Puppet Nation ZA (formerly known as ZA News) is a South African satirical puppet web and television series created by Thierry Cassuto and Zapiro and produced by Both Worlds which uses puppets to parody the formulaic style of media broadcasting in order to remind people that it is possible to engage humorously with societal issues that can often be a source of tension and frustration.
The series began as a web exclusive in 2009 after a television pilot was vetoed by the SABC and was picked up as a TV series by TopTV's Top One channel for the start of the fourth season, in 2011. It premiered on Top One on Sunday 11 September 2011, at 21h00, beginning with Season 4; and after two seasons was renamed Puppet Nation ZA, when Top One became StarSat.
See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 7 premiered on Star One on Saturday 10 May 2014, at 21h00. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 26 episodes in the seventh season.
Synopsis
Contemporary puppet based satire shows are by no means a new idea - the British television series Spitting Image enjoyed great success during the Conservative ruled era of the 80s and 90s, and the French equivalent Les Guignols is still a popular television series.
Nor is Puppet Nation ZA the only African show of its kind, as Kenya produces The XYZ Show.
What all of these shows have in common though is that they are all produced locally for a local audience with puppet caricatures of mostly local politicians, celebrities and the everyman with the aim of holding a mirror to their respective societies so that the audience can look, laugh and learn.
Puppet Nation ZA keeps an ear to the ground, bringing the audience a mix of the latest and most controversial current events in a witty and unorthodox way - parodying the formulaic style of media broadcasting in order to remind people that it is possible to engage humorously with societal issues that can often be a source of tension and frustration.
From Julius Malema's ramblings to Jacob Zuma's soothsaying and Helen Zille's calculated tirades, Puppet Nation ZA captures the strange, rainbow-coloured wilderness of South African politics in our own quirky, latexed fashion.
With puppets designed by renowned satirical cartoonist Zapiro, Puppet Nation ZA offers a scathing yet side-splitting take on the local milieu of South African life.
No one is safe, but everyone is welcome.
Inspired by the work of cartoonist Zapiro, the series is written by Thierry Cassuto, Osiame Molefe, Rebecca Davis, Tom Eaton, Andrew Donaldson, Anne Hirsch and Marianne Thamm, among others. Cassuto and Zapiro are executive producers.
The show features the voice talent of a large ensemble cast which includes Aggrey Lonake, Nik Rabinowitz, Nikki Jackman, Adam Behr, Mamello "Mum-Z" Mokoena and Louw Venter.
The puppet design is by Zapiro and Lindsay van Blerk and the puppet makers include Matthew Sanna, Franci van den Heever and Geon Nel.
The fifth season of the show won three awards at the eighth annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) in April 2014:
Best TV Comedy
Best Director of a TV Comedy
Aaron Naidoo, Thierry Cassuto
Best Writing Team of a TV Comedy
Andrew Donaldson, Anne Hirsch, Marianne Thamm, Thierry Cassuto
Season 5 also received a nomination for Best Ensemble in a TV Comedy.
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Seasons
Note: the series began airing on Top One from Season 4 - the first three seasons aired exclusively online. After two seasons on Top One the channel was discontinued and rebranded as Star One, with the name of the show changing to Puppet Nation ZA from Season 6.
Season 4 (26 episodes)
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 11 Sep 2011 | Finale: 4 Mar 2012 | Sun, 21h00
Season 5 (26 episodes)
Channel: Top One | Premiere: 12 Aug 2012 | Finale: 3 Feb 2013 | Sun, 21h00
Season 6 (26 episodes)
Channel: Star One | Premiere: 9 Nov 2013 | Finale: 3 May 2014 | Sat, 21h00
Season 7 (26 episodes)
Channel: Star One | Premiere: 10 May 2014 | Finale: 1 Nov 2014 | Sat, 21h00