Earth: The Nature of Our Planet
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Nature, Wildlife, Documentary Series
Viewed from space, our blue planet seems as familiar as a long-time friend – so familiar that we forget how extraordinary it really is.
As far as we know, our world is unique in the universe, defined by three elements: Air, Land and Water.
Each element has its own special properties and phenomena and is home to myriad lifeforms that have infiltrated every habitat, from the deepest oceans to the tiniest nooks and crannies.
Across three enthralling episodes, the series explores mysteries of the plant and animal kingdoms; weather and geological phenomena and nature's wonders, from the perspective of the elements.
Air, Land and Water are not only the stages for this dramatic theatre of life, but dynamic spheres in their own right, connected to one another through surprising relationships.
In the series premiere, "Air": The first episode explores the most inconspicuous of the Earth's three habitats – Air, or, the atmosphere.
It is invisible, yet this element is of profound importance.
We all know that without oxygen life is unsustainable.
But the atmosphere has other lesser known attributes.
Without it, the Earth would not experience weather events or have the moderate temperatures that enable liquid water, and life, to exist in the first place.
Nor would we have protection against extra-terrestrial dangers, like meteors or the sun's lethal ultraviolet radiation.
This layer forms a living space in its own right.
At first glance it may seem relatively empty, but it is home to a wide variety of creatures, the most obvious of which are birds – albatrosses, puffins and sooty terns that all stay on the wing for inordinate lengths of time.
But there are more than feathers flying up there.
A relatively new branch of science, Aeroecology, is now being used to learn about minute life forms that are active at different altitudes.
The Great Kenyan Bake Off 2
Channel: BBC Lifestyle (DStv 174)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Food
A hopeful batch of amateur bakers step into the Bake Off tent, where they are pushed to the limit as they do their best to impress judges chef Kiran Jethwa and Myra Kivuvani with a vast array of mixing, proving and designing skills.
Each week the contestants are taken on a culinary journey and asked to bake everything from world-renowned classics to local delicacies through series of signature, technical and showstopper rounds.
The hopeful Kenyans will be asked to create everything from Mandazi doughnuts through to multi-layered sponges in the hope of being crowned the ultimate star baker.
Who will rise to the challenge as the heat increases, and who will crumble under the pressure?
D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary, Mystery, History, True Crime
In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash — and gets away with it.
Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery.
The series looks at the 50-year quest to find the mysterious man who hijacked a Northwest Airlines passenger jet in November 1971 and escaped with $200,000, never to be seen again.
Five decades. Few clues. Too many suspects.
The identity of skyjacker D.B. Cooper remains one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century.
Never Stop Dreaming: The Life and Legacy of Shimon Peres
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00
Genre: Documentary, History
In politics, most pursue power. He pursued peace.
Shimon Peres's influence and integrity were instrumental in the founding and preservation of Israel.
Narrated by George Clooney, this biographical doc features interviews with Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
Big Timber 2
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Docu-Reality
A no-nonsense logger and his loyal crew battle brutal elements and finicky machines to chop and transport valuable lumber on Vancouver Island.
The series follows the dangerous work of logger and sawmill owner Kevin Wenstob as he and his crew go to extremes to keep the family sawmill, and their way of life, alive.
Kevin's logging a remote timber claim high up the steep, rugged slopes of Klitsa Mountain, deep in the majestic heart of Vancouver Island.
It's home to some of the best wood in the world and Kevin's making a big bet to get it.
This season, Kevin has to move 25 kilometres away to a new claim, but discovers the path to the new location is blocked by late spring snow.
With his wife Sarah, his sons Erik and Jack and his right-hand man Coleman, the life-long logger and sawmill operator struggles to overcome one obstacle after another, as the crew face a desperate shortage of the lucrative red cedar.
With only 16 weeks to pull in enough logs to pay off a million-dollar penalty the government slapped on him for leaving wood piled at his old timber claim, Kevin is also risking bankruptcy if he can't deliver the timber.
Making matters worse, it's the hottest summer in history and Kevin is racing against the clock and Mother Nature before forest fires shut him down.
Solar Opposites 3
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Science
Revolves around a team of four aliens who escape their exploding home world only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America.
They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome.
Korvo and Yumyulack only see the pollution, crass consumerism and human frailty while Terry and Jesse love humans and all their TV, junk food and fun stuff.
Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth.
The Chi 1-4
Channel: Disney+
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Drama
Drama which explores the humanity behind the headlines sensationalizing the South Side of Chicago.
Produced entirely in its namesake city, The Chi is a coming-of-age story centering on a group of residents who become linked by coincidence but bonded by the need for connection and redemption.
Kevin is the pre-teen who must step past shattered illusions and embrace the normal rites of childhood, while Brandon the dreamer makes his own nearly impossible leap of faith to succeed in life and love with girlfriend Jerrika.
Emmett is the carefree teen thrust into complex responsibility with guidance from his mother Jada, and Ronnie is the drifter whose struggle to love and be loved calls into question his every pursuit.