16 Of The Best Series Coming To Showmax: October 2019 – January 2020

Debut seasons of His Dark Materials, Godfather of Harlem, Watchmen, What We Do In The Shadows & more…

MAYANS M.C. S2

First on Showmax. Binge the first four episodes on 1 October, with new episodes every Wednesday

In this Sons of Anarchy spinoff, Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (JD Pardo from Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II) is a prospect in the Mayans M.C. charter on the Cali/Mexi border. Once the golden boy with the American Dream in his grasp, EZ is trying to reconcile with his brother Angel (Clayton Cardenas from American Crime) while searching for the truth behind their mother’s death. Meanwhile, their father, Felipe (Oscar nominee Edward James Olmos), is struggling to lead his sons down the righteous path.

HARLOTS S3

First on Showmax. Binge from 1 October

The first two seasons of Harlots revolved around rival brothel owners, Margaret Wells (Oscar nominee Samantha Morton) and Lydia Quigley (Oscar nominee Lesley Manville), and was set in 18th century London – an era when one in five women earned a living as a prostitute in the city. At the start of Season 3, it seems that the Wells girls can finally free themselves of their mother’s feud, helped by allies such as Lady Fitz (Liv Tyler). But Charlotte Wells (Jessica Brown Findlay from Downton Abbey) soon learns that running a lucrative brothel brings enemies as well as friends, including new pimp in town Isaac Pincher (2019 Emmy nominee Alfie Allen from Game of Thrones).

SUCCESSION S2

First on Showmax. Binge from 14 October

In Season 2, the dysfunctional Roy family are struggling to retain control of their global media empire. But while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them. Kieran Culkin was nominated for the Golden Globe as Roman, Matthew Macfadyen was up for a Critics Choice Award as Tom, and the impressive cast includes Golden Globe nominee Brian Cox (Adaptation, X-Men 2, Deadwood), Screen Actors Guild nominee Jeremy Strong (The Big Short) and multi-award winners like Hiam Abbas (Ramy, Blade Runner 2049) and Sarah Snook (The Dressmaker).

GODFATHER OF HARLEM S1

Same time as M-Net. New episodes every Tuesday from 15 October 2019

In the early 1960s, infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker) returns from 10 years in prison to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in a shambles. With the streets controlled by Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante (Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil and Jurassic World) and the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch from Selma). Godfather of Harlem shows how the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement collided during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS S1

First on Showmax. Binge from 1 November

From Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), the hit mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows is a look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of three vampires who’ve lived together for over 100 years on Staten Island, New York.

PERPETUAL GRACE, LTD S1

First on Showmax. Binge from 1 November 2019

This 10-episode modern noir drama follows a young grifter, James (Emmy nominee Jimmi Simpson from Westworld, Black Mirror and House of Cards), as he attempts to prey upon Pastor Byron Brown (Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley). But the pastor and his wife Lillian (Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver from Silver Linings Playbook) – known to their parishioners as Pa and Ma – turn out to be far more dangerous than he suspects…

THE DEUCE S3 – THE FINAL SEASON

First on Showmax. Binge from 1 November

Following the interconnected lives of Times Square’s barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police, mobsters, porn actors and producers, the eight-episode third season of The Deuce brings the series to a dramatic conclusion. It’s 1985 and VHS has just overtaken film as the primary medium for porn production and distribution, while the lure of the California sunshine, the city’s aggressive takeover of commercial sex properties in Times Square, and the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic mark the end of an era… Maggie Gyllenhaal (Golden Globe nominee for Season 1 and Critic’s Choice nominee for Season 2 of the series) returns as Candy, a porn director struggling to maintain her artistic integrity in an industry that is quickly devolving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2tFmlBKFZA

THE GOOD FIGHT – SEASON 3

Binge from 1 November

Missing The Good Wife? Thankfully Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski in an Emmy-nominated role) and Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo in a Critics Choice nominated role) are back in the sequel, The Good Fight, which picks up a year later as a financial scam wipes out Diane’s life savings, and good reputation, forcing her to start from scratch at a historically black law firm, Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad. Look out for a host of familiar faces from The Good Wife, including Kurt McVeigh (Emmy nominee Gary Steele), Marissa Gold (Sarah Steele) and Julius Cain (Michael Boatman), alongside the likes of Emmy winner Audra McDonald (Private Practice), Screen Actors Guild nominees Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) and Delroy Lindo (Get Shorty), and Golden Globe nominees Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) and Matthew Perry (aka Chandler from Friends).

CATCH-22 S1

Binge from 1 November

Based on the classic Joseph Heller novel, Catch-22 follows the adventures and misadventures of a US air squadron in Italy in World War II. Christopher Abbott (The Sinner, Girls) is Yossarian, a bombardier, whose frantic obsession every time he goes up on a mission is “to come down alive”. His odds of success at such a simple aim keep getting worse, because Colonel Cathcart (Emmy winner Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights and Bloodline) keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly. More than the retreating Germans, the real enemy for Yossarian and his rag-tag bunch of friends is the bureaucracy of the military, inverting logic at every turn. The pinnacle of this is Catch-22, a military by-law which states that if you willingly fly your missions, you’re crazy, and don’t have to fly them; all you have to do is ask. But if you ask, that proves you’re sane, and so you have to fly them. Oscar winner George Clooney stars as the barking mad, parade-obsessed Scheisskopf and Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) is the mellow, slightly checked-out Major de Coverley.

WATCHMEN S1

Same time as M-Net. New episodes Mondays at 21:00 from 4 November

Inspired by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic DC graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws. Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, Seven Seconds) leads a strong cast as Angela Abar, alongside the likes of Oscar winners Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Junior, Golden Globe winner Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson (Oh Brother Where Art Thou), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) and Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby). The series is created by Emmy winner Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), with Andrij Parekh (Succession), Nicole Kassell (The Following), Emmy nominee Stephen Williams (Westworld) and Oscar nominee Steph Green (The Americans) among the directors.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-33JCGEGzwU

HIS DARK MATERIALS S1

First On Showmax. New episodes weekly, express from the US, from 6 November

Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, setting off a quest through parallel worlds to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. The fantasy’s cast includes child stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson as Lyra and Will, supported by Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther), Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy (X-Men), and BAFTA winner Helen McCrory (Harry Potter, The Queen). Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) is one of the directors.

GOOD TROUBLE S2

First on Showmax. Binge from 2 December

A spinoff from the multi-award-winning The Fosters, Good Trouble explores the trials and tribulations of the tenants of Downtown LA’s hippest residence, The Coterie. This season, Mariana (Cierra Ramirez), Callie (Maia Mitchell) and the rest of The Coterie crew will continue to navigate their early twenties as they deal with breakups, demand equality, find happiness and discover what it means to fight for what you believe in.

THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES S1

First on Showmax. Binge from 2 December

The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work. Creator Danny McBride (Vice Principals, Eastbound & Down) stars as Jesse Gemstone, the eldest of three grown Gemstone offspring, who looks to lead in his father’s footsteps, but finds his past sins jeopardising the family ministry. Golden Globe winner John Goodman stars alongside Teen Choice and MTV Movie Awards winner Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect, Modern Family) and Emmy nominee Walton Goggins (Justified).

SILICON VALLEY S6 – THE FINAL SEASON

First on Showmax. Binge from 9 December

A collaboration between Mike Judge (Beavis and Butthead) and Alec Berg (Barry), Silicon Valley takes a comedic look at the modern-day epicentre of the high-tech gold rush, where the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success. Thomas Middleditch stars in an Emmy-nominated role as Richard Hendricks, a Silicon Valley engineer trying to build his own company called Pied Piper.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYylBqu2PXc

MRS. FLETCHER S1

First on Showmax. Binge from 13 December

Starring Emmy nominee Kathryn Hahn (Transparent) in the title role, Mrs. Fletcher is a seven-part series based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta (The Leftovers, Little Children). The series is a dual coming-of-age story chronicling the personal and sexual journeys of an empty-nest mother and her college freshman son, who both embrace their newfound freedom with mixed results. South African Liesl Tommy (Insecure, The Walking Dead, Jessica Jones) is part of the all-female directing team, which also includes Oscar nominee Nicole Holofcener (Orange Is The New Black), nine-time Emmy nominee Carrie Brownstein (Portlandia, Transparent) and Gillian Robespierre (Silicon Valley).

VIDA S1-2

First on Showmax. Binge from 2 January 2019

This half-hour drama focuses on two Mexican-American sisters from the East Side of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different or distanced from each other. Circumstances force them to return to their old neighbourhood, where they are confronted by the past and the discovery that their deceased mother was in a lesbian marriage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmANN8aoTtE

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…

Sweetbitter S2 – Restaurant drama | First On Showmax; due 1 October 2019

Sons of Anarchy S1-7 | Motorbike drama | Due 1 October 2019

The Twilight Zone S1 – Sci-fi | Kumail Nanjiani is up for Outstanding Guest Actor at the 2019 Emmys – Same time as M-Net; new episodes every Friday from 11 October 2019

South Park S23 – Animated comedy | New episodes every Monday from 21 October 2019

The Passage S1 – Apocalyptic horror | Based on Justin Cronin’s bestselling novel – First On Showmax; due 1 November 2019

New Girl S1-7 – Comedy | Five-time Golden Globe nominee – Due 1 November 2019

Lost S1-6 – Fantasy | Winner of 109 awards – Due 2 December 2019

Glee 1-6 – Musical | Winner of four Golden Globes – Due 2 December 2019

Scrubs 1-9 – Medical comedy | Three-time Golden Globe nominee | Due 2 December 2019

Bless This Mess S1 | Comedy | Starring Dax Shepard & Lake Bell | First On Showmax, due 6 December 2019

To see everything on Showmax in September, click here.

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb