South African/international co-productions are now the in-thing. We've seen them on M-Net with White Lies and Recipes for Love and Murder and there's a similar set-up with new comedy-drama The Morning After.
It premieres on Prime Video on Friday 12 July and it follows the exploits of 25-year-old Nina Morgan who washes up on a Cape Town beach - alive - from the overseas.
Locally it's produced by Both Worlds Pictures - executively produced by Thierry Cassuto, Karen Jeynes and Thato Cassuto - and the international production house is France-based Paradoxal, with Rémy Jacquelin as executive producer.
It's the same team who do Recipes for Love and Murder and the casting follows a similar principle with an international actor as a lead alongside a South African cast.
Apparently these co-productions do this to sell series internationally e.g. if another country is represented in the show or there's an international star involved, it has a wider appeal in an international market and is more likely to be picked up.
British actress Amara Okereke headlines as Nina and the South African starring cast are Tarryn Wyngaard, Gaosi Raditholo, Carmen Pretorius, Danica Jones, Faniswa Yisa, Richard Gau, Martial Batchamen, Masali Baduza, Colin Moss and Khaya Dladla.
Deets on some of their characters below, after the synopsis and trailer:
Synopsis
When 25 year old Hull party-girl Nina wakes up naked on a beach in Cape Town, South Africa, about 6000 miles from home, it’s possible that her life isn’t going exactly according to plan.
Local and beach cottage mates Michaela, Mandisa, Cleo and Justin quickly rescue her from that immediate predicament, and exact revenge on the guy responsible, but ultimately Nina’s going to have to be the one to rescue herself from herself.
The others soon learn the real reason Nina’s in town - she’s supposed to be at New Life, an upmarket rehab centre, but it was “full of junkies” so she bust herself out on day three.
She’s got a ticket home in three months’ time, but until then she’s on her own. Sometimes she’s on her own in Justin’s bed, but basically she’s on her own.
Determined not to give her stepfather the satisfaction of seeing her fail, Nina takes on a series of hustles to earn enough for rent, food and weed, putting her singing talents to good use, and relishing the world-renowned carefree sun kissed Cape Town lifestyle.
Trailer
Characters
Rich kid turned artist Michaela (Carmen Pretorius)
Ball breaker schmodel Mandisa (Gaosi Raditholo),
Neurotic, emotionally messy lawyer Cleo (Tarryn Wyngaard),
Peter Pan like aspiring techbro Justin (Richard Gau),
No nonsense camerawoman Pauline (Danica Jones) and,
Nightclub impresario Tarquin (Khaya Dladla)
Flash fact
Amara Okereke's parents are both from Nigeria - they immigrated and she was born in the UK.