TV

The second season shows more grounded storytelling and character focus, signalling improvement after a chaotic first season.

A journalist takes on a powerful organ trafficking syndicate to save his daughter.

From features and shorts to TV series, here’s a running list of Kenyan films and TV shows to anticipate in 2026.

A talented young footballer is pulled back into the game he loves and a life he thought he had escaped.

A charming playboy's world is turned upside down when a mysterious curse transforms him into a woman.

Bad Influencer is Breaking Bad if the six slow-burn seasons were squeezed into seven fast-paced episodes.

Five cities, eight housewives, one ultimate girls trip. The Showmax Original The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa brings together some of the most unforgettable women from across the continent for a...

A sugarcane mogul has his eyes set on politics but when ghosts from his past resurface, his polished image begins to unravel.

Launched in 2022, Single Kiasi is the longest-running Showmax Original in Kenya.

In S2, show cuts back on its risqué appeal, focusing more on sprawling storylines and character turmoil.

Lerato Mvelase anchors a tense yet uneven story where faith, survival and morality collide.

The six-part series is directed by Omotoso, Matshepo Maja and Jono Hall, and produced by Quizzical Pictures.

Three seasons in, the show has made clear strides in cohesion and technical execution.

It follows the tumultuous lives of two brothers who find themselves at a crossroads after a tragic accident.

It follows a teenage orphan who discovers her divine powers and her destiny to save the ancient kingdom of Yorubaland.

'MTV Shuga Mashariki' filters reality through such exaggerated spectacle, it edges into parody.

The 'Rafiki' helmer is one of the directors of the eight episode series, which stars and is executive produced by Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown.

Makena Kahuha, Basil Mungai, Fridah Mumbe, Serah Wanjiru and more lead the new Kenyan franchise set to premiere in May.

The show embraces the messy realities of late adolescence with refreshing authenticity.

Shaka iLembe S2 picks up as Shaka begins his reign as the new Zulu king.

Jimmi Gathu stars as a once-powerful businessman, newly released from prison, who runs a clandestine empire while trying to rebuild his life.

The show joins the long line of formulaic, corporate-induced incarnations of Kenyan drama.

With sex shoehorned into almost every scene to “keep it spicy,” the show ends up as a flaccid and often disconcerting attempt at eroticism.

A powerful family must navigate secrets, betrayal, and power struggles after their patriarch's mysterious death.

Kicking off with thrill and action, the show loses momentum, ultimately weighed down by overused crime tropes and predictable storytelling.

Zawadie uncovers family secrets and is drawn into a world of crime by her boyfriend's dangerous double life.

It follows four men who, despite their chaotic personal lives, find friendship, love and perseverance in Nairobi’s concrete jungle.  

Even with its faults, 'Subterranea' shows great promise as Kenya's bold foray into science fiction and speculative storytelling.

Helmed by multi-award-winning director Likarion Wainaina, known for 'Supa Modo'.

Despite a shaky start and repetitive storytelling, this season finally ventures into bold and uncharted territory as it reaches its conclusion.

Susan, Sonal and Lisa exit The Real Housewives of Nairobi as three new housewives join the much-anticipated second season coming in May.

"We're throwing the girls into the deep end", 'Single Kiasi' director on S3

From the producers of 'Justice Served' and 'Fatal Seduction', 'Soon Comes Night' follows a former freedom fighter turned heist king.

The actor gives a multi-layered, scene-stealing performance as the immutable thug Castro in Tosh Gitonga's musical drama series on Netflix.

From the makers of 'Shaka iLembe', this eight-part thriller follows a journalist-turned-publicist who is approached by an imprisoned serial killer to tell his story.

This music drama follows a young musician from humble beginnings who gets entangled in dubious dealings while chasing his dream.

The actor, best known for 'Crime and Justice' and 'Mother-in-Law', is venturing behind the scenes as voice director and casting director.

The South African crime drama will return for season 2 in January 2024.

Showmax series 'Spinners' packs more within eight episodes than most shows could in five seasons or more.

Showmax contemporary Western series 'Outlaws' is a show that will entertain many, and dazzle fans of telenovelas but bore those of Westerns.

Set in a fictional East African city, the series is led by Junior Nyong'o as the titular Twende and June Gachui is his unlikely sidekick Nuru.

The dating reality series follows four South African women looking for a Nigerian man to date and hopefully marry.

From 'The River Between' to 'Drunk' to 'Dust', here are Kenyan books that would make great movies and TV shows.

Filled with a lot of redundant scenes, Kenyan crime drama 'Faithless' fails to add enough to its compelling premise.

After a record-breaking first season, 'The Real Housewives of Lagos' returns to Showmax in September.

This South African historical epic drama is an ambitious project that transcends entertainment while having it as top priority.

South African series 'Spinners' is the first African series ever selected in competition at Canneseries.

After a public humiliation, a wannabe influencer enrols in a small-town university where she aspires to regain her social status.

In the lawless border between Lesotho and KwaZulu-Natal, a cattle-farming Zulu family faces off against a cattle-raiding Basotho family.

For the viewers who lie to themselves, claiming to be there for the plot, it’s not the 'Titanic', but it’s not half bad either.

If you’re looking for some good television, here are some gems to check out from around the continent.

Four teenage girls become superheroes in a neo-futuristic Lusaka.

When four friends stumble upon the proceeds of a robbery, they are forced into a dilemma that challenges their values.

A married professor is pulled into a passionate affair with a younger man, leading to betrayal and tragedy.

A lot of strong themes are tossed around, but none ever outlasts its welcome to encroach on the next.

There isn’t much to be said about a show that doesn’t notice itself making fun of itself.

Netflix releases explosive trailer for the second season of its African reality series 'Young, Famous & African.'

Set in the 1700s, the epic historical drama tells the story of the making of the iconic African King Shaka Zulu.

Kenya's 'Crime and Justice' lacks the very thing that elevates 'Lagos' - authenticity, which makes one wonder if it was really made for us.

Somehow, despite the clear degeneration of plot, 'Mpakani' manages to hold ones interest vaguely to the very end.

The series is filled with all the clichés and tropes that define the genre, everything that any good show would try to steer clear of.

Vera Sidika, Minne Kariuki, Susan Kaittany, Sonal Maherali and Lisa Christoffersen are the lavish housewives in this latest African franchise.

'Pepeta' embraces what it is from the start, a drama intending to probe the duality of the lives of children raised in the hardships of Kibera.

Blood & Water and Far From Home both bear similarities to the Spanish hit Elite. But who did it better?

The third and latest season of the South African hit series is by far the best of the bunch.

It wasn't a very complex premise they were working with, and the show's laziness attempted to make it even less complex.

Every single stage of this production seems to have been confused, or rushing it, or doing it for the money.

Pepeta follows the intertwining story of a young footballer, an unforgiving cop and an ambitious coach.

This show is far too textbook, far too tame, far too indulgent, meandering, predictable and far too boring. 

Nini Wacera returns to our screens after a long time with her role in 'Country Queen.' But for her, this is not a comeback.

Chris is an amalgam of Professor Higgins and Caligula, an intelligent monster, and getting into his character was a form of catharsis.

Audiences simply aren’t treated often enough to this level of gloss and polish. Because of that, even flaws appear as charming quirks to us. 

What works in this show is most of it; and any elements that don’t, hardly seem to matter, if they exist at all in the first place.

Melissa Kiplagat chats to Churchill Osimbo about her days in school, starring in 'Country Queen' and more.

What the filmmakers got right were the ideas and themes, and where they failed, were the devilish details in these ideas and themes.

'Country Queen' is a series with potential to soar to unimaginable heights, and there are high expectations from viewers for future seasons.

'Igiza' tries to make the entire script more adept to the Kenyan audience, but greatly fails in making the story logical and impactful.

It’s not every day that you see an actor playing two roles on the same TV show in Kenya, let alone to the level of perfection that Serah Ndanu Teshna...

In the Showmax thriller 'Igiza', Kevin Samuel plays an ambitious schemer with insatiable greed, acting alongside Serah Ndanu.

The actor is having the time of his life playing the vengeance-seeking Dom in the Showmax Original thriller series Igiza. 

A story of revenge between twin sisters set against the backdrop of Nairobi’s fashion industry and the money laundering business.

'Selina' revived the almost forgotten genre and paved the way for other, similar projects that were to follow.

In his most recent screen act, the actor taps into his darkness and Hannibal Lecter to play 'Crime and Justice's' latest villain.

Season two will amp up the stakes as it take a deeper look into the justice system, and the powers that control it.

None of Brian Ogola's previous roles have pushed him out of his comfort zone like Reagan Mackenzie.

Njoro’s life is a reflection of our struggles as Kenyans, but even at our lowest, we have a way of finding humour in most situations.