IT’S been a process, this migration of old Showmax to new Showmax, but it’s almost complete. By Monday, 12 February, all subscribers should be successfully set up (it was such a painless and seamless procedure) and hours and hours of new content will be available (days, weeks, months even). Here, for the first time, is a comprehensive look at the international slate, with some old favourites to tweak the nostalgia, and some cracking new shows. Next week I’ll share the phenomenal lineup of original local content.
In case you missed it, new Showmax has a supercharged PSL soccer element. Now, I’m not a fan but millions are, and even I can tell what it’s offering is going to score major goals (sorry). Anyway, here’s what’s coming in February.
- Ted season one from12 February
Ted (Oscar nominee Seth MacFarlane) is back in an all-new prequel series in which the foul-mouthed bear is forced to navigate high school alongside his best friend John (Max Burkholder, aka Max Braverman in Parenthood).
You can also watch the two original films on Showmax from 22 February 2024.
- Full Circle from 22 February
Full Circle centres on an investigation into a botched kidnapping, which uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in New York City.
That cast includes Emmy winners Claire Danes (Homeland, Romeo + Juliet), Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight) and Jim Gaffigan (The Jim Gaffigan Show, Peter Pan & Wendy) and Emmy nominees Zazie Beetz (Atlanta, Deadpool 2, Joker) and Timothy Olyphant (The Book of Boba Fett, Fargo, Justified).
- Halo season two, two episodes on 12 February, weekly thereafter
Based on one of the highest-grossing gaming franchises of all time, Halo is set amid an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant.
- Lawmen: Bass Reeves season one weekly from 12 February
Emmy nominee David Oyelowo (Selma, Silo) was up for Best Actor at both the Critics Choice and Golden Globe Awards as Bass Reeves, a slave who became the first Black US Marshal west of the Mississippi, arresting more than 3 000 outlaws during the course of his career.
- The Office seasons one to nine from 12 February
Widely hailed as one of the best TV comedies of all time, The Office follows the everyday work lives and cringe-worthy antics of the staff at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
- The Rookie season five from 22 February
The LAPD’s oldest rookie, John Nolan (multiple People’s Choice Award winner Nathan Fillion from Castle and Firefly), is ready to take on a new role as The Rookie enters its fifth season. But first, he’ll have to face off once again with serial killer Rosalind Dyer (the late Annie Wersching from 24 and Star Trek: Picard).
- Found season one from 12 February, new episodes on Thursdays
In any given year, more than 600 000 people are reported missing in the US. More than half that number are people of colour that the country seems to forget about.
- Parks And Recreation seasons one to seven from 12 February
From the exec producers of The Office, Parks And Recreation is set in the Parks and Recreation Department of Pawnee, Indiana, and follows a relentlessly perky mid-level bureaucrat, Leslie Knope (Emmy and Golden Globe winner Amy Poehler), and her tireless efforts to make her quintessentially American town just a little bit more fun.
- Funny Woman season one from 12 February, new episodes on Thursdays
One of Rotten Tomatoes’ Most Anticipated TV and Streaming Shows of 2024, Funny Woman tells the story of Blackpool beauty queen Barbara Parker as she tries to make it in London at the height of the Swinging Sixties.
- SAS Rogue Heroes season one from 12 February, new episodes on Thursdays
SAS Rogue Heroes is a “mostly true” account of how arguably the world’s greatest special forces unit was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War II.
- Accused season one from 21 February
Nominated for Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited Series at the 2023 Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards, Accused centres on the defendant in a different court case in each episode.
For his role as Detective Trent Douglas, Black Reel winner Wendell Pierce (The Wire) was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards.
Also look out for the likes of Emmy winners Michael Chiklis (The Shield’s Detective Vic Mackey), Margo Martindale (Justified, The Americans, Cocaine Bear) and Rhea Perlman (Cheers, Barbie), Oscar winner Keith Carradine (Fargo, Madame Secretary), Oscar nominee Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Teen Choice winner Rachel Bilson (The O.C.), Emmy nominee Jason Ritter (Matlock, Raising Dion) and IMDb2022 STARmeter Fan Favorite Award winner Lauren Ridloff (The Walking Dead’s Connie).
- Killing It season one from 12 February, new episodes on Thursdays
Killing It, from the creative team behind Brooklyn Nine-Nine, is a comedy about class, capitalism and one man’s quest to achieve the American dream. And also about hunting really big snakes.
- Bupkis season one from 12 February, new episodes on Thursdays
Bupkis is a heightened, fictionalised version of the life of People’s Choice nominee Pete Davidson, which has already drawn comparisons to Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Louis CK’s Louie.
Look out for guest appearances from the likes of Al Gore, Jon Stewart, Method Man, Nathan Fillion, Steve Buscemi, and JJ Abrams.
- Alert: Missing Persons Unit season one from 27 February
As Detective Nikki Batista in Alert: Missing Persons Unit, Dania Ramirez (Sweet Tooth, Devious Maids and Heroes) was nominated as Best Actress – Drama at the 2023 Imagen Awards.
Created by Oscar winner Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone, Django Unchained) and writer-producer John Eisendrath (Alias, The Blacklist), the series has been renewed for a second season.
- Run The World season two from 26 February
- Malpractice season one from 29 February
What happens if you can’t trust the people who hold your life in their hands?
The five-episode British medical drama has an 86% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been renewed for a second season.
- Home Economics season two from 28 February
Home Economics returns for a hilarious and heartwarming second season following Tom (Emmy winner Topher Grace from BlacKkKlansman), Connor (YouTuber Jimmy Tatro from American Vandal) and Sarah (Caitlin McGee from Mythic Quest), three grown-up siblings fielding the ups and downs of life at different ends of the financial spectrum.