The festive season is upon us and to ensure that you are kept entertained, Showmax has an exceptional lineup of world-class entertainment, from critically acclaimed series to blockbuster premieres.
Check out the best series that you can stream on Showmax this December.
MY BRILLIANT FRIEND S4
The fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend brings us The Story of the Lost Child, the concluding chapter in Elena Ferrante’s best-selling Neapolitan Novels series. It follows the coming-of-age story of two young women growing up on the outskirts of Naples during the latter half of the 20th century.
Season 4 delves into the adult lives of Elena (Italian Golden Globe and Venice Film Festival Award winner Alba Rohrwacher) and Lila (Irene Maiorino), who find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 1980s. Amid motherhood, career demands, betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters, the two lifelong friends once again find themselves living in the same neighbourhood.
The first foreign-language series ever to premiere on HBO, My Brilliant Friend has a 97% overall critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards, including Best Foreign Language Series.
BBC.com hails the series as “one of the best shows on TV… as complex, gripping and immersive as the novels, while also being one of the best-looking series on television,” while The New York Times calls S4 “a brilliant conclusion… [that] completes one of the best portraits of a lifelong relationship ever made for TV.”
BASED ON A TRUE STORY S2
Season 2 of Based on a True Story finds new parents Ava and Nathan Bartlett three months into parenthood. Focused on taking care of her family, Ava is determined to resist her true crime obsession and return to work as a real estate agent, while Nathan trains private tennis clients.
But a series of new murders pulls her back in. Is Matt behind the slayings? Is Tory, now entangled in a relationship with Matt, in danger?
For a while, life is good – Ava’s TikTok habit and her new friend, Drew (Melissa Fumero from Brooklyn Nine-Nine), provide a welcome distraction, and Nathan’s all in on reigniting his tennis career as well as his friendship with Matt – until danger comes knocking, literally.
Three-time Emmy nominee Kaley Cuoco (The Flight Attendant, The Big Bang Theory) stars as Ava, with Critics Choice nominee Chris Messina (The Mindy Project) and Tom Bateman (Death on the Nile) as Nathan and Matt respectively.
30 ROCK S1-7
Emmy winner Tina Fey stars as Liz Lemon, head writer of the fictional sketch-comedy show “TGS with Tracy Jordan”, who has to deal with an arrogant boss and a crazy star while trying to run a successful television show – without losing her mind.
Emmy winner Alec Baldwin co-stars as network executive Jack Donaghy, with Emmy nominees Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski as TGS’ unpredictable star Tracy Jordan and his co-star Jenna Maroney.
During its 2006-2013 run, 30 Rock won 100 awards, including 16 Emmys – three for Outstanding Comedy Series. Look out for guest appearances from the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Tom Hanks and many, many more.
EMPEROR OF OCEAN PARK S1
Set between the worlds of politics, Ivy League academia, and the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, Emperor of Ocean Park centres on Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman from Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Lawmen: Bass Reeves), an Ivy League law professor whose quiet life is shattered when his father, Judge Oliver Garland (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker), dies of an apparent heart attack.
The judge was a failed Black nominee to the Supreme Court, and Tal’s sister (Tiffany Mack from Jessica Jones) believes his death was foul play – although she’s a former journalist who’s now a conspiracy theorist,
Emperor of Ocean Park is based on Stephen L Carter’s New York Times best-selling first novel in the Elm Harbor series.
CHICAGO MED S9
The third instalment in Emmy winner Dick Wolf’s hit One Chicago franchise, Chicago Med returns to our screens with some new faces joining the dedicated staff of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Centre as they confront the city’s most critical medical cases and challenging ethical dilemmas with courage, compassion and state-of-the-art treatment.
Though Nick Gehlfuss will be sorely missed following Dr Halstead’s move to Seattle, the ER welcomes a new doctor as Australian actor Luke Mitchell (Blindspot, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) joins the cast as Mitchell Ripley, an ED Attending Physician who has a troubled history … and a connection to Dr Charles.
Season 9 picks up six months later, with a promising new development in Dr Archer’s transplant storyline, and the arrival of new first-year resident Dr Zola Ahmad (Sophia Ali from Grey’s Anatomy), who is ready to challenge hospital protocol to do right by her patients.
SWEETPEA S1
Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets, Fallout, Arcane) stars in Sweetpea as Rhiannon, the girl everyone overlooks, who may just be able to get away with murder.
The twisted and darkly comic coming-of-rage thriller has an 86% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “Ella Purnell is a diabolical delight in Sweetpea, a revenge fantasy that holds a lot of darkness beneath its playful exterior.”
Sweetpea’s ensemble cast includes two-time BAFTA winner Nicôle Lecky (Mood, Sense8); BAFTA nominees Jon Pointing (Big Boys), Leah Harvey (Foundation), and Dustin Demri-Burns (Slow Horses); Calam Lynch (Bridgerton), and Emmy nominee Jeremy Swift (Higgins in Ted Lasso).
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS S1-2
The first two seasons of Emmy-nominated series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds are set to dock on Showmax in December, boasting a Rotten Tomatoes critics’ rating of 98% – the highest in the franchise.
A prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series, Strange New Worlds follows Star Trek: Discovery fan-favourites Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck), and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) as they explore new worlds around the galaxy aboard the USS Enterprise.
Salon.com says, “Pike is the Starship captain Trekkies have been missing, and Strange New Worlds is a welcome return to the Star Trek they know and love,” while Rotten Tomatoes praises the series for “recapturing the sense of boundless discovery that defined the franchise’s roots.”
The sci-fi show was nominated for Best Drama Series at this year’s Critics Choice Awards, where Celia Rose Gooding was up for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series as Nyota Uhura. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has also been nominated five times at the Critics Choice Super Awards, including for the 2024 awards for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, as well as Best Actor (Mount) and Actress (Gooding).
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE S3
The third and, sadly, final season of Somebody Somewhere brings growth against all odds for Sam (comedian and singer Bridget Everett) as she fields the changes and challenges that come with working at the local bar, her best friend Joel (Jeff Hiller) falling in love at the end of Season 2, Fred (Murray Hill) getting married, and her now-single sister Trish (Mary Catherine Garrison) having her hilarious throw cushion business take off.
Everett was nominated for a 2024 Critics Choice Award and won a Dorian Award for Best Actress: Comedy, while the HBO comedy won a Peabody, an American Film Institute’s TV Program of the Year award, and the Dorian Award for Best Unsung TV Show.
All three seasons cracked a rare 100% critics’ ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. As Awards Watch says, “The final season of one of HBO’s most delightful comedies solidifies its place as one of the greats of the decade so far.”
LAW & ORDER TORONTO: CRIMINAL INTENT S1
Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent brings the legendary Law & Order brand to Canada, following an elite squad of detectives from the Specialised Criminal Investigations Unit of the Toronto Police Department as they investigate high-profile crime and corruption cases.
Law & Order Toronto became the #1 prime-time drama of the year in Canada at launch, and has already been renewed for a second and third season.
The first season introduces us to the lead investigative team of Detective Sergeants Frankie Bateman (Kathleen Munroe) and Henry Graff (Critics Choice nominee Aden Young from Rectify). Karen Robinson (Ronnie Lee in Schitt’s Creek) plays Inspector Vivienne Holness, and KC Collins (Chucky, The Cleaning Lady) is Deputy Crown Attorney Theo Forrester, with award-winner – and real-life Ethiopian royal family member – Araya Mengesha (Anne with an E., Nobody) as Mark Yohannes.
DUNE: PROPHECY S1
From Frank Herbert’s expansive Dune universe, Dune: Prophecy is set 10 000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, following two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit.
Inspired by the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune, written by Frank’s son, Brian Herbert, and Kevin J Anderson, the prequel series stars Oscar nominee Emily Watson (Chernobyl), multiple-award winner Olivia Williams (The Crown), and Critics Choice Super Award nominee Travis Fimmel (Vikings). Also look out for BAFTA nominee Mark Strong (Shazam!, 1917) and Cannes winner Jodhi May (The Witcher)) as the emperor and empress.
Dune: Prophecy is co-produced by HBO and Legendary, who also produced the film franchise that has released two instalments to critical acclaim, with the first taking home six Oscars and the second becoming the fourth biggest blockbuster of 2024 so far. Both films will be available to binge on Showmax on New Year’s Day, 2025.
CRUSH
Nominated for a 2024 Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary, Crush unravels the chilling events of the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea that killed 159 people in 2022. Most of the dead were young party-goers celebrating the first Halloween festivities since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Drawing on hundreds of hours of footage from cell phones, bodycams and surveillance cameras, the two-part documentary is told through first-hand accounts from people who were caught in the crush, as well as interviews with residents of the city, first responders and government officials.
Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Jeff Zimbalist, Crush delves into both the tragedy itself and the investigative hearings and government response in its aftermath, centring on evidence of police failures to respond to numerous emergency calls as 100 000 people converged on the popular Itaewon neighbourhood on the evening of 29 October.
Rolling Stone says this “horrific tale, told calmly and soberly… unfolds like a slow-motion nightmare,” while Decider calls it “brutally effective,” saying, “Crush is just damn good, effective journalism.”
SON OF A CRITCH S3
Season 3 of Son of a Critch picks up with the now 14-year-old Mark eager to begin his senior year of elementary school. Finally, he’ll be at the top of the social food chain! Or will he?
Based on the best-selling memoir from Mark Critch, the Canadian comedy series is a coming-of-age story set in 1980s Newfoundland, where the young Mark Critch – much older than his years – uses comedy and self-deprecation to find his place in the world.
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth and show creator Mark Critch were nominated for Canadian Screen Awards this year as the young Mark and his dad. Hollywood Walk-of-Famer Malcolm McDowell (Bombshell, A Clockwork Orange) plays the young Mark’s grandfather.
Already renewed for a fourth season, Son of a Critch cracked a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes on its release in 2022, and was nominated for seven Canadian Screen Awards this year, including Best Comedy Series.
CHICAGO FIRE S12
Nominated for Drama Show of the Year at the 2024 People’s Choice Awards, One Chicago’s flagship series Chicago Fire returns to Firehouse 51 six months after last season’s breathtaking finale.
Season 12 promises the return of not one, but two beloved characters, and a sad (but happy, but still sad) farewell later in the season.
There’ll also be big developments at the station for both Violet (Hanako Greensmith) and Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), and it’s going to be a busy season on the romantic front too…
FIGHT NIGHT: THE MILLION DOLLAR HEIST
Based on the acclaimed true-crime podcast, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist stars Emmy nominee Kevin Hart as Chicken Man, a hustler who hosts a glamorous afterparty to celebrate Muhammad Ali’s 1970 comeback fight, with a guest list of the country’s wealthiest. When the night ends with the most brazen criminal underworld heist in Atlanta’s history, Chicken Man finds himself a prime suspect in the eyes of his old adversary, Detective JD Hudson (Oscar nominee Don Cheadle), one of the first Black detectives in the city’s desegregated police force.
The Peacock Original’s stellar cast also includes Oscar nominees Samuel L Jackson, Taraji P Henson and Terrence Howard.
Fight Night has a 96% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, at #21 on their list of the best TV of 2024 so far. As the critics’ consensus there says, “Skillfully weaving an inflection point in Black culture into a rollicking heist story, Fight Night is punchy entertainment with a never-better Kevin Hart broadening his dramatic range.”
LAW & ORDER S24
The NYPD’s greatest detectives and top prosecutors return for a thought-provoking new season of the Emmy-winning police procedural, which sees the long-running series celebrate its 500th episode.
There’s a major change at the 27th Precinct, with Jeffery Donovan’s exit in the previous season ushering in Reid Scott (Veep) as the new detective Riley. Tony Goldwyn (Scandal) is another significant addition, taking over from the legendary Sam Waterston’s Jack McCoy as the new District Attorney.
Returning cast include Critics’ Choice nominee Hugh Dancy (Hannibal), Emmy winner Camryn Manheim (The Practice), and Screen Actors Guild winner Mehcad Brooks (Supergirl).
Law & Order is created by Emmy-winning Hall of Famer Dick Wolf (One Chicago) and is one of the longest-running TV dramas in history.
FOUND S2
Hunt the enemy. Save the missing.
Found returns on Showmax with a gripping new season of shocking twists centring on recovery specialist Gabi Mosely (Shanola Hampton from Shameless) and her crisis management team as they work tirelessly to find missing people forgotten by the system. They’ll stop at nothing to solve these cases because for them, it’s personal – every member of the team has firsthand experience with a mysterious disappearance.
After bringing her darkest secret to light, Gabi must rebuild trust with her team and face her escaped kidnapper once again, all while rescuing the missing people who need her – before it’s too late.
Season 1 was NBC’s biggest-ever launch on Peacock, winning a NAMIC Vision Award for Drama and a Gracie Allen Award for Actress In A Leading Role for Hampton. Found was also up for Outstanding New Series at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards and Outstanding Drama Series at the 2024 Image Awards, where Nigerian-American series creator Nkechi Okoro Carroll (All American, All American: Homecoming) was nominated for Writing.
Kelli Williams (Dr Gillian Foster in Lie to Me, Lindsay Dole in The Practice), Teen Choice winner Brett Dalton (Grant Ward aka Hive in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), and Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Paul Johnson in Mixed-ish, Det. John Clark, Jr in NYPD Blue) co-star.
THE DAY OF THE JACKAL S1
The biggest Sky Original ever, The Day of the Jackal follows a ruthless, mysterious assassin known as the Jackal, who makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee. He meets his match when a tenacious British intelligence officer starts to track him down in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe.
The Day of the Jackal is a modern-day reimagination of Frederick Forsyth’s classic novel, which earned the 1972 Edgar Award for Best Novel from the Mystery Writers of America.
Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything, Fantastic Beasts franchise) plays the Jackal, while BAFTA winner Lashana Lynch (The Woman King, No Time to Die) plays Bianca, the British intelligence office hot on his heels.
Written and adapted by Ronan Bennet (Top Boy), The Day of The Jackal has an 82% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it “exhilarating… a breathless adventure until the very end.”
SULLIVAN’S CROSSING S2
Based on The Virgin River author Robyn Carr’s bestselling book series of the same name, Sullivan’s Crossing follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Koh