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The new and not so new the SABC has to offer
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April 24, 2009
By Bianca Coleman
SABC3 is continuing its new-found dedication to keeping the media informed of what's going on, and last week presented us with another quarterly media briefing.
This time they upped the ante and included not only a screening of forthcoming programmes, but invited some familiar faces along for the ride. Joining us at the breakfast at the Radisson Hotel were Flash presenter Isabella de Villiers, and Top Billing's Jo-Anne Strauss and Nico Panagio. Did you know he has "completed various courses including paramedic and bodyguard training, anti-terrorism and advanced scuba diving? He has a brown belt in Karate and is trained in kickboxing and Thai boxing (Muay Thai)". No, me neither, but it's super hot (like him), and he can always moonlight as a spy if necessary.
Covering April until June, the briefing was a little late, but it recapped some of the changes that have already taken place. Like the early evening comedy and 9pm dramas, and the fact that shows like The Amazing Race is in a completely unheard of time and place - Mondays at 8pm. Good news is that Survivor: China will be sliding in there next month. And of course, the late-night drama with Law & Order and the third season of The OC. Apparently some people are complaining about these time slots, but surely by now everyone can programme a VCR?
I still stand by what I said about Last Say On Sunday, but other new programmes include Flash on Wednesdays at 8pm and Stellenbosch (Thursdays at 9pm), a local period drama. Kompleks is another local offering, beginning on May 14 at 8.30pm and it looks kind of weird in a Casper de Vries/Coconuts kind of way but perhaps if one drank enough wine it might be funny. My personal jury is still out on this one, but I'll check it out once it starts airing.
Something SABC3 viewers will notice is a lot more Afrikaans programming.
Like De Kat (magazine programme from May 1 at 9.30pm), drama series Dit Wat Stom Is (May 28, 9pm) and cooking programme Roer (from kykNET) which began last Sunday at 3pm. We saw a clip of that and it looks like lots of fun.
Returning comedies in May include Two and a Half Men (May 5, 7.30pm) and The New Adventures of Old Christine (May 27, 7.30pm).
The wonderfully lavish four-part mini-series, Virgin Queen, which is about Elizabeth I and stars Anne-Marie Duff starts on May 27 at 9pm. War & Peace, another mini-series, follows on June 24 in that time slot.
Looking ahead into the third quarter, SABC3 is promising us the new seasons of Heroes, Desperate Housewives and Lipstick Jungle, and new acquisitions for the channel, Brothers & Sisters and Gossip Girl. Let's hope it's a long, cold, wet winter so we can stay indoors with our TVs. And our wine.
TONIGHT
The Tropic Of Capricorn (BBC Knowledge at 10.30pm): Having previously journeyed along the Equator, Simon Reeve now embarks on an epic odyssey along another imaginary line - the Tropic of Capricorn. Through Africa, Australia and South America he unearths human stories of history, culture and politics that will fascinate and enthrall, I am told. In Botswana, Simon crosses the Kalahari Desert to visit the last remaining Bushmen who are trying to lead a traditional life, as well as the world's largest diamond mine, which has made the country into one of the world's fastest growing economies.
The exotic charms of Madagascar hide an impending environmental catastrophe, while the white farmers of South Africa are launching their own response to the Zimbabwean refugee crisis. All nice relevant stuff for us. Then across the globe in Australia, Simon investigates the government crackdown on Aboriginal communities, and in South America he travels from Chile to Brazil, crossing the Andes on horseback and braving the anarchic tri-border region in Paraguay. I've been watching the trailers for this and am looking forward to a bit of lazy armchair travel.
It might even get me off my Top Gear addiction. Nah, not really.
IN THE WEEK
Lead Balloon (BBC Entertainment, Tuesday at 8pm): This one sneaked in and has become one of my favourite, unmissable shows, sort of a cross between Ricky Gervais and Larry David, if you can imagine such a thing. In other words, completely dead-pan humour derived from the most excruciatingly awkward situations and confrontations. The series was created and is co-written by Pete Sinclair and comedian Rick Dee who stars as Rick Spleen, a cynical and misanthropic comedian whose life is plagued by petty annoyances, disappointments and embarrassments. Rick's wife Mel is played by Raquel Cassidy who was also recently seen as Nancy Weeks in the excellent Moving Wallpaper (now sadly concluded, along with its sister-soap Echo Beach but so brilliantly and neatly done on both counts). In this episode, Rick buys a scooter, but then starts to worry about his image. His paranoia also starts to affect his writing for the Annual Hairdresser Awards.
True Blood (M-Net, Tuesday at 9.30pm): Oh no, no, no! It's the final episode of season one - already! I am devastated that my Tuesday nights will now be bloodless, but finally Sookie finds a connection between the murders in Bon Temps. Jason finds a new goal in life, which is encouraging. Bill tempts fate, continuing to find a way to rescue Sookie from harm. Sam the dog man (I knew there was something odd about him, and that dog was bothering me too) is troubled by a familiar face from his past.
Big Love (M-Net Series, Wednesday at 10pm): But the TV gods taketh with one hand and giveth with the other… here's season three of this brilliant HBO series about the polygamist Henricksons from deep in the Mormon territory of Utah. In the season opener, Bill tries to convince Jerry Flute, a native-American businessman, to partner with him in a Mormon-friendly casino outside of Salt Lake City, and finds a surprisingly effective ally in Margene, who is my favourite wife. With Roman in jail and incensed at Alby for betraying him, Nicki decides to temp at the DA's office to hunt down state's evidence for Adeleen. Fans of the show should check out Wikipedia, which has useful season recaps and a helpful family tree.
The OC (SABC3, Thursday at 10.15pm): Ryan decides to make a life-changing decision that Sandy reluctantly supports; Marissa looks to her new friends to help with her latest crisis with Ryan; Summer and Seth go on a mission to reveal a secret between Taylor and Dean Hess; Charlotte makes Julie an offer that she can't refuse.
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