For this August we have put together a list of some of the best series and films streaming on Showmax. There's a little something for everyonem, so sit back, relax and let us entertain you. 

Series

Faithless

Rosemary Waweru (Tabasamu) stars in Kenyan Showmax Original Faithless as Esther, a struggling waitress who stumbles upon the proceeds of a heist gone bad. Avril Nyambura (Pepeta), Beatrice Mwai (Paa), and Fatma Mohammed (Kina) co-star as her church friends who must decide whether they will use the money for good or give in to the temptations that come with ill-gotten gains. 

The Kenyan crime drama’s cast also includes Morris Mwangi (Famous), Peter Kamau (Selina), Arabron Nyyneque (Second Family), Abubakar Mwenda (Subira), Brian Ngaira (Pepeta) and news anchor Mark Masai. Produced by Live Eye TV, Faithless is helmed by Abdi Shuria and King Muriuki (Igiza) and Janet Chumbe (Sanura).

Yellowstone

Kevin Costner won Best Actor – Drama at this year’s Golden Globes and Critics Choice Super Awards for his performance as ruthless patriarch John Dutton, who will do whatever it takes to protect the lucrative Yellowstone ranch from bloodthirsty enemies, indigenous communities who believe the land is rightfully theirs, and developers whose ambitions put the ranch in peril. 

Yellowstone’s stellar supporting cast includes Luke Grimes (American Sniper); Wes Bentley (Mission: Impossible – Fallout); and Kelly Reilly (True Detective), who was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards and the MTV TV Awards, with the series up for Best Drama at both. The neo-Western has an 84% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Buzzfeed saying, “There’s little doubt it’s America’s most important drama right now.”

A friend of the family

A Friend of the Family is inspired by the chilling true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped, sexually assaulted and brainwashed multiple times over a few years by a charismatic, obsessed family “friend”. Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin star as Bob and Mary Ann Broberg, a kind-hearted suburban family who became great friends with Robert (Jake Lacy from The White Lotus) and his wife, Gai (Lio Tipton). Over a few years, Robert manipulated the Brobergs, driving a wedge between the parents and one of their daughters, Jan (Mckenna Grace from The Handmaid’s Tale). 

Arendsvlei

This addictive telenovela is centred around the fictional Arendsvlei High School on the Cape Flats. As Lee-Roy, Roberto Kyle Meyer won Best Actor in a Telenovela at the 2020 SAFTAs, where the show also took home Best Production Design. While the Cupidos and the Abrahams face more drama than ever, the multiple-SAFTA-winning show continues to go from strength to strength this season, with an extra episode every week.

The Last of us

More than ever, it’s critical that a series comes strong out the starting gates. With its first episode, HBO’s The Last of Us does exactly that. Experienced series viewers will feel it without having to refer to reviews or ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb or Google. If those stats make you feel better, they are 99%, 9.5/10 and 97% respectively. One episode, and all it does is set everything up for the following eight. Still, a lot happens.

The critics are raving too, with headlines like “one of the finest TV shows you will see this year” (The Guardian), “TV series of hit game praised by critics” (BBC News), “Expands on the games – and often betters them” (Games Radar), and “stays true to the game, and hits just as hard” (Washington Post).

Movies

Don't worry darling

Florence Pugh (Marvel’s Yelena) and Harry Styles (Dunkirk) star in Don’t Worry Darling as Alice and Jack, a picture-perfect 1950s couple living in an idyllic company town. But their utopia may not be all it seems, and Alice soon begins to worry that her husband’s glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets. The psychological thriller is directed by House actress Olivia Wilde. London Evening Standard says, “Wilde (who dazzles in a supporting role) is a misunderstood genius and her sly erotic thriller is one of the best films of the year.”

Puss in boots: The Last wish

When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he sets out on an epic journey to restore them in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Nominated for a 2023 Oscar, it’s the sixth Shrek film – AV Club calls it “easily the best film in the Shrek franchise.”

Antonio Banderas reprises his role as the swashbuckling Puss alongside Salma Hayek as Kitty Softpaws. The movie has a 95% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says: “The smart, sweet, and funny Puss in Boots: The Last Wish proves some franchises only get better with age.”

Fall

This unrelentingly tense survival thriller follows best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner, Halloween), who live for conquering fears and pushing limits. But when they climb 2 000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned TV tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. 

Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fuelled thriller. In their four-star review, Empire Magazine says, “A white-knuckle disaster in the sky, Fall does exactly and only what it says on the tin. Do look down!”

The Honeymoon

When Kat's (Kajal Bagwandeen) fiancé calls off their wedding the night before; her best friends, Noks (Tumi Morake) and Lu (Minnie Dlamini) persuade a devastated Kat to turn her Honeymoon in Zanzibar into a girlfriend’s getaway. What was meant to be a holiday away from their problems, soon turns to a holiday into their problems. Will their friendship survive a wild time in paradise? With co-stars Naymaps, Prev Reddy, Nina Hastie, Robbie Collins, JJ Mathura, Stevel Marc and introducing Tasveer Maharaj.

Subscribe to Showmax today

You can now have all the features and access to top movies and series, at the low subscription fee of R69 per month and get 10GB Showmax data for the first 3 months, thereafter, 3GB Showmax data per month. This is for Vodacom prepaid, top up and contract customers. Get it here.

With the fast pace of life, you can still watch your favourite shows while on the move anytime anywhere, plus you get to engage with on platform content using the URL data bundles provided along with the subscription. As Showmax mobile is part of the Vodacom Add to Bill offer, you can easily pay using your Vodacom Bill or airtime. 

Note that existing Showmax customers do not qualify for the subscription and data offer. You will need to downgrade or upgrade to the mobile edition, directly via the Showmax website, however you will not qualify for the additional data. Should you cancel your current Showmax subscription and take out a new subscription for the mobile and data offer, then only will you qualify for the data allocation.