What to watch on Showmax this June

There’s plenty of brand-new international series coming to Showmax in June that you won’t find anywhere else, like Motherland: Fort Salem, Miracle Workers starring Daniel Radcliffe, and brand-new Gen-Z skater drama Betty. Fans of Billions will be delighted that season five is here, and if that’s you, check out Devils while you’re at it, based on a book about investment bankers, starring Patrick Dempsey.

Best of Kenyan Entertainment

If you haven’t discovered Kina and Kovu, two local productions from Maisha Magic that have arrived on Showmax now is the time. There’s also a new season of Selina, Nyanya Rukia, Hullabaloo and Huba, plus new episodes of Njoro wa Uba and Pete. 

Date My Family | 15 June (10 episodes)

One of the cornerstones of the new Maisha Magic Plus channel, the Kenyan edition of popular dating reality show Date My Family, promises laughter and surprises as bachelors and bachelorettes “interview” their prospective dates’ friends and families. Based on how the interviews go, they then select a special someone for a romantic date.

Our Perfect Wedding S10 | 15 June

Say “I do” to another sublime season of Kenya’s sweetest nuptials, as lovebirds navigate their way through cake tastings, dress fittings and family tensions to tie the knot in style.

Dadasphere collection | 25 June

The word “dada” means sister in Swahili and dadasphere is a playful combination of dada and atmosphere. At each event, five dadas give 15-minute talks on a topic relevant to the modern women of Africa, who are intrepid, brilliant and live fascinating lives. They are educated, well-travelled, and more confident than their mothers and grandmothers. They are an interesting blend of African tradition, colonial heritage and the Africa she believes possible.

International Series 

Motherland: Fort Salem S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from 1 June 

Fantasy drama Motherland: Fort Salem is set in an alternate America where witches ended their persecution by cutting a deal with the government to fight for the country. The series follows three young women as they fight terrorist threats with supernatural tactics. 

Devils S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from 1 June

Golden Globe nominee Patrick Dempsey (McDreamy in Grey’s Anatomy) and Alessandro Borghi, who’s won acting awards at Venice and Berlin, co-star in this adaptation of the bestselling book by Italian trader Guido Maria Brera – an insider’s look at the world of millionaire bankers.

The series centres on Massimo Ruggero, a charismatic and fearless Italian banker. With a stellar track record on the London trading floor of investment powerhouse NYL Bank, Massimo is a shoo-in for promotion to vice-CEO. But when Massimo’s fiercest rival, Edward Stuart, turns up dead, Massimo finds himself under suspicion and uncovers a vast political game plan orchestrated by the devils who rule the world’s financial fate.

Miracle Workers S1 | First on Showmax | Binge from 1 June

When God (Golden Globe winner Steve Buscemi from Fargo and Boardwalk Empire) plans to destroy the Earth, two low-level angels (Daniel Radcliffe from Harry Potter and Geraldine Viswanathan from Bad Education) must convince their boss to save humanity. They bet him they can pull off their most impossible miracle yet: help two humans fall in love.

The Good Karma Hospital S3 | Binge from 1 June 

This escapist hospital drama series was inspired by series creator Dan Sefton’s experiences as a doctor in South Africa. The series follows junior doctor Ruby Walker, who ditches London and a broken heart for a job in an under-funded rural South India hospital run by the tough-as-nails Dr Lydia Fonseca. 

The series stars Amrita Acharia (Game of Thrones) and BAFTA nominee Amanda Redman (New Tricks).

Season 3 brings Ruby back to the hospital following a four-month absence, where she receives a chilly welcome from both Lydia and a wounded Gabriel, whose aloofness belies the feelings he still has for her.

Billions S5 | Tuesdays at 23:00 from 9 June | Same day as M-Net

It’s adapt or die as the struggle for power becomes a fight for survival in the new season of Billions. Alliances crumble as Bobby Axelrod (Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis from Homeland) and Chuck Rhoades (Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti from Sideways) go head to head once more. 

Season 5 ushers in a new threat to Axe’s rule in the form of social impact pioneer Mike Prince, while Golden Globe winner Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife, Hot Zone) joins the cast as Ivy League sociology professor and bestselling author Catherine Brant.

Betty S1 | Mondays at 22:30 from 22 June | Same day as M-Net

Based on Crystal Moselle’s critically acclaimed feature Skate Kitchen, HBO’s new six-episode half-hour series Betty follows a diverse group of young women navigating their lives through New York’s predominantly male-oriented skateboarding scene.

Movies

Yesterday | 8 June  

Jack Malik is a small-time singer-songwriter in an English coastal town who’s rapidly facing the reality that his dream probably isn’t going anywhere, in spite of the fanatical support of his best friend, manager and biggest fan, Ellie. Then there’s a mysterious global blackout, Jack gets hit by a bus, and wakes up to find that The Beatles never existed…

Time Freak | 11 June 

You know that time you messed up in a relationship and got your heart broken, maybe let the one that could have been The One slip through your fingers? Well, what if you could go back and fix it? What if, like teen genius Stillman, you had a time machine, that would give you all the do-overs you needed to get it right?

This comedy-drama with a sci-fi twist stars Asa Butterfield and Game of Thrones’ Sansa Stark, Sophie Turner. Los Angeles Times calls it “A whimsical rom-com that’s a little bit Hot Tub Time Machine, and a little bit Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

Blackkklansman | 25 June

Unbelievably based on actual events, Blackkklansman is, as the opening titles tell us, “some fo’ real sh*t.” It tells the story of Ron Stallworth, Colorado Springs’ first African-American detective, who attempts to infiltrate the local Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s … with the help of a Jewish stand-in.

It stars John David Washington (Ballers) in the Golden Globe-nominated lead role, with Adam Driver in an Oscar-nominated supporting role. 

The film won auteur-director Spike Lee a long-overdue Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay, making it his first competitive Academy Award in a 34-year career that’s included films like Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X.

Blackkklansman was nominated for a further five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Adam Driver and Best Original Score for Terrence Blanchard. It won the Grand Prix at Cannes, was nominated for four Golden Globes and was selected as one of 2018’s top 10 films by The American Film Institute.