Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
Channel: Investigation Discovery (DStv 171 / StarSat 223)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: True Crime, Documentary Series
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is a four-part docuseries that uncovers the toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic American children's shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Theis two-parter (episodes air in double bills) pulls back the curtain on an empire, built by creator Dan Schneider, that had an undeniable grip on popular culture.
Series such as All That and The Amanda Show, among others, were obsessively consumed by children across the country and defined comedy for a generation.
But behind the upbeat onscreen presence on these shows with questionable jokes and over-the-top sketches, Quiet on Set reveals an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.
Quiet on Set features unprecedented access to key cast members, writers and crew spanning Schneider's popular series at Nickelodeon; Former All That cast members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan, Bryan Hearne and Katrina Johnson; and director Virgil Fabian; pull back the curtain on the culture on set of the beloved teen sketch series.
Writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment in The Amanda Show writer's room.
Alexa Nikolas offers insight into being a part of Zoey 101.
Quiet on Set features additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious and other series such as Marc Summers from the popular game show Double Dare.
The series will also offer emotional testimony from parents of cast members who attempted to advocate for their children on these sets.
Over the course of its four parts, Quiet on Set will shine a spotlight on these emotional accounts, chronicling a pattern of gross, abusive and manipulative behaviour that unfolded across decades, as well as exclusive stories about child predators on set.
These interviews, woven with archival footage (some of which has never been broadcast), scenes from the shows and social media commentary, will recontextualise many moments within these series that may have seemed silly or off when first aired but now carry a much darker undertone, offering a powerful reframing of these beloved shows.
100 Foot Wave
Channel: M-Net (DStv 101)
TX Time: 07h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Sport, Adventure
This HBO sports docuseries intimately captures the decade-long odyssey of surfing pioneer Garrett McNamara, who, after visiting Nazaré, Portugal in hopes of conquering a 100-foot wave, pushed the sport to ever-greater heights.
McNamara, alongside locals, helped transform the small fishing village into the world's preeminent big-wave surfing destination.
After being recruited by a band of Nazaré locals who hoped to see if the dangerous swells they had observed their entire lives were surfable, McNamara - the Guinness World Record holder for the largest wave ever surfed for eight years - and his wife, Nicole, traveled to the remote city in 2010 to pursue the monster waves.
Standing atop the city's abandoned 500-year-old lighthouse, they witnessed surf more dangerous than any they had ever seen, and a possible answer to Garrett's lifelong quest to ride a 100-foot wave.
In the years to come, their journey helped attract the most fearless big-wave surfers to Nazaré and helped solidify it as the marquee destination in the sport.
Over the course of six episodes, 100 Foot Wave interweaves the transformative story of the seaside village with McNamara and his peers' ongoing search for the tallest wave on the planet.
The series captures the common spirit and fearless passion shared by McNamara and big-wave surfers from across the world as they push themselves through life-altering injuries and tantalising near-misses in their collective pursuit of the inconceivable.
Spanning four continents, 100 Foot Wave is an inspirational story of a group of people on a quest to achieve new heights, and a town and a sport that were forever changed by one seemingly impossible dream.
Date My Family 12
Channel: Mzansi Magic (DStv 161)
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Dating Game Show, Reality
Dating game show in which singles who are looking for love are sent on dates with the families of three potential partners, and must decide who to date based solely on the impression their family gives.
Forget about the "two people meet each other" typical love story. It's now a full-on family affair.
In each episode, audiences are introduced to a bachelor/bachelorette who's looking for love.
That singleton is then sent on three dates – to meet the families of three potential partners.
The twist in the tale?
The bachelor/bachelorette must choose just one potential partner who they think they'll hit it off with – based solely on what the families say and do.
But will they make the right choice?
The three potential partners are kept out of sight, watching the action unfold onscreen, as the bachelor/bachelorette engages with their respective family.
They secretly hope that their families paint them in the best possible light and make a good first impression.
With no communication at all between the bachelor/bachelorette and the potential partners, the scene is set for an unforgettable final date.
Expect laughs and drama as Cupid gets a helping hand from brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, moms, dads, nieces, nephews, cousins and of course, grandparents.
At the end the day, the question remains: will it love at first hello - or a fast goodbye?
TVSA Show Page: Date My Family 12
Dinner: Impossible 9
Channel: Food Network (DStv 175)
TX Time: 17h00
Genre: Food, Reality
Chef and host of the series Restaurant: Impossible, Robert Irvine, returns with new episodes of Dinner: Impossible, after a break of 11 years.
In each seemingly impossible mission, Robert and his team of sous chefs are challenged to overcome extraordinary obstacles and conditions that push Robert to his physical and mental limits, as he must prepare and serve delicious meals to groups of hungry and expecting guests before his allotted time runs out.
Through four hour-long episodes, Robert battles the elements while using limited resources to cook against the clock.
From the majestic and historic island of Oahu, Hawaii, to the streets of Sin City and an abandoned mining town in Cerro Gordo, California, Robert will attempt to rise to the challenge and prove that dinner is possible.
This season, Robert is whisked away on a helicopter for his first mission in Oahu, Hawaii - to make a feast without a kitchen for local residents using only produce and proteins he can gather on the legendary Kualoa Ranch.
Robert and his team take on the weather as they harvest their ingredients to pull off the impossible.
In another episode in Hawaii, Robert's mission is to prepare a five-star dinner for soldiers of the historic 25th Infantry Division to celebrate their 79th anniversary.
Using only a mobile army field kitchen and meal rations, Robert must create a high-end dinner in just seven hours; but in order to earn more ingredients, Robert must conquer a series of demanding, military-style challenges.
While in Las Vegas, Robert must cater three wedding receptions in only six hours, and don't miss as Robert travels to an abandoned mining town in Cerro Gordo, California, to prepare a meal for a group of paranormal enthusiasts, including Amy Bruni and Adam Berry from Travel Channel's Kindred Spirits, that would even please the local spirits that continue to haunt the property.
Married at First Sight: Australia 5
Channel: eReality (Openview 108)
TX Time: 17h35
Genre: Reality, Dating Game Show
Married at First Sight takes these eight singles, makes them four couples and has them meeting for the first time at the altar.
These couples are not actually married for the show, yet do go through a commitment ceremony.
This reality series is an experiment based on real life occurrences for these 'couples', as they go through an accelerated relationship cycle.
In the new season, 20 strangers take the biggest risk of their lives to find the love of a lifetime.
The number of participants isn't the only surprise: the contestants include twins ready to become wives together, a single mom and even a male stripper.
Over the course of two months, the new relationships are put through what most couples experience over the course of one year.
Farmer Wants a Wife (USA)
Channel: BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Dating Game Show, Reality
Farmer Wants a Wife is the most successful dating show in the world, airing in 32 countries and resulting in 180 marriages and 410 children.
In a trend that's been sweeping America over the last few years, there's been a migration from city centres to suburban and rural locales, and with that, love follows.
In this series, city meets farm in the search for true romance.
Four farmers from across the US embark on an adventure of a lifetime in the hopes of finding their future spouse.
Women will leave behind the dating apps and pursuit of love in "the big city" in favour of classic American courtship.
The farmers will take their group of daters to their farm and show them what it is really like to live as ranchers do - from tending to the homestead to feeding cattle and baling hay.
For the daters, the realities of this lifestyle may beg the question: how much of your life are you willing to change for love?
Together, with the hope of finding their ever-after, they endeavour to discover the beauty, humour, trials and romance that come with finding The One.
Fiësta 26
Channel: kykNET (DStv 144)
TX Time: 18h00
Genre: Documentary Series, Docu-Reality, Afrikaans
One of the longest-running programmes on kykNET, Fiësta is back on the air.
Since its first broadcast in March 2000, Fiësta has visited every kind of festival imaginable in South Africa and even attended a few special festivities abroad.
This season the series boasts two new presenters.
Lundi Khoisan and Wicus Pretorius are still in front of the cameras, but this time around they are joined by Elsa Esterhuizen and Rumacques Gelderbloem.
The new season kicks off with the kykNET Fiësta Awards recently handed out at a glitzy event in Cape Town.
The team also visits the Ramadaan & Lifestyle Expo, the KKNK, the Afrikaans Oppi Platteland music festival in Malmesbury and the Stilbaai Book Festival.