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Generations: Where to From Now?!

Written by charmed_dude from the blog Charmed_Dudes TV on 18 Aug 2014
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Life Isn't Looking Too Great for Generations or it's I Know How You Striked Last Summer 16-Axed Cast.
 
Life isn't looking too happy for the Generations cast
No one is smiling at Generations today.

Editors Note: Samuel L. Jackson was not fired from Generations today. He infact refused out right to sign with Mfundi and the SABC to appear on the show. He just brought the Generations cast the only joy displayed in any promo picture they've had in the last 10 months.

Well I can't say we expected it, did the SABC really have the balls to axe it's No. 1 leading show, well at least a bulk of it's majority cast - but they did. 

Whether this is related to the fact that the current SABC COO is Matric-less and evidently lacking fundemental knowledge on how to run a proper television 'empire' as they wish they were is not for me to debate or discuss here. (Please Feel Free to draw comparitive lines and discuss in the comments - I am eager to support theories!)

Who axes almost an entire cast of their highest rated soap?!

The SABC does and the sheep known as Mfundi Vundla; the SABC's biggest puppet show does. Instead of a creator and executive producer standing and supporting his cast which has made him millions and his name unrefutably recongised in the local television industry we have a coward who sides with a major corporation and completley abandon the people who have made him the very millions.

Now with Generations' revolving door of new cast members, it was  very much given than he is no team player, rather a man who sees the paycheck from the SABC at the end of whenever they decide to pay production houses (flashback: 2009 when they couldn't even afford to pay local production houses). Yet he stood firm with the SABC and last year when the original strke demanded in the media "No one is bigger than Generations!" Was that dig to Connie Feurguson who jumped ship a few years earlier to rival M-Net and boosted her career breaking out her true acting talents in M-Net's "The Wild" and moving forward her proffessional carrer to Executive Producing Mzanzi Magic's hit "Rockville" with her husband almost making a Ferguson a better powerhouse than Vundla?! Are you jealous or bitter Mfundi?

Anyway, as it may be when the bulk majority of your cast is in dispute it means the oil that was running the ship called Generations just directed them into the biggest ice-berg in local television history; firing 16 well known key cast members from the hit soap.

Disclaimer: I have not watched an episode of Generations since Connie Ferguson's exit and before then never watched an episode since late 2003, so I honestly did not know who 80% of the cast who got the axe was without help from local media. This just proves that Generations is too whore-ish with it's cast members. Where the hell is loyalty? Can you blame the cast for striking now?!!

Poor Sophie Ndaba, the only original Generations' actress too got the bullet. Mfundi has no shame. SABC has no game. *Cue dramatic Opening Titles*

The unfortuante thing is due to Generations being South Africa's No. 1 rated television program (despite autrociaous storylines and the bipolar revolving door of cast members) - this sends a very big warning sign to local industry players - namely the SABC's own entities. 

Unhappy with your job on Isidingo, don't even think about getting a cold let alone staying away from shooting - SABC will cancel your entire soap not just 16 key cast members.

In a major sense the SABC has crippled the local television landscape by sending a message to talent and veterens out there that despite false promises, thier word means nothing.

Gosh who dares get into bed, errm I mean a contract with the SABC now? Might I say the very same contract which can't even protect you from a mass firing. It's almost like it's very own nightime soap opeara. If only the behind the stories drama was remotely as interesting in current Generations then may I could comment on how they possibly CANNOT write their way out of this. Mfundi has proved - he cannot adequently write storylines. Short of a between epsiodes unseen Ebola outbreak or a YouTube clip (budget cuts) of a buliding blowing up and claiming all said cast members were in that building I do not know how he is going to get out of this mine-hole. In fact I just may watch Generations come end of October to see what he pulls out of his whimskical hat!

So here's my suggestions to move forward:

To the 16 Generations cast of which I only know of four, captialise on this media exposure and turn the tables into your backyard. Book gigs with rivals and use it to boost the biggest bitch slap back to the SABC as possible. To the 12 cast members I do not know; go join Scandal! and Rhythm City. Let eTV finally get that edge to surpass SABC 1 --- we all know it will happen and this is the biggest "screw you" back SABC lesson that they could learn!

The other four; well jump to Multichoice because we know from M-Net's recent 'Galaxy of Stars' that they are invested to supporting local industry and driving it forward (note: SABC - not pulling it back to the dark ages of ruling with fear and mass exodus!) and will definetly draft a soap for all 16 fired cast members. Infact I would not be surprised if contracts for 3 years on a new local Mzanzi Magic soap titled 'Former Decades' directed by the Shona and Connie Ferugson is sent to all 16 tomorrow and scheduled weekdays at 20:00 as a direct hit onto Generations itself * (Note: This is not real - although an excellent opportunity for DStv and Mr and Mrs Ferugson!) Because we all know that would dent the cash cow that is SABC 1's Generations.

And to all other local industry: do not be afraid, be very afraid. Working with the SABC is now like working with the devil. You are replaceable (like a Beyonce song), and there is no strength in numbers - because clearly the SABC cannot count thier mega bucks and come December October (Generations' only films 6 weeks in advance - production is slower than it's storylines and 10-month strikes) when Generations tanks - they will be kicking themselves.

To the next Generation of Generations. Let's see what you get to do now! Maybe if the behind the scenes drama surpases the actual pathetic storylines - you may survive!
 
The Good Old Days of Generations when I watched It
The Good Old Days of Generations: No Behind The Scenes Drama just good written storylines. 


Note: This post does not reflect the views of TVSA or it's members, but rather a blogger with a bit too much wine at dinner and disgraced with the SABC's nuturuing of local talent.



 

Actors in this post: Sophie Ndaba, Connie Ferguson, Shona Ferguson, Menzi Ngubane, Katlego Danke, Anga Makubalo, Atandwa Kani, Mandla Gaduka, Seputla Sebogodi

Shows in this post: Generations, Scandal!, The Wild, Rockville, Rhythm City

Channels in this post: SABC1, M-Net

Tags: Generations

3 Comments

Onkez
19 Aug 2014 00:17

charmed_dude, you're back?! Maybe I'm the one who has been away? Regardless, welcome back!

tha - bang
19 Aug 2014 10:09

the sa and film industry needs a shake up,i hear the actors are going to court, more power to them.creatives need to get their royalities ....this should be a start of battle that will benefit the creatives for change

Minnivannilli
19 Aug 2014 15:19

The only losers out of all of this are Generations and SABC. Mfundi's arrogance and tendency to treat his actors like Chinese sweat-shop workers is disgusting and giving him a bad reputation. Firing one cast member may be nothing but sixteen is just unacceptable. I hope his show doesn't suffer the same fate as Backstage - where drastic changes, bad actors and a horrible script resulted in it losing viewers and ultimately getting canned. No show is bigger than its actors especially when they're popular characters.

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