What to watch in January 2023
It’s a new year and now is the time to look forward to everything 2023 has to offer. The year is off to a great start, with new shows we’ve been anticipating as well as some returning for the new seasons. Will 2023 turn out to be another year full of great shows for viewers to enjoy?
While we eagerly await the new star-studded Mzansi Magic telenovela Gqeberha: The Empire which debuts this month, M-Net’s critically acclaimed hit thriller Lioness returns for season 2. Not to mention the much-anticipated premiere of Big Brother Titans, which is also taking place this month.
Every month, a slew of new shows become available to watch on platforms such as Showmax, as well as on channels such as MNet, and Mzansi Magic, to name a few. It’s going to be an exciting year, with the vast majority of shows we haven’t seen yet having the same potential to delight or disappoint us; we’re hoping they over-exceed our expectations. So please join us as we anticipate the televisual delights that the month of January 2023 will bring.
See the list below:
Big Brother Titans (15 Jan)
Our Sundays will never be the same again when the long-awaited Big Brother Titans premieres on DStv on the 15th of January. In this special edition of the reality show, selected housemates from South Africa and Nigeria will be in one House, competing for the ultimate prize.
BBMzansi’s Lawrence Maleka and BBNaija’s Ebuka Obi-Uchendu will co-host this debut season. Are you ready for another epic Big Brother season? Be sure to tune in on 15 January 2023
Gqeberha: The Empire (16 Jan on Mzansi Magic)
The series is produced by the multi-award-winning Tshedza Pictures (The River, The Republic, Legacy), this is the first Mzansi Magic telenovela filmed entirely in the Eastern Cape.
A stylish telenovela set in the friendly City, Gqeberha: The Empire is about a man who seemingly has it all: family, love, money, power, glory, and respect. Luzuko Mxenge (played by Mbulelo Grootboom) is a successful businessman who is husband to three very different, very strong wives: Bulelwa (played by Zikhona Sodlaka), Zimkhita (played by Zandile Msutwana) and Nozuko (played by Kay Bikitsha). What more could he want? Another wife, for starters. His decision to expand the family soon threatens to bring out the bitterness his wives have long suppressed – but also comes with complications no one could have predicted, endangering his relationship with his heir-apparent. Will the Mxenge empire continue to thrive, or will in-fighting make it easier for enemies to infiltrate, bringing about the family’s downfall?
Gqeberha: The Empire’s star-studded cast includes Zikhona Sodlaka (The Wife, Blood Psalms); Zandile Msutwana (Grootboom & Sons, The Queen); Mbulelo Grootboom (Wounds, Suidooster); Kay Bikitsha (The Queen); Phila Madlingozi (Isikizi, The Queen); Anele Matoti (Recipes for Love and Murder, Wounds); and Akhenime Mfenyana.
The telenovela will be replacing The Queen, which will come to an end after its seventh season. Don’t miss the premiere of Gqeberha: The Empire on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161), Monday 16 January at 21h00.
Lioness (26 Jan on MNet)
M-Net’s edgy thriller drama Lioness will be back for season 2 on 26 January 2023. Starring Shannon Esra (as Samantha Hugo) alongside an impressive ensemble of supporting actors, the award-nominated Ochre Moving Pictures series follows the story of a woman fresh out of jail for fraud, who returns to a life even more fractured than when she left.
After the cliffhanger finale of season 1, season 2 picks up with Adrian Hugo’s (played by Jacques Bessenger) second wife (played by Carla Classen) in desperate search for her missing husband. The fiercely protective mother (as the titular “lioness”) that she is, Samantha must shield her son Liam (played by Joshua Eady), no matter the cost.
Also returning for season 2 are Natasha Sutherland (Megan); Nokuthula Mavuso (Amo); Fiona Ramsay (Charlotte); Avianah Abrahams (Caitlyn); Frank Rautenbach (Jason); Pulane Rampoana (Bonolo); Jazzara Jaslyn (Miranda); Evan Hengst (Brian); Terrence Ngwila (Sifiso); Ditebogo Ledwaba (Lesedi); Ilana Cilliers (Yvette); and Gerald Steyn (Anton).
Newcomers for the season are award-winner Vinette Ebrahim (Barakat), who plays Vera, an introverted and aloof ice queen whose fractured family needs warmth. Carl Beukes (Dominion) plays Max, an enigmatic lone wolf who will do whatever it takes to get the job done in helping his half-sister find justice. Theo Landey (Black Sails) joins the cast as Thomas, a sensitive and intelligent teacher whose kindness lands him in hot water. Ayden Croy (Verstikking) plays Kevin, a warm-hearted young man trying to build a new life after a tragic past.
Lioness season 2 premieres on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) on Thursday 26 January 2023 at 20h00.
