Go on, watch another with 47 Box Sets on DStv this April
Highlights
01 April 2021
The biggest hits become the best Box Sets on DStv this April. Binge on it all, from Lioness to love Island, Abandoned to Die Boekklub, all in your own time
If you find yourself with a little happy holiday time on your hands this April, just want to settle in with your TV for a marathon viewing session, or even want to catch up on an amazing show, it’s time to crack out a Box Set. With full seasons of about 47 shows going live this April, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
DStv’s Box Sets let you binge on your favourite shows in your own time, hold viewing marathons, replay favourite scenes and go back to check out clues – however you want to watch, that remote control is in your hands.
April’s big Box Sets include M-Net’s (DStv channel 101) big Thursday night drama, Lioness, which has been keeping us gasping and guessing with all those twists and its clever approach to flashbacks and flash-forwards. Victorian-era series Miss Scarlet & The Duke has been a delightful piece of escapism and has given us some real costume eye candy. The deft blend of drama and comedy in Die Boekklub earns it an A+ on its book report again and the heart-wrenching reality series, Abandoned, with Phumeza Mdabe will make you oh-so thankful for your own family.
If you’ve been counting down the episodes, the grand finale of Love Island SA S1 airs on Sunday, 11 April, on M-Net (DStv channel 101) at 20:00 and the series will be available immediately as a Box Set.
Keep scrolling because there are always more Box Sets with brand-new seasons of old and new favourite shows ready to binge on this April like The Ranakas, Your Honor, Almost Family, 1000-lb Sisters, The Biggest Loser, Blacklist, Riviera, Walker, Afgrond, Grown-ish, Mr. Mayor, Broke, The Bachelor (US) and a whole lot more.
No matter what your TV mood, there’s something good waiting for you in a DStv Box Set.
In this crime drama, Sam Hugo (Shannon Esra, who stars as Candice in Still Breathing) plays a woman who is torn from her children and sent to prison after being framed for a fraud that her husband committed shortly before his death. Eight years later, she finds out, while trying to reconnect with her son and daughter having served “her” time, that the husband who destroyed her life is still alive. She’s not going to sit in a corner and cry. As this Lioness says, “Backing down isn’t in my nature.”
Binge on it from Thursday, 1 April, to Thursday, 29 April, (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
This fun period drama follows Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) as she takes over her late father’s detective agency, refusing to marry to escape her dire financial situation. But since she’s living in Victorian England, she isn’t allowed to own and operate a business without a male business partner – enter her reluctant childhood best friend, William “The Duke” Wellington (Stuart Martin), who’s also her father’s former protégé. Now, how long will it take these detectives to spot William’s crush on Eliza?
Binge on it from Monday, 12 April, to Monday, 10 May, (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family)
Cape Town hipster and now established author Tom Niemandt (Armand Aucamp) left the Karoo town of Merweville at the end of S2 and moved to Pretoria. Now it’s 2024 (in a post-COVID-19 world) and Tom is called back to Merweville by the death of one of his old book club friends. The death and subsequent road trip spark a sort of midlife crisis as Tom has just turned 40. But he’ll have plenty to take his mind off his own issues as he catches up with the people he used to know.
Binge on it from Tuesday, 20 April, until Tuesday, 18 May, (DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact)
Young adults who grew up in care after being abandoned at birth, or as young children by desperate mothers, often have unanswered questions and self-esteem problems that affect their ability to make connections. Host Phumeza Mdabe, along with Abandoned’s research team and private investigators, will be going around the country to track down those missing parents so that their children can talk about the issues that have been weighing heavily on their minds and find out why their birth parents couldn’t raise them.
Binge on it from Tuesday, 13 April, until Tuesday, 11 May, (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family)
Soapie star and host of Slank and Kom Ons Jol, Leandie du Randt, presents the first-ever season of the reality dating show, Love Island South Africa. A group of sexy, single South Africans are converging on a swanky villa in Cape Town prepared for a summer of romance, friendship and fun. Every few days, they’ll have to pair off with someone who they fancy, and it’s hard luck when some people are on everyone’s “want” list, and some, not so much. If nobody wants you, so sorry, you’re off the “island”. But even those who’re coupled up can’t just kick back in the pool together. There are new people arriving all the time, offering new temptations. And challenges will make people re-think their choices when it turns out it’s not enough just to be hot. The whole Love Island SA season will also be available as a Box Set to binge on Showmax.
Binge on it from Friday, 9 April, until Friday, 7 May, (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
New presenter Marciel Hopkins had quite a task playing matchmaker for this season's 10 farmers as production had to comply with all sorts of pandemic restrictions in “unlucky” S13. But love will always find a way. With three mature farmers and seven young guys on the block, there was plenty for this season’s ladies to consider. If you’re spoiler-crazy, pop by the Boer Soek YouTube channel for sneak peeks at all the episodes here.
Binge on it from Thursday, 15 April, until Thursday, 13 May, (DStv Premium, Compact Plus and Compact)
Whether you love your family drama to keep it real with The Ranakas or scandalous with Bryan Cranston’s new drama series, Your Honor, and the fertility shocker Almost Family, you’ll find something addictive to binge on this April. And there are plenty of lifestyle shows to enjoy too, like the weight-loss reality series, 1000-lb Sisters, and the new-look The Biggest Loser. Drama fans can really get into the plot with The Blacklist, Riviera, Walker and Afgrond. If you'd prefer a good laugh, prepare to wonder where the time went with Grown-ish, Mr. Mayor, and Broke. Keep scrolling because there’s so much more, including the latest season of The Bachelor (US)…
The Ranakas S4
The Ranaka clan are back in their family reality show. This season, the super 7 Ranakas are growing from the past to take charge of the future, and Ntate Ranaka and Mama Siba are out to make a change for their community, too. Mpumi’s marriage is under strain, so she’s looking to fix that, while keeping the peace with sister, Dineo. And since these are COVID-19 times, we’ll see how the Ranakas handle that, and the impact on the restaurant business they opened at the end of S3.
Binge it from Thursday, 1 April until Thursday, 29 April (All packages from DStv Premium-DStv Access)
The Black-ish spin-off comedy returns with episode 9, and considering that now 21-year-old Zoey dropped out of college (aren’t mom and dad Bow and Dre going to be just thrilled about that!) in the previous episode, we’re wondering how they’ll keep the gang together, particularly as Zoey and Aaron had also just shared their first kiss, and Nomi’s waters broke, too. Yara, who plays Zoey, has pointed out that Zoey’s growth isn’t going to be linear, so we’ll see where this takes her.
Binge it from Monday, 5 April until Monday, 3 May (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact)
The big news for this season of the twisty spy drama is trying to figure out whether this woman that Red (James Spader) is calling Katarina (Laila Robins) really is his daughter Liz’s (Megan Boone) birth mom, Katerina Rostova – or whether, like Red, she is a cunning impostor. The season finale answered the dilemma posed by the COVID-19 production break by having the actors voice their parts, then animating the action and switching back and forth between animation and live action in the episode.
Binge it from Wednesday, 7 April until Wednesday, 5 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
Rich businessman Neil Bremer (Ted Danson) runs for mayor of Los Angeles as a way of earning his daughter's respect, only to end up actually winning the race and desperately scrambling to try to figure out how to take charge of the city and sort out everyone's issues, including the wild coyote problem. Co-produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock (30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Great News).
Binge it from Friday, 9 April until Friday, 7 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
Sisters Amy and Tammy Slaton are back on their weight-loss journey, hoping to shed enough weight to be able to undergo bariatric surgery. Inspired by their success, this season their brother, Chris, is joining the fight, including taking on therapy. But like many of us, the Slatons were sent reeling by the global lockdown and quarantine process and Tammy particularly is struggling. The siblings won’t stay down for long, though, and early in the season Amy gets exciting baby news.
Binge it from Tuesday, 13 April until Tuesday, 11 May (All packages from DStv Premium-DStv Access)
A year has passed since the events of the Riviera S2 finale. Georgina has left the Riviera behind and wants to re-start her life by rebranding herself as an art restitution lecturer, going under the name Georgina Ryland. But the past can’t stay sunk like a luxury yacht, and there’s new trouble coming, too, when Georgina’s new colleague, the charismatic art restitution expert Gabriel Hirsch (Rupert Graves), lands them in the middle of a conspiracy. Before long, Georgina will be fighting to prove her sanity from behind the bars of an insane asylum.
Binge it from Wednesday, 14 April until Wednesday, 12 May (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family)
Julia Bechly (Brittany Snow) finds out that her father, Leon (Timothy Hutton), the revered head of their famous fertility clinic, has secretly been using his own sperm to help their patients conceive (a form of sexual assault), and that she therefore has over 100 half siblings, including her childhood friend, Edie (Megalyn Echikunwoke), and ex-Olympic athlete Roxy Doyle (Emily Osment). As the company’s communications director, Julia now has to deal with the PR nightmare, along with her complex feelings about her new “sisters”.
Binge it from Saturday, 17 April until Saturday, 15 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
In this unusual split season filmed in 2020 during the pandemic, there are 2 Bachelorettes in play. The season starts with Clare Crawley, runner up of S18 of The Bachelor, but when she believes that she has found her true love by only episode 4, she asks that they be allowed to leave the show together. Tayshia Adams, runner-up of The Bachelor S23, then steps in and continues the journey, with 4 extra men brought onboard to join her suitors.
Binge it from Monday, 19 April until Monday, 17 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
This brand-new series is a reboot of the Chuck Norris action series Walker, Texas Ranger, with Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki in the lead role as grief-stricken widowed Texas Ranger Cordell Walker. Look out for Jared’s real-life wife, Genevieve, as Cordell’s murdered wife, Emily, who’s a ghostly presence as Cordell becomes obsessed with working out how and why she really died. Cordell isn’t a spinning kick to the face first, ask questions later kind of guy this time round, but he still has his own moral compass.
Binge it from Tuesday, 20 April until Tuesday, 18 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
Long-time Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper returns to host this brand-new rebooted series. Say goodbye to temptation challenges – nobody’s waving doughnuts at hungry people anymore. There’s no more voting to send people home, and in an effort to support maintenance of the weightloss, everyone will be given gym membership, access to a nutritionist and a support group after the show.
Binge it from Tuesday, 20 April until Tuesday, 18 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
5 women from different walks of life, including Julia Cilliers (Jana Kruger, Karen in Projek Dina), a psychologist struggling with the death of her child; Hannelie Fourie (Marguerite van Eeden), a woman who’s being sexually harassed at work; Lana Bridgett (Kim Cloete), a former soapie star who’s come out of a coma suffering from amnesia; Nadine May (Gretchen Ramsden), a trainee lawyer; and Leora van Niekerk (Kanya Viljoen), who has to take over her father’s funeral business, cross paths when each of them must fight for their survival.
Binge it from Wednesday, 21 April until Wednesday, 19 May (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, and Compact)
Friends and family have nominated loved ones to get a room makeover to the value of R50,000. Expect full builds, cement, work crews, angle grinders – whatever it takes to turn ordinary rooms into extraordinary spaces. Hosted by South Africa’s Black Real Estate king, Thato “TT” Mbha, Mzansi Cribs isn’t one of those “give dad a holodeck” or “stick some straw on the walls and give them new cushions” kind of show. All the projects aim to increase the house’s value, while also creating beautiful spaces.
Binge it from Thursday, 22 April until Thursday, 20 May (DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact and Family)
The classic singing competition show gets a new tweak this season thanks to COVID-19. It’s fascinating to compare it to the recent Idols SA to see how their production team has handled pandemic shooting restrictions. This year, for the first time, for example, the audition phase will take place over Zoom video conferencing, with only 3 locations allowing live auditions in front of the judges.
Binge it from Friday, 23 April until Friday, 21 May (DStv Premium)
Working single mom Jackie (NCIS star Pauley Perrette) has to take in her estranged socialite sister, Elizabeth (Natasha Leggero), and her rich-boy husband, Javier (Jane The Virgin’s Jaime Camil), after Javier’s father cuts him off financially in this family sitcom. Javier and Elizabeth need to prove that they can get jobs and live responsibly before Daddy will open his pockets again, and in Jackie, they might have the perfect guide for doing just that… or Javier could pay attention to how hard his assistant, Luis (Izzy Diaz), works.
Binge it from Saturday, 24 April until Saturday, 22 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
When you tell the secrets that keep you in the darkness, they no longer have the power to hold you back. This reality series hosted by Ntombi Mzolo is going to help people who’ve been suffering because of their secrets to figure out who to tell, and how. Whether it’s teen pregnancy, paternity secrets, sexuality and gender identity, devastating secrets like rape and molestation, addiction, or long-held lies, it can all come to air, allowing people to seek the help they need and start healing.
Binge it from Tuesday, 27 April until Tuesday, 25 May (All packages from DStv Premium-DStv Access)
In this 5-episode series, adventurer Ben Fogle is in Africa on a conservation mission with a team of wildlife experts. He’ll be talking to poachers, hunters and conservations to understand the complex politics and economic forces behind plummeting species population numbers and habitat destruction. Ben will also tackle the pandemic dangers posed by the bushmeat trade, and meeting the people and communities in South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, Kenya and Liberia who’re driving change and education to preserve Africa’s wild places and wildlife.
Binge it from Wednesday, 28 April until Wednesday, 26 May (DStv Premium)
New Orleans judge Michael Desiato (Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston) sparks a tragedy when he conceals evidence to protect his teenaged son, Adam (Hunter Doohan), from deadly retaliation after Hunter kills the son of Mafia kingpin Jimmy Baxter (Michael Stuhlbarg) in a hit-and-run accident. When Michael’s actions accidentally frame a young gang member for murder, it could lead to an all-out war. Adapted from the Israeli TV series Kvodo.
Binge it from Tuesday, 20 April until Tuesday, 18 May (DStv Premium and Compact Plus)
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New to Catch Up this month
07 July 2021
DStv’s Catch Up service offers you TV in your own time, and there’s so much more to see on all packages this month.
DStv Premium is all about the big names like Kaley Cuoco, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston and Dame Judi Dench – and the big events like Earth Day and Family Day this April
So much more new and exciting entertainment in store for DStv Compact this April
24 March 2021
With an all-new, all-star April line-up plus returning favourites you won’t want to miss, there’s never been a better time to stay connected or subscribe to DStv Compact.
Afrokaans Film & Television (Survivor SA) is producing the 12-episode Showmax Original, which is expected to premiere in the first half of 2021. Add Showmax to your DStv bill to stream it first.
Sign up for DStv – it’s an online streaming service for all DStv subscribers. Watch the channels you watch on your decoder at home, on the Internet! Go to now.dstv.com on your laptop and Catch Up on the episodes you missed.
Binge it from Thursday, 1 April until Thursday, 29 April (All packages from DStv Premium-DStv Access)
