the real impact the criminal organisation has had on people’s lives in this documentary, you realise that they’re nothing more than murderous, thieving gangsters who make everyone else’s lives a nightmare. This doccie shows you how a handful of old criminals managed to control an entire city while the FBI tried desperately to bring them to justice.
My favourite moment so far: they interview a few of the lawyers who brought these criminals to justice and they’re real characters! They seem so meek and nerdy looking, you’d never suspect they’d pull off something that monumental. Why I am watching it now: after watching The Sopranos again for the fifth time and going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole of searching up mobsters,
I gave the show a chance to feed more into my interest in La Cosa Nostra (The Sicilian Mafia). Familiar faces: if you’ve kept up with politics, you’ll see the slimy face of Rudy Giuliani show up in the show. Rudy is famous for being part of former US President Donald Trump’s personal legal team.
Name: Tumi Kunene.
Position: senior designer who’s worried about the coming winter. I’m not ready for the extra kilos around the hip area!
I am watching: comedy series The First Wives Club on 1Magic (*103) Wednesdays at 21:30 and on Catch Up.
My take on this show: let’s talk about girl power! Girl, you’ve earned it, it’s yours. It reminds me of the friends that I have, always there for each other.
But we don’t have problems like First Wives Club have. They are dealing with being cheated on and belittled in their marriages. My favourite moment so far: after Hazel (singer and actress Jill Scott, Lady Eve in 2018 and 2020 in superhero series Black Lightning, 2018-now) catches her husband Derek (Malik Yoba, Wavy in 2018 in comedy series The Last OG, 2018-now and JC Williams in cop drama series New York Undercover, 19941999) cheating on her, security foot-age of his tryst mysteriously leaks to the paparazzi. Hazel’s BFFs find out what happened through the news and they rush to her side to support her. And when they find the doorway packed with media, they use a high-rise window cleaner to get to Hazel’s apartment. Why I am watching it now: I saw “Jill Scott” and was sold. If you loved the 1996 film of the same name, you’ll love the series. Familiar faces: more eye candy as Mark Tallman (Greg in 2019 in The Last OG) plays David.