Netflix is gearing up for some of its busiest months since entering Sub-Saharan Africa. A few weeks after unveiling a packed schedule of upcoming Nollywood releases, the streamer has shared a slate of short and medium term plans in South Africa, from commissioned films and TV series to deals with filmmakers. The announcements were made at MIP Africa, which is part of FAME Week Africa, currently ongoing in Cape Town. In the panel titled ‘See What’s Next on Netflix’, a handful of returning TV shows and newly commission titles were teased.

Headlining the set of returning shows is ‘Blood & Water’, the young adult series that’s delivered three seasons and has gotten better with each new batch of episodes. Its renewal was announced earlier this year, and the fourth season is set to premiere in early 2024. Also making a return next year, for its third season, is the reality show ‘Young, Famous & African’, which gathers a cast of pan-African superstars for frivolous drama. Completing the list of renewed shows is ‘Savage Beauty’, the family-rooted mystery drama which debuted in 2022 and is expected to return next year.

 

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Of the slate of upcoming titles, the earliest release is the young adult series, ‘Miseducation’, which will premiere next Friday, September 15. The series will follow Mbali Hadebe (Buntu Petse), a first year varsity looking to reform her life in the aftermath of the shameful exposure of her mother’s corrupt dealings. It’s helmed by Burnt Onion Production, the studio behind the Netflix hit comedy drama show, ‘How to Ruin Christmas’, which ran for three seasons.

Slated for late 2023, BBZEE Production’s ‘Yoh’ Christmas’ will be looking to either match or surpass the acclaim of Burnt Onion’s acclaimed, holiday season show. Before then, the third instalment in writer and director Jayan Woodley’s ‘Kandasamys’ film franchise will drop on October 20. Netflix acquired the licensing rights to the first two films in the family-rooted drama, and has now commissioned ‘Kandasamys: The Baby’, which was shot in South Africa and Mauritius, as an exclusive.

Also part of a franchise, ‘The Ultimatum: South Africa’, a regional spinoff of the Netflix reality series which features couples at a crossroads in their relationship where they either have to commit to tying the knot or go separate ways. News of the reality show hit the internet around this time last year, with a tentative premiere date for this year, however, there’s no concrete release schedule just yet.

 

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Rounding out the rest of the slate are two films, both set to drop in the first quarter of 2024. ‘Soweto Love Story’ is a romantic comedy set in the heart of Johannesburg’s famous township, and ‘Heart of the Hunter’ is a spy thriller based on the book by Deon Meyer. The latter is directed by Mandla Dube, who entered a multi-project partnership deal with Netflix, following the release of last year’s Apartheid-era action thriller, ‘Silverton Siege’.

As Dube’s partnership deal unfolds, the streamer has also shared several partnerships with filmmakers and production houses, most of whom have delivered commissioned work for Netflix. Nigerian-born Akin Omotoso (‘The Brave Ones’) and Ochre media have been tapped for a multiple-title book adaptation; Donovan Marsh (‘iNumber Number: Jozi Gold’) is set for a 3-film partnership; Gambit Films (‘Blood & Water’ ‘Unseen’), Stained Glass Productions and Black Brain Pictures will produce multiple films and TV series.

Alongside multi-title deals with Nigerian filmmakers like Mo Abudu, Kunle Afolayan and Kemi Adetiba, Netflix is clearly playing the long game and looking far into the future.

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