Sunday, 18 July 2010 marks a day of big change for Mara Louw, the artist also known as Sasko Louw.
She begins judging on Season 6 of
Idols (on M-Net at 17h30) and moves into Skywards Retirement Village immediately afterwards at 19h00.
You never think that the time is going to arrive when you'll need to get your Skwiza on - it seems so far away. One day pension'age arrives for all of us. Yet you're only ever as old as you feel - and the toyboy who feels you!
This is the scenario of the new SABC2 comedy series Skwizas, which takes over from
Stokvel 6 on Sunday nights for a 13-episode season. Starring alongside Mara are veteran actresses Lillian Dube, Mary Twala, Rina Nienaber and Dolly Malunga.
Together the fivesome get into Golden Girl exploits as they negotiate the ups and downs of their pensions, past careers, oldy romance and each other.
The series is on one of seven new South African shows which premiere on SABC2 over the upcoming months.
SA's Got Talent will be back for a second season, with Anele Mdoda and Rob van Vuuren returning as hosts. The premiere date hasn't been confirmed yet but the season definitely has - we'll keep you scooped.
Also returning for Season 2 are
Late Night With Kgomotso (Season 1 is currently repeating) and the US drama series Heartland, which premieres in late August.
Here's a look at the line-up:
Southern RhythmsPremiere date: Sunday, 18 July 2010 at 09h00
A new series that explores South African unity through the diversity of music, religion and culture.
The series celebrates our rich and diverse spiritual and religious communities through performances by leading indigenous and sacred musicians and interviews with artists, scholars and other experts.
It is presented as a first person narrative journey by world reknowned jazz muso Pops Mohamed (Pops).
He embarks on a journey of discovery of South Africa’s abundant and varied sacred music, visiting the various provinces and a spectrum of religious and indigenous communities, engaging them in their environment.
AmaliaPremiere date: Tuesday, 27 July 2010 at 19h30
An Afrikaans smalltown mystery series which centres round Amalia Vos, a respected poet who plans to finish her latest work while visiting a childhood friend in her hometown in the countryside.
Two weeks after her return, Amalia commits suicide by overdosing on painkillers. Next to her bed the police find three photographs: one of her husband Piet Vos, one of a young woman and in the third: one of them in bed together.
Piet refuses to believe Amalia took her own life. He claims the pictures are doctored and that he doesn't know the girl. Determined to find answers, Piet goes to Amalia's hometown and finds that the townspeople are unwilling to help him solve the mystery.
Shunned, he has to rely on Captain Wollie de Wet, the town’s chief of police, for assistance. When the investigation begins in earnest, everybody in the town becomes a suspect - Piet included - and it falls to De Wet to discover the truth behind Amalia’s death.
The series was created by
kykNET in 2005. It is produced and directed by Katinka Heyns.
The cast are: Illse Roos, Anna-Mart van der Merwe, Marius Weyers, Hélén Truter, Marcel Van Heerden, Louise Van Niekerk, Magda Beukes, Tobie Cronje, Grethe Fox, Gavin Van Den Berg and Hannes Brummer.
Die Uwe Pottie PotgieterPremiere date: Friday, 6 August 2010 at 18h00
Written by Dana Snyman, the series was originally created as a theatre show based and has been adapated into a screenplay.
At the centre of the action: Pottie Potgieter - a middle aged Afrikaans man who is stuck at home while his wife is working as a nurse in Saudi Arabia to support the family. The series follows his adventures as he tries to find a job, while juggling his mother-in-law who has moved in with him to help his son through matric.
Also in the mix: Pottie's son's girlfriend who isn't the brightest tool in the shed; and Tiny - Pottie's friend who has also lost his job. He's been unemployed for four months but hasn't told his wife so he goes to Pottie’s house daily to prevent her from becoming suspicious.
The cast are: Frank Opperman, Ben Kruger, Elize Cawood, Kaz McFadden and Cherie Van Der Merwe.
Heartland 2Premiere date: Saturday, 28 August 2010 at 15h00
A drama series which follows the Fleming family as they deal with the ups and downs of running a ranch that’s been in the family for generations but is now so deep in debt they’re one back payment away from losing it all.
At the centre of the action is Nathaniel Grant: an intense, overworked organ transplant surgeon who battles the clock to save lives in the high-stakes world of transplant surgery.
For more about the scenario and Season 1, see:
TVSA's Heartland Mini-Site.
Radical RasdienPremiere date: Friday, 5 November 2010 at 18h00
A new comedy series featuring comedian Joey Rasdien as comedian Ben Rasdien.
Ben has a son, a successful career, a fancy house. He even has a manager- (played by Mortimer Williams) - who happens to be his brother. The problem is he’s having so much fun being a 30-year-old kid, his life is upside down.
His son, Zach, loves it when his dad plays with him, but sometimes he’d also like him to be a father. Alice, Ben’s assistant helps him to paper over the cracks in his parenting - when they’re not at each other’s throats.
While his brother/manager, Mannie, knows that Ben’s crazy mind is cash in their pockets – he also knows that same mind is also nuts and has been since they were youngsters.
The show follows Ben’s daily circus as he walks back and forth on his tightrope between childhood and parenthood as he falls, climbs back up and hopes everyone will keep laughing.