Australia in Colour
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 21h00
Genre: Documentary Series, History
When colour is applied to the black and white footage of Australia's film archives, the footage comes to life in a way never seen before, inspiring a new look at Australian history.
This four-part series carefully curates familiar footage, touching home movies and never-before-seen archival material to chart how Australia developed as a nation.
From the oldest surviving footage captured in Australia in 1896 in Sydney's Prince Alfred Park, to the beginning of colour television in the mid 1970s, each sequence is lovingly restored and colourised.
The effect is remarkable, bringing to light history that is both iconic and deeply personal.
The landscape of Australia's collective memories is revealed.
From the foundation of modern Australia when six British colonies unite to the arrival of Antarctic explorer Douglas Mawson, amongst the first heroes of the new nation.
We relive a time when Ned Kelly was the first hero of the silver screen.
We see some of the quarter million men who fought in World War I, made all the more vivid in colour.
We take a look at the evolving role of women in the workforce and their struggle for equal rights, from the right to equal pay to the right to drink in public bars and the right to not wear pantaloons when swimming.
The series also reflects back on uncomfortable moments in the treatment and characterisation of Indigenous people and non whites.
It charts the gradual changes in these attitudes through the 1960s and '70s.
Through the decades, the series reveals how Australia finds its voice as a nation.
From the White Australia Policy of 1901, to the "populate or perish" slogan of the 1940s; from the spirited protests of the 1960s to the very first hints of modern multiculturalism in the 1970s.
The series has been meticulously researched, including the historical accuracy of the colours themselves.
Every sequence has been curated and carefully considered and the result is a fresh vision of history that reconnects us with our past in a way that no other medium can.
In the series premiere, "Outpost of Empire": This episode charts the story of the nation from 1897 to 1929 as agriculture transforms the land.
Explorer Douglas Mawson, swimmer Annette Kellerman and the men fighting under Britain in World War I become the new nation's first heroes.
Painkiller
Channel: Netflix South Africa
TX Time: 10h00 (all episodes)
Genre: Drama, Miniseries
Matthew Broderick, Uzo Aduba and Taylor Kitsch star in this provocative drama based on real events.
A fictionalised retelling of events, Painkiller is a scripted limited series that explores some of the origins and aftermath of the opioid crisis in America, highlighting the stories of the perpetrators (Purdue Pharma), victims and truth-seekers whose lives are forever altered by the invention of OxyContin.
An examination of crime, accountability and the systems that have repeatedly failed hundreds of thousands of Americans, Painkiller is based on the book Pain Killer by Barry Meier and the New Yorker Magazine article 'The Family That Built an Empire of Pain' by Patrick Radden Keefe.
Battle on the Beach 3
Channel: HGTV (DStv 177)
TX Time: 22h00
Genre: Reality Competition, Reality Makeover, Home Improvement
Battle on the Beach heads to vacation hotspot Gulf Shores, Alabama, with six fresh episodes.
Three skilled teams of up-and-coming home renovators coached by celebrated mentors and design experts Taniya Nayak (Build it Forward), Ty Pennington (Rock the Block) and Alison Victoria (Windy City Rehab) will work nonstop to complete weekly renovation challenges across three seaside homes - but, this year, there's a twist.
All three properties have two bedrooms and two bathrooms, yet they are not identical.
One house is 200-square-feet larger than the others, so the teams will go head-to-head in a kick-off challenge to determine which property they will overhaul.
With just six weeks and a tight $90,000 budget, Taniya, Ty and Alison will help their teams complete stunning room transformations while expert judges Bryan and Sarah Baeumler (Renovation Island) and a team of local real estate experts ultimately determine which team adds the most value to their shorefront escape to clinch the $50,000 cash prize.
The premiere episode will spotlight kitchen and dining room makeovers that set the tone for each waterfront property's facelift.
As the season continues, Taniya and Alison, who each have a Battle on the Beach win to their credit, and Ty, who is fighting for his first victory, will guide their teams - married couple Ryan and Kelsey Mansingh of Uniontown, Ohio; friends Ashley Basnight and Steve Lewis of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and friends Ben Argall and Pete Meldrum of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan - as they take the living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms and outdoor spaces in the underwhelming beachfront digs from dull to dreamy.
CSI: Vegas 2
Channel: Me (DStv 115)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Police Procedural, Drama
NOTE: this show was advertised as starting on 27 July, but didn't air on that date.
Amidst the neon lights and long shadows, dark threats continue to lurk in Sin City.
Maxine Roby leads her brilliant team of Crime Scene Investigators as they use science to solve baffling cases.
This combined force will deploy the latest forensic techniques to do what they do best – follow the evidence – in order to preserve and serve justice in Sin City.
In the Season 2 premiere, "She's Gone": Season 2 kicks off with the return of Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) as she persuades Maxine to let her rejoin the esteemed CSI team in Las Vegas.
The CSIs investigate the murder of a dominatrix found near her secret sex dungeon.
Grace 2
Channel: BritBox
TX Time: 00h01
Genre: Drama
John Simm returns as Brighton-based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, alongside Richie Campbell as DS Glenn Branson, for four more distinctly deadly feature-length films.
In the Season 2 premiere, "Not Dead Enough": With two seemingly unconnected deaths on their hands, Grace finds himself tested to the limit when it becomes apparent both incidents may be the work of a serial killer.
House Crashers 9
Channel: Real Time (DStv 155)
TX Time: 15h25
Genre: Reality Makeover, Reality
Host and builder Josh Temple offers homeowners a major surprise when they run into him and his House Crashers crew at the local home improvement store.
In each episode, one lucky shopper hands over their house keys so Josh and his team can execute a total room transformation.
In the Season 9 premiere, "Vintage Candy Bar Kitchen": Homeowners Laura and Chris enjoy cooking but their kitchen is just too small.
This 1905 kitchen doubles in size and stays true to the era.
All new appliances, high gloss black cabinetry, tin ceiling tiles and a custom bar cart complete this house crash.
California
Channel: Curiosity Channel (DStv 185)
TX Time: 20h00
Genre: Documentary Series
From NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Silicon Valley from Hollywood to Haight-Ashbury, famous Californians tell the story of their state.
Test Lab for the World
In mid-century America, pioneering engineers, artists and activists put the Golden State on the edge of a changing world.
Of Revolts and Revolutions
Car culture and the birth of Silicon Valley transform the state while the environmental movement fights to preserve its landscape.
The 1984 L.A. Olympics bring the California dream to a new generation around the world.
Between Reality and Utopia
Passenger spaceflights, self-driving cars and Hollywood blockbusters: California can seem like a land of science fiction.
But earthquakes, racial injustice and environmental crises show that it is very much the state of our times.