After wasting the first season of the acclaimed supernatural series Medium by hiding it away at 11pm on Tuesday nights, SABC2's moved the second season to a Saturday night prime-time.
If you missed the first season, not to worry, TVSA will put together a "Medium for first timers" guide before it starts.
Here's what's new on SABC2 this month:
Dinner With The PresidentPremiered: Thursday 1 November, 2007 at 21h30
The most famous white woman in South Africa, former South African ambassador to the former black homeland of Bapetikosweti, Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout (Pieter-Dirk Uys) is reunited with her estranged black grandson Loyiso Makoeloeli (Loyiso Gola).
Loyiso Makoeloeli has just been brought back into the fold, after a long period of exile from his Xhosa/Afrikaans family, due to the obvious colour of his skin. But now it is the age of transparency and reconciliation. Evita has embraced the new national order with characteristic fervor and is now focused on her new project: ensuring that Loyiso has what it takes to be a Successful Black Man on the South Africa of Today.
To do so she needs to make sure that her grandson is exposed to “appropriate” role models, whom she surreptitiously invites around the house in Pretoria. Among the leaders (presidents) she has also issued a standing invitation to South Africa's first couple, President Thabo Mbeki and first lady Zanele Mbeki, and is continuously preparing for their imminent arrival.
Robin Hood I Premiered: Saturday 3 November at 15h00
Robin of Locksley returns home from defending King and country in the Holy Land, to find a corrupt and changed Nottingham. The ruthless Sheriff of Nottingham is now in charge, crippling the poor with greedy taxes and severely punishing them for stealing even a loaf of bread. The ever-gallant Robin and his faithful, if slightly unenthusiastic, manservant Much are determined to fight for the good of these hapless people.
Aided by a gang of talented outlaws including Will Scarlett, the ingenious engineer who can construct anything from any material, just as long as it's wood; Little John, the man-mountain who can destroy all in his path, but is afraid of a trickling stream; and, as the series progresses, Jack, master of trickery and disguise - so much so that at first you don't realize she is in fact a woman. As each episode unites the gang against the Sheriff and his dastardly deeds, will they succeed in thwarting injustice to relieve the poverty and hunger of the good people of Locksley?
Robin Hood Mini-site.Episode Previews.Fight for LifePremiered: Sunday 4 November at 22h00
Fight For Life is a documentary series that celebrates our body's amazing ability to join forces with modern medicine and fight serious illness. Focusing on a series of patients in the Emergency room, nanotechnology, electron microscopes and CGI allow the viewers to see the internal landscape of the body under threat for the first time. Each episode focuses on a different life stage - and shows how our body's response to severe injury and illness changes over time as we face new dangers. From the trauma of birth; to the recklessness young adulthood and the fragility of old age, this series reveals the wonder of the human body at work from the inside, as never seen before.
URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika Premiere date: Friday 10 November at 09h00
Pax Afrika. Champion racer. Teen troublemaker and now, chosen by the Ancestors to save the world … what were they thinking? It's a 52 part epic adventure that meshes sci-fi comedy with African mysticism and pop culture satire. It's giant robots, mutant beasties and magical superpowers, but the show also tackles consumerism, celebrity, protest culture, propaganda, reality TV and the meltdown of the environment in a way that's smart and funny.
Johnny Test Premiere date: Tuesday 20 November at 09h30 (runs Mondays to Fridays)
Johnny Test features a boy named Johnny who lives with his sisters Susan and Mary in the Test residence in the town of Porkbelly. Susan and Mary come up with experiments to win the heart of the next-door neighbour, Gil, but they use Johnny as a test subject for their experiments. Johnny also has a super talking dog named Dukey.
Johnny likes to take Dukey places, but has to disguise him as a kid. Lila Test (the Mother) works like the stereotypical father, and Hugh Test (the Father) is obsessed with meatloaf and extreme cleanliness. However, the only recurring evil force at work is Eugene, who apparently changed his name to "Bling-Bling Boy", and is after a specific date with Susan, even though she has absolutely no interest in him. Other villains include The X-Treme Teen Team, who love anything that says "extreme", and the Mole King, who hates light.
Medium IIPremiere date: Saturday 24 November at 20h00
Medium is a one-hour drama series, inspired by the life story of medium Allison Dubois, starring Patricia Arquette as a wife and mother of three who is trying to understand her natural intuition about people and her ability to communicate with the dead. While her husband Joe (Jake Weber) is as supportive and as loving as he can be, the couple is struggling to find a balance between her family life and Allison’s powerful calling. At work, Allison is hired by district attorney Devalos (Miguel Sandoval) to use her abilities to help him solve crimes.
-----