Spring is officially around the corner in South Africa, and while that likely means more time outside, enjoying the warmer weather and a dialled-up social calendar, you do need chill time. Fortunately, Showmax has already unveiled their September line-up so you can set aside some couch sessions. You can find the full Showmax release calendar here, while below are our top picks for the month.
Series
On the series front, The Equalizer (binge from Monday, 23 September), and Fire Country (Friday, 27 September) are both back in September. Plus, if you missed their return, Bel Air Season 3 and Industry S3 are currently enjoying new episode drops every Monday.
However, arguably Showmax’s biggest score of the month is The Penguin, express out of the US. This epic crime drama is set after the events of Matt Reeves’s The Batman, and explores how mid-tier mobster Oz Cobblepot (AKA The Penguin) makes a play for the reins of Gotham’s crime world during the new power vacuum. Colin Farrell is back under heavy makeup as the title character, while also appearing are recognisable faces Cristin Milioti, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Kelly, Clancy Brown and Mark Strong.
Stream limited series The Penguin from 20:30 on Thursdays from 19 September.
The AIDS pandemic of the 80s has been tackled in several US films and series, but It’s a Sin, from Queer As Folk and Doctor Who’s Russell T. Davies looks at the crisis from a British perspective. Set in 1980s London, the miniseries (initially released in 2021) follows a group of friends coming of age in the shadow of AIDS, and in a society largely intolerant of their sexual orientation. Starring Olly Alexander, with Stephen Fry, Keeley Hawes, and Neil Patrick Harris as well.
Watch all five episodes of It’s a Sin from Wednesday, 11 September.
Limited series A Gentleman in Moscow, based on the best-selling novel by Amor Towles, delivers likeable stars in the form of Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Over the course of eight episodes, the tale follows Count Alexander Rostov (McGregor), who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, is confined to a Moscow hotel. Facing execution if he steps outside, the nobleman nonetheless discovers the true value of friendship, family and love.
Episodes of A Gentleman In Moscow come to Showmax every Monday at 20:30, from 9 September.
Films
Before we jump into our recommendations for the month, honorable mentions must go to slasher Thanksgiving (available from Monday, 2 September), R-rated dog comedy Strays (Thursday, 26 September) and Headspace, a homegrown animated adventure about an alien invasion, that you can watch from Thursday, 19 September. Moving on, though…
Honestly, we’d never heard of LGBTQ+ romantic comedy Bros until it popped up here. However, the tale of two mismatched gay men who maybe, possibly, probably, are stumbling towards love looks incredibly sharp and sweet. Four-time Emmy-nominee Billy Eichner (who also co-wrote this 2022 movie) and Luke Macfarlane star.
Stream Bros from Monday, 2 September.
Need another engrossing biopic about a 20th Century music icon? Delivering the goods is Bob Marley: One Love, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the Reggae legend, with Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) as Marley’s wife – and backing vocalist – Rita. The film explores how Marley’s message of love and unity inspired generations, but also put him in the firing line. Literally.
Catch Bob Marley: One Love from Monday, 16 September.
Nominated for five Oscars this year, including Best Picture, The Holdovers is the latest acclaimed effort from Sideways, Election and The Descendants filmmaker Alexander Payne. In this comedy drama, set in 1970, Paul Giamatti is a disliked prep school teacher forced to remain on campus over the holidays with the school’s grieving cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) and an abandoned student (Dominic Sessa).
Stream The Holdovers from Monday, 16 September.
Still talking movie-making auteurs, Wes Anderson fans can check out Asteroid City. In this quirky period comedy (with meta leanings), young space enthusiasts, and their families, gather in a desert town, only for the event to be disrupted by world-changing events. It’s an Anderson film, so the all-star cast includes Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Jeffrey Wright, Margot Robbie, and that’s just to start.
Watch Asteroid City from Monday, 23 September.
Documentaries
Not to be confused with the scripted miniseries (also from HBO), Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes is a 2022 documentary film that draws on never-before-seen archival footage and real-life accounts to explore what really happened when the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded in Soviet Ukraine in 1986. In addition to the horrifying tragedy itself, the documentary delves into the lengths to which the Russian government went to cover up the incident.
Watch Chernobyl: The Lost Tapes from Wednesday, 18 September.