The SABC got jiggy on Tuesday 19 March by hosting a content showcase/upfronts event at Prison Break Market in Midrand, Joziburg for the media, advertisers and so on.
It's the first time in ages that they've held a preview of new programming so it gets a whoop! from us, with the hope that there will be more.
It covered new and returning shows on SABC1, 2 and 3, some starting soon and others in a while.
Here's a parcel of 10 takeaways from it:
The premiere date for our local edition of reality TV social experiment Wife Swap has been confirmed as Monday 1 July at 18h00 on S3.
You may remember we carried
the call for participants in September last year?
The essence of the format: two wives/mothers swap lives by moving in with each other's families for six days.
It's been produced in 25 countries now including Britain, America, Chile, India, France and Belarus.
Ours has the potential to be the most interesting of them all because of the diversity of our families.
Local versions of these four reality and game shows will air across the SABC channels this year: SA's Got Talent, The Voice SA, Wheel of Fortune SA and Raid the Cage SA.
They join previously announced MasterChef SA, Deal or No Deal 2, The Masked Singer SA 2 and Ready Steady Cook SA - all produced and co-produced by Primedia Studios.
At this rate the channels will be Primedia1, 2 and P3 soon.
Season 2 of The Masked Singer SA premieres on S3 on Saturday 6 April at 18h30 and Wheel of Fortune starts on Monday 8 April at 19h30, with new episodes Mondays to Fridays, also on S3.
How does it work?
In short: It's based on the paper and pen game Hangman. Contestants must solve word puzzles to win cash and prizes that are determined by spinning a wheel.
The 2024 Metro FM Awards air live from Mbombela in Mpumalanga on Saturday 27 April at 20h00.
We need more-more live coverage of events to keep South Africans feeling in touch. Delayed is SO last century.
The Taste Master returns to SABC2 on Thursday 25 April for a Season 4 bake-off... with or without signature judge Zola Nene?
She's judging on the fifth season of MasterChef South Africa which starts on S3 on Saturday 22 June so we wondered if she'll do Taste Master too.
We've investigated and she is.
The Paris Olympics will be on SABC2 from 20 July to 11 August. Let's leave it at that. We have no clue how much coverage it will get and assume it depends on what the South African public are "allowed" by SuperSport.
Or maybe that only happens over-and-over-again with rugby and cricket? That said, we can already picture the headlines:"NO Olympic swimming on the SABC". Pessimism or realism? We'll see.
SABC1 events and variety show Selimathunzi isn't on the back burner. It's returning on Thursday 4 July at 18h00 with a modified name: Hotspot Seli.
We like the idea of a nostalgic revival and want it to happen with Zaziwa too, with Pearl Modiadie.
Homelessness reality show Sgidla Waar is also returning - for Season 2 on Tuesday 2 April at 18h00,
12 years after Season 1.
The yawnfest of repeats continues in Skeem Saam's vacated 18h30 slot unfortunately, with 90s shows, namely: ‘Sgudi ‘Snaysi on Mondays, Velaphi on Tuesdays, Emzini Wezinsizwa on Wednesdays and Mama's Love on Thursdays.
As you may have seen in the
TVSA News Shorts, the SABC has signed a deal with the BBC for a programming block of BBC shows on S3, starting in May and airing weekdays from 21h00 to 23h00.
It's called BBC Primetime and the series that have been confirmed for it are the following British shows: crime drama Luther, romantic comedy Cheaters, Top Gear, medical drama Critical and documentary Louis Theroux: Forbidden America.
Hopefully these are just titles that have been announced now for the launch, because we'd really like to see local shows in the line-up too considering S3 is a South African channel and the BBC makes local shows.
Most especially: the joyous Come Dine With Me South Africa which we believe has to go down as the best BBC show there is.
They can broadcast earlier seasons if they want to keep the latest ones for BBC Lifestyle.
Some of the BBC's South African shows have aired on S3 already e.g. Listing Jozi and Lorna Maseko's Homegrown Tastes South Africa which returns for Season 2 on 6 April, so there is hope.
SABC1 premieres a new series on Wednesday 3 July at 18h00, with a premise that we can't quite interpret but that has imaginative intrigue.
It's called Breaking Down Borders Africa and it's hosted by dancer and choreographer Paul Modjadji, described like so:
This 13-part reality dance travelogue travels across one continent and takes us inside some of Africa’s hidden treasures, tourism landmarks and dramatic twists of travelling across Africa.
What is a dance travelogue? Does he dance through everywhere instead of walk? Does he pull pirouettes around historic landmarks and seduce artefacts in a pas de deux?
Or maybe it's just a schmancy way of saying he's a dancer who gets to travel for free. The first footage will be revealing.
SABC2 has two other titles lined up: Raid the Cage, as mentioned above, and A Big Day for 25k.
Raid the Cage is a local take on the American version, presented by Podcast and Chill hosts MacG and Sol Phenduka.
Contestants compete in teams of two in a competition to win time to "Raid the Cage". One partner needs to answer trivia questions and each question is worth an amount of time.
Their partner must use this time to Raid the Cage for prizes, meaning their teammate can't clam up.
A Big Day for 25k is a wedding show that's anti-Top Billing establishment. It follows 13 couples who plan and create their dream weddings within a budget of R25,000.
Cheap for some, expensive for others, but with a focus on value for money. Relevant for our times and also, adaptable for other scenarios e.g. 21st Birthday Party for 3K, Three Coarse Meals for R50 per person - titles need work but you get the idea. Bang for Bucks.
It premieres in June.
Keep a lookout for the premiere dates and times for each of the shows in
TVSA's New on TV Today.