SABC1's telenovela Uzalo has been the runaway TV success story of the year.
The first whisperings about it started back in April 2014 when the production
went on a search for actors and singers in Gauteng and KZN.
The cast was
revealed in early 2015, the show premiered on 9 February and within four months it shot to the
top of the ratings, toppling Generations as the most popular show in the country.
It's maintained this position since then (despite the extended absence of the lead attraction
Gxabhashe) and SABC1 has renewed it for Season 2.
The secret to its success? We posed the question to the show's commissioning editor Ntando Mhlongo when we spoke to him about the renewal and he told us that he believes it's a hit for these reasons:
1. It's in Zulu.
2. The appeal of
Gxabhashe and his portrayal by Mpumelelo Bhulose.
3. It arrived at a time when SABC1 viewers were ready and waiting for something fresh and new from the channel.
It won’t have this third factor when Season 2 starts next year so it needs to find other ways of staying fresh. Will it?
All will be revealed in 2016.