It’s Spinners vs Succession in Shanghai today
Tonight, 28 June 2024, the first season of Spinners is up against the Emmy-winning final season of Succession for Best Foreign TV Series at the 29th Shanghai TV Festival’s Magnolia Awards, one of the biggest accolades in Asia.
The Showmax Original is also up against:
• the BAFTA-nominated All Creatures Great and Small S4
• La Storia, named 2024 Series of the Year by The Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
• Aspergirl, winner of Best Actor for Carel Brown at last year’s Series Mania in the French competition
At the start of this week, the acclaimed Showmax Original was also released on CANAL+ in France, with two episodes every Monday.
Reviews in France are as glowing as they were in South Africa. Le Figaro says Spinners “happily explores new fictional territories and allows you to discover an astonishing motorsport”; Diverto uses phrases like “absolutely captivating”, “breathtaking” and “both spectacular and full of suspense”; Allociné calls it “a gripping thriller… somewhere between Fast and Furious and Gomorra with a little hint of Moonlight”; Le Journal DuManche says, “If we put the film City of God, the Fast and Furious franchise and the Gomorrah series in a shaker… the final cocktail could look like this production!”; and Télé-Loisirs says, “Forget Fast and Furious, the Spinners series has a lot more under the hood than the saga with Vin Diesel and it will make you buzz with pleasure!”
The first African series ever selected for CanneSeries, Spinners follows Ethan (breakout star Cantona James), a 17-year-old driver working for a local gang. Needing to support his younger brother but increasingly disgusted with gang life, Ethan discovers a possible way out via spinning, an extreme motorsport where he can put his driving skills to better use. With a gang war looming, can he turn his life around fast enough?
A co-production between Showmax and CANAL+, Spinners is co-created by producer Joachim Landau and showrunner Benjamin Hoffman of Empreinte Digitale, with the story developed by and head written by SAFTA and Silwerskerm winners Sean Steinberg and Matthew Jankes. SAFTA and Silwerskerm winner Jaco Bouwer directs, while the English/Kaaps series is co-produced by Locarno, Amiens and FESPACO winner Ramadan Suleman from Natives at Large, Spinners’ local co-production company.
Watch the CANAL+ Afrique trailer:
Binge Spinners S1 on Showmax:
Binge Succession S1-4 on Showmax:
Showmax continues to roll out fresh local content every weekday, including:
• new episodes of Showmax Original sitcom Mince Jou Hare every Monday
• new episodes of Kenyan crime drama Jiji every Monday and Tuesday
• new episodes of Showmax Original university drama Wyfie every Tuesday, until 8 July
• new episodes of Showmax Original Vaal-set drama 016fm every Wednesday
• new episodes of Kenyan romcom Big Girl Small World every Wednesday
• new episodes of Showmax Original telenovela Empini every Thursday
• new episodes of Kenyan crime drama Untying Kantai every Thursday
• new episodes of kykNET’s SAFTA Best TV soap winner Suidooster every weekday
• new episodes of kykNET’s three-time SAFTA winner Arendsvlei every Tuesday to Friday
To see everything on Showmax in July, including Sibongile & The Dlaminis, Mzansi Wethu’s most watched show ever, click here.