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First on Showmax

From Mr Robot to The Young Pope to Taboo, Showmax offers subscribers premium content that can’t be found anywhere else. Here are some of the shows that can only be seen on Showmax:

Mr. Robot, Season 3

One of the most critically acclaimed US TV shows will see its third season premiere on Showmax only, starting on 12 October, with episodes hitting the platform within 24 hours of the broadcast in the States. If you’ve not heard of Mr. Robot yet, strap yourself in.

The series follows the activities of a hacker named Elliot (Rami Malek) who is drawn into the fsoceity hacktivist group by its leader, the titular Mr. Robot (Christian Slater). The group’s main aim is to destroy debt records, granting freedom to the masses through financial anarchy. However, as Elliot learns more about fsociety, he realises that not only is its approach part of a bigger plan, but that he is just a pawn in a larger game played out by dangerous adversaries.

Mr. Robot walks a fine line between perception and reality.

Its representation of hacking is dead to rights but its plot plays with the concept of what’s real and what isn’t – referencing works such as American Psycho and Fight Club. Not only that, but every season takes a hard, unblinking look at the deal we all make every day in which we sacrifice privacy to tech companies for convenience. In our ever-more technologically connected world, Mr. Robot isn’t just a great TV show – it feels like required viewing.

The Young Pope

If you think HBO’s religious-inflected drama starring Jude Law is simply House of Cards with frocks, think again. The Young Pope is one of the most surprising and entertaining shows to emerge for a while and there’s a reason that critics are falling over each other in their efforts to praise it.

The show follows the ordainment of the first American pope, who brings a level of fire and brimstone to the role that hasn’t been seen in ages. Over the course of the series, viewers gain an insight into what drives Pope Pius XIII (Law) and the frightening influence he can have as the head of one of the world’s most powerful religious entities.

Toss in political intrigue and structural maneuvering, and The Young Pope is as racy as dramas come. The fact that it looks gorgeous is just the icing.

Taboo

While the title of this series may not instantly inspire excitement, Taboo is certainly worth bingeing on. This BBC-made drama is set in Victorian-era London and contains enough bloodshed, intrigue and double-dealing to make Jack the Ripper run for cover.

The series’ central plot focuses on James Delaney (Tom Hardy) who returns to England after spending time abroad in the wilds of Africa. He arrives to bury his father and claim his inheritance – a small parcel of land in North America that turns out to be rather valuable to both the newly formed US government and the East India Company. Both entities want the land and aren’t above spilling blood to get it.

With fantastic performances from Hardy and the rest of the cast (which includes Jonathan Pryce as the EIC’s menacing CEO), as well as note-perfect set design, Taboo is a must-watch for anyone who’s a fan of a gripping yarn.

Kingdom

Kingdom comes on like a combination of Friday Night Lights and Warrior. If you caught the latter movie you’ll know it’s about mixed martial arts. If you’re a fan of the former you’ll know this show peels back the hard veneer of the sport that lies at its centre and reveals a very human heart.

At its core, Kingdom is about a family at odds with itself. Alvey Kulina (Frank Grillo) is a trainer, gym owner and former MMA champ trying to keep his gym from going under, with his girlfriend Lisa (Kiele Sanchez), through training potential contenders on the fighting circuit. His youngest son Nate (Nick Jonas) is an up-and-coming star, while his eldest Jay (Jonathan Tucker) is an impulsive, preternaturally talented fighter battling a drug addiction. As if things weren’t bad enough, Season 1 of Kingdom begins by throwing Ryan Wheeler (Matt Lauria) into the mix; a former protégé of Alvey’s, and Lisa’s ex-fiance, who happens to have completed a jail sentence for manslaughter.

The idea of a failing MMA gym might not strike one as the source of an electrifying drama, but Kingdom delivers a knock-out punch in the very human drama that unfolds.

Other First on Showmax titles include sexy rom-com Younger, from the creator of Sex and the City; the dark NSFW British period drama Harlots, about a pair of rival brothel owners in 18th-Century London; the miniseries TUT, about the boy-pharaoh, starring Ben Kingsley; and all four seasons of Rectify, the critically acclaimed drama about a man released back into his small hometown after DNA evidence gets him off Death Row, where he spent 19 years for the murder of his girlfriend.

  • All of this comes at no additional cost to DStv Premium subscribers. Go to www.showmax.com/dstv to get your Showmax subscription now.

 

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