What to watch on Showmax in February from Shaka iLembe S2, Landman S2 to The Naked Gun
* binge all episodes of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Africa, new episodes of the Split, Heartbeat and Daughters of Water
February on Showmax features a refreshed slate of new and returning local and international titles for both weekly viewers and long-form bingers.
Leading the local lineup is season two of the epic series Shaka iLembe (binge from Friday 6, February), alongside ongoing Africa Magic favourites Daughters of Water (new episodes Tuesday – Thursday), The Split (new episodes Friday & Saturday) and The Low Priest (new episodes weekly), as well as the new dating reality TV show, Heartbeat (new episodes Monday). All episodes of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip Africa are also available to binge as fans count down to the Reunion show.
International highlights include the comedy movie The Naked Gun, season two of the critically acclaimed drama Landman, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy season one, and The Life of Chuck, the Stephen King adaptation starring Tom Hiddleston and British Nigerian actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.
See full list here
THE NAKED GUN
First on Showmax | Stream from Monday, 2 February
Oscar nominee Liam Neeson stars as Lt Frank Drebin Jr, who must follow in his father's footsteps to lead Police Squad and save the world in The Naked Gun.
Named Best Comedy at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards, The Naked Gun co-stars Golden Globe nominee Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl, Baywatch) and Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai, Black Bird).
Emmy winner Akiva Schaffer (I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Saturday Night Live) directs and co-wrote the script with How I Met Your Mother writers Doug Mand and Dan Gregor.
The Naked Gun has an 87% critics’ rating, with New York Magazine hailing the spoof as “fall-out-of-your-seat-and-
Watch the trailer, which has over 19 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY S1
First on Showmax | Stream from Monday, 2 February
STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY S1
First on Showmax | Stream from Monday, 2 February
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Set in the 32nd century, Star Trek: Starfleet Academy introduces viewers to a young group of cadets – the first in over a century – who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.
Leading the academy is Captain Nahla Ake, played by Oscar winner Holly Hunter, while Emmy nominees Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo reprise their roles as Jett Reno and The Doctor, as does Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly. The new recruits include X Factor star Karim Diané while guest stars include Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (Billions). As The Hollywood Reporter says: “Starfleet Academy has a crew worth following to the ends of the universe.”
Already renewed for a second season, Starfleet Academy has an 87% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Praising Holly Hunter’s scene-stealing turn as “a gift of a performance,” Empire Magazine’s 4/5-star review says, “By embracing the imperfect and trying something new, Starfleet Academy sets itself apart as a compelling spin-off that boldly goes where no Star Trek story has gone before.”
Watch the trailer:
Binge from Wednesday, 4 February on Showmax
Set in the boomtowns and oil fields of Texas, Landman is a modern tale of fortune-seeking, roughnecks and billionaires. In Season 2, as oil rises from the earth, so do secrets – and Tommy’s breaking point may be closer than he realises.
Billy Bob Thornton was up for the 2026 Critics’ Choice Best Actor award as Tommy, leading an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominee Demi Moore (The Substance), Teen Choice nominee Ali Larter (Heroes, Final Destination) and Michelle Randolph (Elizabeth Strafford in 1923).
Co-created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone), Season 1 was the most streamed series globally in the first half of 2025. Season 2 did even better, with 9.2 million streaming views in its first two days for its premiere – the most watched in Paramount+ history, outpacing Season 1 by 262%.
Watch the trailer, which has over 32m views:
THE LIFE OF CHUCK
Stream from Thursday, 5 February on Showmax
Hailed as “the best Stephen King film ever made” by Collider, The Life of Chuck celebrates the life of Charles “Chuck” Krantz as he experiences the wonder of love, the heartbreak of loss, and the multitudes contained in all of us.
Emmy nominee Tom Hiddleston (aka Loki, aka The Night Manager) leads the star-studded cast, which also includes Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor, Critics' Choice winner Jacob Tremblay, Critics' Choice Super nominee Karen Gillan, and Mark Hamill (aka Luke Skywalker), with narration by Emmy winner Nick Offerman.
Directed by Mike Flanagan (The Haunting of Hill House), The Life of Chuck won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival and has an 80% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Collider hailed The Life of Chuck as “truly profound and magical”, and The Wrap called it “a stunning celebration of the moments that make life worth living.”
Watch the trailer, with 5.6 million views:
SURVIVING OHIO STATE
First On Showmax | Stream from Thursday, 5 February
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Boasting a 100% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Surviving Ohio State tells the story of the male victims of Dr Richard Strauss, a sports medicine physician and serial sex abuser employed by The Ohio State University (OSU) from 1978 to 1998.
Oscar and Emmy winner Eva Orner directed and produced the film, which is exec produced by Oscar winners George Clooney and Grant Heslov (Argo) and Yellowstone producer David Glasser.
Bravely told by the student athletes (including several former All-American wrestlers) and others who concealed their trauma for years, the HBO documentary builds on the efforts of whistleblowers and journalists who exposed the scandal in 2018. It also examines the culture that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked for nearly two decades at OSU, as well as the survivors’ present-day fight to hold the school accountable.
Watch the trailer:
Binge on Showmax from Friday, 6 February
Season 2 picks up as Shaka arrives at KwaNobamba with Nandi to claim his throne as the new Zulu king.
Produced by Bomb (Yizo Yizo, Isibaya), Season 2 won four National Film and Television Awards, including Best Scripted TV Series, Best Director (Oscar nominee Angus Gibson), Best Producer (Emmy nominee Desireé Markgraaff and Nomzamo Mbatha, who also stars as Nandi), and Outstanding Performance for Wiseman Mncube as Zwide and Zamani Mbatha as Nomahlanjana. Lemogang Tsipa, Thembinkosi Mthembu, Khabonina Qubeka, Dawn Thandeka King, Calvin Ratladi, Amanda Seome and Luyanda Zwane all cracked nominations there too.
Shaka iLembe was the only TV series in Google’s Year In Search 2025 Top 10 Trends for South Africa.
Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
SWEETHEARTS
Stream on Showmax from Monday, 9 Feb
In Sweethearts, college freshmen Jamie and Ben decide to break up with their long-distance high school sweethearts the night before Thanksgiving. With help from newly out Palmer, Ben and Jamie test the boundaries of their co-dependent friendship while attempting to end things by any means necessary.
Multi-award-winner Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper in Mad Men) and rising star Nico Hiraga co-star, with 2025 Queerties-nominated comedian Caleb Hearon as Palmer. Also look out for Emmy winner Tramell Tillman (Seth Milchick in Severance).
The buddy comedy was nominated for Outstanding TV Film at the 2025 GLAAD Media Awards.
Watch the trailer, which has over 1.1 million views:
THE ’BURBS
First on Showmax | Binge from Wednesday, 11 February
In The ‘Burbs, a young family moves back to the husband's childhood home in “the safest town in America”, only to uncover dark secrets about their cul-de-sac.
Emmy winner Keke Palmer (Nope, Hustlers) and British comedian Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise, The Afterparty) co-star, opposite the likes of Julia Duffy (Palm Royale), Paula Pell (30 Rock), Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows), and Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist).
Emmy-nominated creator Celeste Hughey (Palm Royale, Dead to Me) adapted The ‘Burbs from the 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name. It's one of the most anticipated shows of 2026, according to the likes of AV Club, Indiewire and Variety.
Watch the trailer, which has over 27 million views:
BILLY JOEL: AND SO IT GOES
First on Showmax | Binge from Thursday, 12 February
Billy Joel: And So It Goes explores the life and work of Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and six-time Grammy winner Billy Joel, whose music has not only endured but soared across generations.
Nominated for Best Music Documentary at the 2025 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, And So It Goes is crafted around in-depth interviews with the legendary singer-songwriter himself, tracking the key moments that forged his character and the origin stories behind hits like “Just the Way You Are,” and “Uptown Girl”.
Directed and produced by Emmy winners Susan Lacy (Jane Fonda in Five Acts, Spielberg) and Jessica Levin (who produced The Janes and Jane Fonda in Five Acts), the two-part HBO documentary features interviews with the people closest to Joel, from his family and ex-wives (including Christie Brinkley), to friends, collaborators and former band members, as well as the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Sting and Pink.
Watch the trailer:
SURVIVING MORMONISM WITH HEATHER GAY S1
First on Showmax | Binge from Friday, 13 February
In Surviving Mormonism with Heather Gay, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star and New York Times-bestselling author of Bad Mormon reflects on her own departure from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In each hourlong episode, Heather has impactful conversations with abuse survivors, ex-Mormons and former Latter-day Saints church leaders, fracturing the church’s seemingly perfect veneer.
“In Surviving Mormonism With Heather Gay, A Reality Star Takes On the Tradwife Propaganda Machine,” Time Magazine headlined, saying, “It certainly works as a counterbalance to the camera-ready momfluencers giving the Church free publicity.”
Watch a sneak peak:
HEART EYES
Stream from Saturday, 14 February on Showmax
For the past several years, the Heart Eyes Killer has wreaked havoc on Valentine’s Day by stalking and murdering couples. This Valentine’s Day, no couple is safe…
A #1 US box office hit, Heart Eyes is “destined to become a Valentine’s Day favorite,” says TheWrap, calling it, “that rare horror movie with a great and charming love story, and that even rarer romantic comedy with a great and savage serial killer.”
Led by Teen Choice winner Olivia Holt (Cruel Summer, Cloak & Dagger) and Mason Gooding (Chad in the Scream movies), the cast also includes Devon Sawa (Chucky, Final Destination), Jordana Brewster (Mia in the Fast & Furious films) and Michaela Watkins (Hacks).
As Variety says, prepare to “swoon and squirm in equal measure.”
Watch the trailer, which has over 4.8m views:
BRIDE HARD
Stream from Monday, 16 February on Showmax
The perfect action romcom for your post-Valentine’s Day Galentine’s get together, Bride Hard reunites two Pitch Perfect besties (Critics’ Choice nominee Rebel Wilson and multi-award-winner Anna Camp) as childhood best friends Sam and Betsy.
Their friendship is on the rocks because Sam keeps skipping out on all of Betsy’s pre-wedding fun, thanks to her top-secret spy job. But when mercenaries crash the posh private island wedding, only Sam (and the bridal posse) can save the day, like John McClane in Die Hard. Or as the San Francisco Chronicle puts it, “Yippee ki‐yay, Rebel Wilson is a one-woman killing machine.”
Directed by Simon West (Old Guy, The Expendables), Bride Hard also stars Oscar winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building, The Holdovers), and Emmy nominees Anna Chlumsky (Amy in Veep) and Justin Hartley (This Is Us), among others.
Watch the trailer, which has over three million views:
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