A new daily telenovela called Precious Pearl starts on Mzansi Magic and M-Net Family next week, in place of Caribbean Flower which wraps on both channels over the next week.
First impressions suggest that it's going to be a goodsy for telenovela fans because it won the 2014 International Emmy for Best Telenovela as well as various other Best Telenovela awards. According to Brazilian website
Universo Online, it attracted a whopping 26 million viewers a day when it aired in Brazil.
It's set in the 1930s and 40s and follows Franz Hauser, the son of a millionaire who faces a Cane and Abel situation with his half brother Manfred who tries to kill him during an avalanche in the Himalayas. Franz gets rescued by a monk at a monastery and becomes close friends with the monastery's guru Ananda.
Franz's father believes that he's dead and puts Manfred in charge of the family business but then Franz returns to his family, which drives Manfred over the edge. Once he returns he meets Amélia, a factory worker, and they fall in love. They have a daughter Pearl who becomes the centre of things when Amélia gets framed and sentenced to jail.
The monk Ananda dies at the monastery and his followers set out to find Pearl because they believe she has a greater purpose.
And so the plot unfolds...
It premieres on Mzansi Magic this Monday (30 May) at 16h30 and on M-Net City on Wednesday (1 June) at 17h00. This means that M-Net City will be two days behind Mzansi Magic so be sure to watch on the same channel to avoid getting confused!