SOUTH Africa has bagged its first local series commission for the Lifetime channel – Four Weddings. And Michael Bay’s Black Sails, which was shot in a constructed set in Cape Town, will finally hit local screens on the History channel.
As the name denotes, Four Weddings is a reality show based on the successful UK format, featuring four bridezillas scoring each other’s weddings. With the stakes so high, the rivalry often threatens to boil over. After all, they all want to be the one who jets off to their dream honeymoon destination. Of course, with the local version, the culture clashes are a huge cornerstone for the series, which is helmed by Rapid Blue’s Kee-Leen Irvine.
These were some of the high-lights confirmed at the A+E Network Africa Upfront event this week.
And fans of Pawn Stars SA will be glad to know that a second season is on the cards.
In fact, the shows coming to the History, Crime & Investigation (C&I) and Lifetime channels are a buffet of the best of the best.
Koulla Anastasi, the director of programming, gave a teaser of some of their latest acquisitions.
She was quite excited about Fifth Gear – their response to Top Gear.
She revealed: “Now the History (channel) viewer undoubtedly loves his cars, especially here in South Africa. In April, there is a new season of Fifth Gear. This is a high-octane motoring show that gets under the bonnet of the latest cars to hit the market. What makes Fifth Gear different from other car shows – and this is going to sound a little bit strange – is it’s actually about cars, whether it is classic or new cars. The build, engine size and technical performance is brought to you by experts. Featured in the 12-week run is an episode filmed right here in South Africa, just outside Joburg.”
Also coming up on the channel is TV’s most killed character, Sean Bean (Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings), who looks into the Waterloo battle on its 200th anniversary.
Keeping with in-your-face storytelling is The Infiltrator, a docu-drama on Charles Falco, a real-life cop who goes deep undercover in three outlaw biker gangs.
On the reality front, Raising Asia – the eight-year-old YouTube dance sensation – raises hell in her quest to be the next Beyoncé.
And Abby Lee Miller (Dance Moms) goes on a Gordon Ramsay-esque rampage in her spin-off series, Abby’s Studio Rescue.
On C&I, Beyond Scare Straight is a must-see for parents dealing with rebellious teenagers.
Even more thrilling, there are a host of Hollywood A-listers gracing the screen on Lifetime. Pierce Brosnan is the lead in Bag of Bones, based on Stephen King’s novel. Geena Davis, James Woods and Richard Dreyfuss take centre stage in Coma, a dark drama that looks into the sinister goings-on in a hospital. And Unreal with Constance Zimmer (House of Cards) explores the manipulative world of reality TV.
Lifetime’s made-for-TV movies up the ante too with Call Me Crazy with Jennifer Hudson and Octavia Spencer. Christina Ricci plays an axe-wielding killer in Lizzie Borden Took an Ax.
Talk about whetting the appetite.