Washington
Channel: HISTORY (DStv 186)
TX Time: 20h15
Genre: Miniseries, Period Drama, History
Washington will chip away at the bronzed and marbled image of America's first President and bring to life the man whose name is known to all, but whose epic story is understood by few.
Most know the highlights of George Washington's life - he was a general, crossed the Delaware, led the Continental Army to victory over the British, was America's first President and is the face on the dollar bill - but there is so much more to his life than his accomplishments.
Over the course of three episodes, Washington will explore the full arc of his journey and weave together dramatic live action sequences, excerpts from Washington's letters and insights from a roster of notable experts, historians and scholars to tell a very personal story about the evolution of one of history's most iconic leaders.
The series tells the story of how a fatherless young soldier full of personal ambition becomes a leader of men willing to sacrifice all for the common cause.
How a once-loyal British subject rises to battle an empire in a liberty-or-death campaign to forge a new nation.
And then how, at the zenith of his power, the victorious general voluntarily steps down, becoming what King George III would call "the greatest man in the world".
Believing his public duty complete, he heads into retirement ready to be a farmer.
But with the young country on the verge of collapse, he is once again called to lead, creating the most powerful and successful democracy in history.
You may think you know George Washington, but there's more to the preeminent founding father than you've been told. Washington chips away the marble to reveal the man at the heart of the nation's story.
The series is narrated by Jeff Daniels.
World of Dance
Channel: SABC1
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Reality Competition
World of Dance is led by a judging team of dance superstars: Jennifer Lopez (who also serves as an executive producer), Derek Hough, NE-YO and host/mentor Jenna Dewan Tatum.
The 10-episode series gives dancers the platform to showcase their talents and the opportunity to receive a life-altering grand prize of $1-million.
In partnership with preeminent global dance brand World of Dance, the series brings the world's elite dancers together to compete in epic battles of artistry, precision and athleticism.
Solo dancers compete against duos and crews in an unlimited range of dance, including hip-hop, popping, locking, tap, ballet, break dancing, ballroom, stomping and more.
Handpicked from qualifying events around America and thousands of online submissions, competitors are divided into three divisions: Junior (any size act, 17 years old and under), Upper (groups of 1-4, 18 and older) and Team (groups of 5+, 18 and older).
The panel of experts scores the acts using a point system developed by dance brand World of Dance, using the following criteria: Performance, Technique, Choreography, Creativity and Presentation.
The competition consists of five rounds: Qualifiers, Duels, The Cut, Divisional Finals and the Grand Final. In the first four rounds, dancers only compete within their division, but in the Grand Final the winner from each division will compete against each other for the grand prize.
Dragons & Damsels
Channel: CuriosityStream (DStv 185)
TX Time: 19h00
Genre: Documentary, Wildlife
More beautiful than butterflies, more spectacular fliers than hummingbirds, and with intriguing behaviour as complex as mammals or birds, dragonflies and damselflies are the ultimate insects.
They've been flying around for hundreds of millions of years, crossing paths with dinosaurs before we mammals were even a twinkle in the eye of evolution, and are often described as "primitive" – which is simply wrong.
Surviving on the planet for that long means being pretty special – and this film shows just how special they are.
Dragonflies live very complex lives and as we film them in intimate detail, we find ourselves in a world of drama and intrigue, even meeting those with their own distinct personalities.
In many species, males hold and defend territories, just like birds, sometimes even co-operating with each other.
Some damselflies also defend their territories. Demoiselles are a beautiful species in which the males have deep blue patches on their wings (different in different species), used to display to rival males as they fly slowly, low over the water surface.
Dragonflies are masters of the air, and the latest high-speed camera technology reveals just how impressive they can be.
They easily match hummingbird flight – flying backwards, sideways or vertically upwards, and are even better fliers than hummingbirds, because they have twice as many wings.
Dragonflies use their amazing aerial skill to catch insects on the wing – even the most agile flies can't escape.
Just last year, scientists found that dragonflies predict their preys' movements with the same kinds of calculations used by advanced vertebrates, from a brain just a millimetre or so across.
We meet scientists and engineers studying dragonfly flight and, understanding how they fly, building innovative robots to fly the same way.
The film follows the summer season as it unfolds and more and more dragons and damsels emerge on to the lake. It shows that even insects have distinct characters.
We discover jealous rivals, adulterous relationships and gallant lovers – but beneath this miniature soap opera are sophisticated behaviours driven by natural selection.
It shows off the colourful world of dragons and damsels in all its glory – a small world but one full of dangers and triumphs.
Often the little things have the biggest stories to tell.
Speak Out 12
Channel: SABC2
TX Time: 20h30
Genre: Factual, Reality
The new season brings on board a new face in the form of Tshepo "Howza" Mosese, replacing Lesley Musina.
The new season features several changes, including moving from the original timeslot of Thursdays at 21h30 to Sundays at 20h30, with a revamped studio look and feel brining a new vibe to the show and the new timeslot.
Speak Out, is a factual reality show on SABC2 that assists disgruntled consumers and business owners who have been scammed, 'taken for a ride', or robbed out of their hard-earned money through poor, bad or lack of service, dishonest business practices.
The new season comprises of 52 episodes, beginning with 13 re-versioned episodes which revisit old cases and will be engaging consumers, businesses and industry experts regarding the effects of COVID-19, how the world is changing and how we must adapt to it.
Speak Out plays the role of a 'Consumer Watchdog' and ensures that a fair resolution for the consumer is reached and that businesses take accountability for their wrongdoing.
In this season we will also be dealing with businesses/service providers that have been taken for a ride by customers who don't honour their payments after work or service was delivered, grinding businesses to a halt.
Importantly, the show educates consumers and small business owners to be more cautious and vigilant in their everyday financial dealings, with the aim of creating financial savvy consumers and business owners who know their rights and responsibilities.
This season of Speak Out will address all issues concerning money transactions from customer to business, business to business and any financial transactions between family members and friends.
This season not only focuses on the complaint at hand but delves deeper into understanding the emotional state and impact a consumer or small business owner has suffered through unethical financial transactions.
We also expose big social financial issues which affect us daily be it directly or indirectly. Through this, we educate consumers on how different consumer organisations operate.
We deal with cases of people from different backgrounds and financial status who have gone through different lengths and strides to resolve their consumer or business complaint but still have no joy.
Ultimately, Speak Out becomes their last resort - the voice for the voiceless.
TVSA Show Page: Speak Out 12
Yvonne Orji: Momma I Made It!
Channel: 1Magic (DStv 103)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Comedy, Special
Insecure star Yvonne Orji gets a packed Howard Theatre rolling with laughter as she brings her razor-sharp wit and confidence to the stage in her first HBO comedy special.
Both celebrating and poking fun at her strict, formative Nigerian-American upbringing, Yvonne speaks to her unique journey from pre-med to comedy.
The special is interspersed with vibrant, personal footage shot in Nigeria, Yvonne's native home, during a milestone trip in early January.
The comedy hour takes an intimate look at what being Nigerian-American means to Yvonne – from her international haggling addiction and having her phone tapped by her parents as a kid, to the fine line between cursing people out and putting curses on them.
Whale Wisdom
Channel: CuriosityStream (DStv 185)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Documentary, Wildlife
Just how smart are whales?
Whales have long been a profound mystery to us. They live in a world so removed from our own that we can barely imagine their lives.
Their environment is different, their senses are different, their relationships are different.
Marine biologist and filmmaker Rick Rosenthal is on a journey to explore these insights, measuring the latest science against his own observations and long-held beliefs – and just maybe, getting a glimpse of the world as it must seem to these ocean giants.
Captured on camera for the first time in Whale Wisdom, Rick films the astonishing behaviour of a humpback whale which, time and again, manages to outwit humans in order to get what she wants – their fish.
She brilliantly thwarts each attempt by the managers of a salmon hatchery to keep her away. Her coup de grace – slipping in and out unseen into an enclosure barely bigger than herself.
In Norway, Whale Wisdom captures hunting techniques of humpback whales showing they have learned to interpret another species' feeding calls – orcas – for their own benefit.
The humpbacks, alerted by the orcas' calls, wait for them to herd herring into tight schools, then sweep in and swallow the entire shoal.
Whales seem to experience fun, too. The camera team captures adult grey whales surfing the breakers, spending hours of each day riding waves at the surf break, stopping only when the tide changes and the waves subside.
And whales share songs. Humpback whales sing, and in the course of a season, a favourite "hit song" emerges.
That song is passed from whale to whale, until eventually it's being sung by all the humpback males in the Southern Pacific Ocean.
Whale Wisdom uses ultrasonography mapping to illustrate the scientists' recording of one whale learning the song from another.
Researchers believe the songs contain important information, possibly about their migrations, which is shared when the song is transferred – a cultural exchange among whales.
Filmed entirely in 4K from above and below the surface using boats, kayaks and drones, and working with respected whale scientists and researchers, Rick Rosenthal shines a light on the culture and wisdom of whales.