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International series 

Friends: The Reunion 

Ladies and gentlemen, can we have an OMG? (And all the tissues!) It’s Friends: The Reunion! Also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together”, the two-hour TV special is coming to Showmax, fresh from the US! The special will premiere on M-Net exclusive to DStv on Sunday, 30 May at 20:00 and will be available on Showmax from Monday, 31 May 2021.

Friends stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, along with some special guests, return to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show. Stream from 31 May. 

Mare of Easttown | Binge from 1 June

HBO’s latest drama Mare of Easttown stars Oscar winner Kate Winslet as small-town detective Mare Sheehan, who must investigate a murder while trying – and failing – to keep her life from falling apart. “Winslet is utterly mesmeric, shorn of any glamour,” says the Times (UK), while Time calls the show, “poignant, richly observed.” The series has a 92% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Binge from 1 June »

Rick and Morty S5 

Rick and Morty Season 5 is here, and Rick Sanchez is back! The sociopathic genius scientist lives with his daughter Beth’s family, constantly bringing her, his son-in-law Jerry, granddaughter Summer, and timid grandson Morty on insanely dangerous adventures across the multiverse.

Rick and Morty won its second Emmy in three years in 2020 and is the second highest-rated animated series of all time on IMDb, behind only Avatar: The Last Airbender (also on Showmax). It’s one of the most-binged series on Showmax, with all previous seasons available to stream. New episodes weekly from 21 June, coming first to Showmax »

Younger S7 

For six seasons, Younger has kept fans guessing: will Liza choose Charles or Josh? Now, in Season 7, she’s going to have to decide once and for all, because, not only has Charles proposed, but it’s the final season… (Although, advance warning, the trailer suggests there’s a third option: surf legend Kai Manning).

Younger has a 99% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The New York Times hailing it in April 2021 as “escapism at its fantastical best.” Binge the whole season first on Showmax from 11 June 2021. In the meantime, binge S1-6 »

The Walking Dead S10

Based on Robert Kirkman’s hit comics, The Walking Dead is the definitive zombie show, having won 78 awards globally, including Emmy, People’s Choice and Critics Choice awards.  The final six episodes – delayed by the pandemic – will finally hit our screens on 4 June. 

Season 10 has an 83% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus is: “A few changes in front of and behind the camera allow The Walking Dead to create space for compelling new stories and some seriously scary new adversaries.” Watch the final episodes, plus all the back seasons, first on Showmax from 4 June »

Betty S2 

HBO comedy Betty follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through New York’s predominantly male-orientated skateboarding scene. The comedy stars Dede Lovelace, Moonbear, Nina Moran, Ajani Russell, and Rachelle Vinberg. 

Betty has a 97% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where Season 1 was the fourth best-reviewed young adult series of 2020. As the critics consensus there puts it: “Earnest, audacious, and effortlessly cool, Betty captures the spirit of skating and friendship with style.” New episodes on Mondays from 14 June »

Into the Dark S2 

In this horror anthology from Oscar-nominated producer Jason Blum (Us, Get Out), each episode is inspired by a holiday, from Halloween to Thanksgiving, Christmas to New Year’s Eve. Look out for the likes of Judy Greer (Ant-man), Dermot Mulroney (August: Osage County), and Harvey Guillén (Guillermo in What We Do In The Shadows). Binge from 1 June »

Charmed S3 

This teen favourite reboot of the popular original series follows three sisters: Macy, Mel and Maggie. Following the death of their mother, they discover they are a powerful trio of good witches known as the Charmed Ones. Watch S1-2 and episodes 1-10 of S2 now, and episodes 11-14 from 28 June »

International movies 

The Outpost

The Outpost is Rotten Tomatoes’ second-best-reviewed Action and Adventure film of 2020, with a 93% critics’ rating. It’s based on a true story and, as the critics’ consensus says, “Told with gripping realism, The Outpost is a thrilling technical feat and a worthy tribute to military heroes.” 

As members of a small team of American soldiers outnumbered by the Taliban in Afghanistan, Orlando Bloom and Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott Eastwood, co-star with Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). From 21 June. 

Richard Jewell 

AFI’s Movie of the Year for 2020, Richard Jewell is the true story of the security guard who was hailed as a hero after finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta bombing, but then became the FBI’s number one suspect, vilified by press and public alike, his life ripped apart. 

Paul Walter Hauser plays Jewell, while Kathy Bates was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe as his mother. Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde co-star. Directed by Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell was hailed as “unforgettable” by The Observer. From 3 June, first on Showmax. 

The DC Universe Collection

Superhero fans, rejoice! Christopher Nolan’s brilliant Dark Knight Trilogy is coming to Showmax. Stream all three movies, along with Man of Steel, Green Lantern, Shazam!, Birds of Prey and Aquaman, for a DC Universe mega binge. From 10 June. 

The High Note 

2020 music drama The High Note sees a superstar singer and her overworked personal assistant presented with a choice that could alter the course of their respective careers. It stars Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross, who was nominated for a 2020 People’s Choice Award and a Black Reel Award for her role as R&B singer and mega-star Grace Davis. FilmWeek calls it, “an enchanting and escapist summer movie … with so much love of music in its soul.” From 17 June. 

Also watch:

• Groundbreaking award winner Brokeback Mountain, from 3 June.
• The Blind Side, the movie that got Sandra Bullock her Oscar, from 3 June.
• A killer ensemble cast in comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting, from 3 June.
• SA-filmed Blood Diamond, from 7 June.
• Oscar-nominated action classic Eraser from 7 June.
• Robert Downey Jr in both Sherlock Holmes movies from 21 June.
• Gravity, one of the most successful sci-fi films of all time, and winner of seven Oscars, from 24 June.

South African 

Pearls of Wisdom

Nhlakanipho is a talented young girl with a big dream: to be an actress. The Johannesburg School of the Arts could be the key to her future. But it’s up to Nhlakanipho to come into her own as a young woman and as a performer if she’s to succeed. Will she find her voice or lose it in the crowd? 

The film stars Amina Jack (Isibaya’s Thokozani), SAFTA winner Linda Sokhulu (Still Breathing), International Emmy nominee Lerato Mvelase (Life), Makgofe Moagi (Skeem Saam) and Thabiso Ramotshela (The River). Stream from 14 June, first on Showmax. 

Becoming S1 

In the new local reality series Becoming, four participants grapple with what it means to be trans in South Africa today. Follow each of their stories as they unpack their past and the many challenges they have faced living in the wrong body, before sitting down with their respective families to tell them who they really are inside. Binge from 30 June 2021. 

Documentary 

The Day Sports Stood Still  

This HBO documentary film tells the story of the unprecedented sports shutdown in March 2020 and the events that followed. Emmy-winning director Antoine Fuqua (What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali) chronicles the abrupt stoppage due to Covid-19, how top athletes made their voices heard in the cultural and political reckoning on racial injustice in America, and the complex return to competition as the sports world tries to find its new normal. ‌Stream from 1 June, first on Showmax. 

Our Towns 

Amidst the turbulence and division of recent years in America’s history, HBO’s Our Towns finds a different story: the tale of eight towns across the US where communities are experiencing positive change. It has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the Washington Post saying, “As an exercise in sincerity, fellowship and earnest inquiry, it might be the most subversive movie in circulation right now.” Stream from 1 June. 

KIDS

Looney Tunes Cartoons S1 

Warner Bros. and HBO Max are bringing back one of the best things on TV ever – Looney Tunes Cartoons! And they’re daffier, crazier, and loonier than ever, with Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety, the Road Runner and other favourites up to their old antics with hilarious misadventures inspired by the original classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. It has four stars on Common Sense Media, where it’s recommended for ages 7+. Binge from 25 June. 

Four Kids and It 

 Based on the classic novel Five Children and It and the 2012 version, Four Children and It, this delightful adventure movie follows the Trent children who, while on holiday, discover a creature with magical powers. Russell Brand steals the show as the villain, while Michael Caine is the voice of the wish-granting creature, Psammead. Watch from 24 June. DM/ML

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