Tydelik Terminaal (Temporarily Terminal) is a South African, Afrikaans-language television drama series created by Elanie Rupping which follows 22-year-old honours student Kittie Claasen, who must redefine her life after she is diagnosed with cancer.
The series offers a fresh look at the unusual experiences of a 22-year-old girl on the threshold of her 'grown-up' life.
With a fresh outlook on studentism and awkward identity questions, Tydelik Terminaal guides the viewer through Kittie's chemotherapy journey to physical healing as well as emotional liberation.
It's "the best cancer to get," Doctor Pillay assures her. In short, it's six months of hell, before life returns to normal.
The problem is that this is her honours year, and a twist in her academic cable means she has to postpone her future dreams of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism as a result of Hodgkin and his untimely illness.
The series takes place over the six months during which she undergoes chemotherapy, gets in touch with the ancestors, tries to complete her studies, and gains unexpected life experience and wisdom.
Kittie and her two best friends, Mandy and Fanie, find themselves in that confusing, in-between phase of life before entering the so-called adult world.
It's a time of childhood, but still having fun; gloomily planning for a future, but being uncertain about what that future will look like.
In this crush of adulthood, each of these characters is confronted with their own humanity and faces the question of who they really are.
Carla Smith stars as Kittie in her first starring role in television. Eve Rasimeni and Hendrik Nieuwoudt play her best friends, Mandy and Fanie.
Other cast members include Anna-Mart van der Merwe and Frank Opperman as Julie and Uncle Len. Uncle Len has prostate cancer and Julie, his busybody wife, helps him (and later for Kittie) in the fight against cancer.
Almar Müller plays the role of Joubert, an old love who returns to be there as a mainstay for Kittie; Arno Greeff is Drikus, the attractive young LLB student who continually challenges Mandy; and Ruan Blum is Louis, Fanie's boyfriend from the Cape.
There are also appearances by Anel Alexander, Zane Meas, Stiaan Smith, Francois Jacobs, Tiffany Barbuzano, Jack Devnarain, Reginah Dube, David Rees and Henriëtta Gryffenberg.
Tydelik Terminaal was created and written by Elanie Rupping and produced for kykNET as an M-Net Original Production by Nouvanaand Films.
The producers are Zandré Coetzer and Scharl van der Merwe. Elanie Rupping is the executive producer and the supervising producer for kykNET is Tina Kruger.
The series is directed by Etienne Fourie and Elanie Rupping. Music is by Loki Rothman.