It's time for another medical drama craze.
The first happened almost 15 years ago with the whammy of
Jozi-H on SABC3 and
Hillside on SABC2, six months after the start of M-Net/KykNet's hospital soapie Binnelanders.
Hillside premiered in early 2006 and Jozi-H in October, with one season for Jozi-H and two for Hillside.
And now we've lived through the peak of a pandemic and medical dramas are suddenly the craze again with two of them premiering within a month of each other.
e.tv debuts its KZN-based daily series Durban Gen on Monday, 5 October at 18h30 and a new weekly series premieres on SABC2 on Thursday,3 September at 21h30 in September.
It's called Vutha, the nickname of the Daveyton township in Gauteng where the show is set.
It's created by TV producer and presenter Ntokozo Mbuli, best known on-screen for presenting on SABC2's environmental show 50/50, which garnered her a Best Presenter nomination at the 2018 SAFTAs.
On the production front, she's also produced on 50/50 and other primetime series with production house Clive Morris Productions.
She was an executive producer on SABC3's police procedural The Docket and the e.tv soapies Ashes to Ashes and Broken Vows.
Vutha is also produced by Clive Morris and embodies the medical drama genre by mixing the challenges faced by doctors and nurses with stories of their personal lives.
According to Ntokozo, some of the action is set in the hospital and some takes place outside of it, showing the lives of both the patients and the staff.
The headliners are:
Kabelo Moalusi (Generations, The Queen, Bone of My Bones),
Dumisani Mbebe (Generations, Shooting Stars),
Ayanda Bandla (One Day Leader, Omen, Single Galz).
Mmarona Motshegoa (Zone 14, Muvhango, The Queen),
Lebohang Motaung (Rhythm City, Mamello, Umlilo),
Miranda Ntshangase (Tshisa, The Queen, Rhythm City),
Siyabonga Sepotokele (Muvhango, The River, Single Galz),
Moditle Pholo (Ga Re Dumele, Soul Buddyz, The Queen),
Molobane Maja (Omen, iKhaya, Skeem Saam)
Sipho Mbele (Scandal!, The Queen, Makoti).
Keep a lookout on TVSA for more about it closer to the premiere. In the meantime... stay out of Emergency!