October brings new seasons of quality series like HBO’s award winner Succession, plus more brand-new series and movies to enjoy on Showmax.
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Succession S3 | First on Showmax
Succession, winner of Best Drama at both the Emmys and Golden Globes in 2020, follows four very rich siblings behaving very badly while trying to win their father’s approval – and control of his company, a global media and entertainment empire.
The multiple award-winning cast is joined in Season 3 by Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård, as Logan begins the season in a perilous position.
The Hollywood Reporter calls Succession “one of television’s best dramas, a searing, funny and painfully true look at wealth, power and family.” Catch up on Succession S1-2 here, and watch Season 3 first on Showmax on Mondays from 18 October, express from the US.
Resident Alien S1 | First on Showmax
Resident Alien is a murder mystery sci-fi dramedy that follows Harry, an alien played by Alan Tudyk (Rogue One) who crash lands on Earth and passes himself off as a human small-town doctor. Harry’s intended mission – to kill all humans – is complicated when he’s roped into solving a murder and starts to get to know his neighbours.
Resident Alien has a 94% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The Los Angeles Times writing, “We are in Spielberg country here… Tudyk… is in fine form as an alien in ill-fitting human clothing, getting the hang of laughter and sex… I smiled, I laughed, I cared.” Binge now »
The L Word: Generation Q S2 | First on Showmax
In this sequel to the ground-breaking 2004-2009 series, Jennifer Beals, Kate Moennig and Leisha Hailey reprise their original roles alongside a new generation of diverse, self-possessed LGBTQIA+ characters as they take on love, heartbreak, sex, setbacks and success in L.A.
The first season got an 80% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says Generation Q “has style and charm to spare and announces a new phase for The L Word that will please new and old fans alike.” Binge from 14 October.
Chucky | First on Showmax
A vintage Good Guy doll turns up at a suburban yard sale, throwing an idyllic American town into chaos as a series of horrifying murders begins to expose the town’s hypocrisies and secrets. The brand-new series picks up after the events of the seventh film in the horror franchise, Cult of Chucky.
Plenty of familiar faces – and voices – return, including Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky, and Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay. Episodes 1-3 coming 27 October, with weekly episodes thereafter.
INTERNATIONAL MOVIES
Saint Frances | First on Showmax
Saint Frances follows a deadbeat nanny who finds an unlikely friendship with the six-year-old girl she’s charged with protecting. It has a 99% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which named it their second best-reviewed comedy of 2020. As Rolling Stone says, “What looks like a throwaway about a precocious kid and her nanny is actually one of the best and gutsiest movies you’ll find anywhere these pandemic days – a fun-time trailblazer that retains its rough edges to that last. It’s some kind of miracle.” Stream from 11 October.
Unpregnant
In the girl buddy road-trip comedy-drama Unpregnant, 17-year old Veronica’s dreams for the future hang in the balance after she accidentally falls pregnant. Unable to get an abortion in her home state of Missouri, she turns to her former best friend Bailey to help her get to Albuquerque. Haley Lu Richardson (Five Feet Apart) and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) co-star.
Nominated for a 2021 GLAAD Media Award, it has a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “Unpregnant puts a compelling twist on the road trip comedy – and treats its sensitive subject with heart.” Stream from 14 October.
Summerland
Set in an idyllic South England seaside village, British drama Summerland sees a reclusive writer reluctantly taking in a young evacuee from London during World War II. This moving tale of womanhood, love and friendship stars Gemma Arterton and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Motherless Brooklyn) alongside some British legends.
Empire Magazine says, “Arterton triumphs again and Swale marks herself as a director to watch. Summerland successfully combines an intelligent feminist fable and a lesbian love story with a slick period tearjerker.” Stream from 11 October.
Also watch:
- Hell or High Water (2016): Chris Pine leads this drama about two brothers who resort to crime to save the family farm. 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with four Oscar nominations. 7 October.
- Sometimes, Always, Never (2018): Bill Nighy as a tailor looking for his long-lost son. 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and a formidable cast. 7 October.
- Lethal Weapon 1,2 and 3: Mel Gibson and Danny Glover made this comedy cop franchise one of the original and best. 7 October.
- The Secrets We Keep (2020): A woman takes revenge on her neighbour whom she believes is guilty of war crimes. 21 October.
- What They Had (2018): A daughter (Hilary Swank) copes with ailing parents in this drama that scored 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
LOCAL
Black Tax S2 | BET Africa and Showmax Original Sitcom
Just when you think you’re finally making your way in this world, think again, because it’s payback time from the first paycheque with Black Tax.
With six SAFTA nominations (including for Best Comedy) and a win for Best Scriptwriting, the popular BET Africa and Showmax Original sitcom Black Tax is back for a second season of laugh-out-loud hilarity as career-woman and single mom Thuli Dlamini tries to keep up with paying her dues to her family, who supported her journey to success. Stream from 9 October.
Toorbos
South Africa’s official entry to the 2021 Oscars, Toorbos is an adaptation of the beloved Dalene Matthee love story about the uprooting of Karoliena Kapp, one of the last forest dwellers in Knysna in the 1930s.
As Karoliena, Elani Dekker was nominated for a 2021 SAFTA for Best Actress, with Variety praising her “fine, quiet” performance and comparing her “guileless poise” to a “younger Keira Knightley”. Toorbos was nominated for nine SAFTAs, with writer-director Rene van Rooyen winning Best Script and Andries Smit best score. Stream from 21 October.
Triggered
Triggered follows nine former high school friends who celebrate their five-year reunion camping in a forest. Terror strikes when they wake up with bombs strapped to their chests, all with varying times on their countdown clocks… and the only way to survive: by “stealing” time from one another. 2021 SAFTA winner, directed and co-written by Alastair Orr (Axis Mundi). 11 October.
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