In South Africa, it’s a short work week, which means three days of potential relaxing couch time come Friday. To save you the ordeal of making a choice then, here now are our standout picks from Showmax’s August offerings.
Meanwhile, for the month’s complete streaming schedule, head here. And, away from scripted entertainment, don’t forget that the 2024/25 Premier League season kicks off this month (on Friday, 16 August in fact), and the Showmax Premier League Plan (mobile only, for R69 per month) has you covered with all 380 games live. Footie fans, enjoy!
Series
Before we single out new shows coming to Showmax in August, on the notable returning front, there’s Season 5 of anthology crime series Fargo – this time with Juno Temple and Jon Hamm – from Tuesday, 13 August; Season 2 of university-set comedy-drama Wyfie, which is considered South Africa’s Euphoria (back from 6 August very Tuesday); and you can binge Dr Death S2, this time centred on “Miracle Man” Paolo Macchiarini, from Monday, 19 August.
Fans of Big Little Lies, though, will want to check out Apples Never Fall, another mystery drama based on the work of author Liane Moriarty. Miniseries Apples Never Fall centres on Stan (Sam Neill) and Joy (Annette Bening), who have sold their successful tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. But then a wounded young woman knocks on their door. Jake Lacy and Alison Brie also star.
Binge all 7 episodes of Apples Never Fall from Monday, 12 August.
The Sympathizer is a highly acclaimed miniseries based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. In this Seventies-set drama, a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy learns that his espionage days aren’t over when he moves from Vietnam to Los Angeles. Coyboy Bebop’s Hoa Xuande stars while Robert Downey Jr. plays multiple parts, and Sandra Oh, David Duchovny, and John Cho all have key supporting roles.
Watch the 7-episode The Sympathizer on Mondays from 12 August at 21:00.
Another massively acclaimed wartime tale is The Tattooist of Auschwitz, a six-part drama inspired by the real-life story of Holocaust survivors Lali and Gita Sokolov. The film chronicles the love affair that developed between the couple (played by Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak) when they meet in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1942. They become determined to keep each other alive, no matter what. Also starring Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey.
Watch The Tattooist of Auschwitz on Mondays from 29 August.
Films
It’s a good month for movie debuts on Showmax, which also includes military actioner Land of Bad (available Monday, 19 August), possibly-so-bad-it’s-good Madame Web (Friday, 30 August), and smart horror parody The Blackening (Thursday, 22 August). As for what we recommend…
Evil Dead Rise didn’t get a South African cinema run so here’s locals’ first chance to watch the latest, and most successful, entry in the unhinged Evil Dead horror series, which was jump-started by iconic genre filmmaker Sam Raimi. In Evil Dead Rise, the skin-crawling action shifts from a cabin in the woods to a big city apartment block where demonic incantations put estranged-but-recently-reunited sisters Beth (Lily Sullivan) and Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), and Ellie’s children, at risk.
Stream Evil Dead Rise from today, Monday, 5 August.
Arguably the biggest horror hit of 2023 was Talk to Me out of Australia. Distributed by A24 and made by YouTubers turned filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, Talk to Me follows a group of teenage friends (led by breakout talent Sophie Wilde) who discover how to conjure and commune with spirits using an embalmed hand. They soon become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far, breaking the strict rules in place for a reason. Here’s our review.
Stream Talk to me from Thursday, 15 August.
On the prestige drama front (with some dark comedy), there’s May December, which re-teams filmmaker Todd Haynes with his Far From Heaven, Safe and Wonderstruck leading lady Julianne Moore, and adds Natalie Portman to the mix. Nominated for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s Oscars, May December sees Portman’s actress research an upcoming role by spending time with a married couple (Moore and Riverdale’s Charles Melton) whose 23-year age gap sparked a tabloid scandal two decades earlier.
Watch May December from Thursday, 29 August.
Finally, for something unusual out of South Africa, there’s raunchy romantic comedy Eksie Perfeksie. This Afrikaans-language Showmax Original (with English subtitles) sees introverted André (Pietie Beyers ) move in with his new girlfriend Dalene (Emma van Heyn), only to discover out that she’s still friends with all of her ex-boyfriends. Even worse, her relationships all follow the exact same pattern… Made by Corné Koegelenberg, the film is inspired by the likes of There’s Something About Mary and American Pie.
Stream Eksie Perfeksie from Friday, 9 August.
Documentaries
Formula One racing has always been high drama. That point is underlined by acclaimed documentary film Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy, which looks back at the infamous 1982 F1 season, where Ferrari teammates Gilles Villeneuve and Didier Pironi saw their friendship turn into a feud that would ultimately end in tragedy for both men. Made with the full cooperation of both families, the likes of Jacques Villeneuve, Alain Prost, and Sir Jackie Stewart, all weigh in.
Villeneuve Pironi: Racing’s Untold Tragedy comes to Showmax on Wednesday, 21 August.