Best TV this April, from Marshals to The Makhenes
+ Die Oord, NCIS: Sydney, Patience, The Agency, The ‘Burbs & The Gilded Age
THE PEOPLE VS. VBS BANK
DStv Stream | Binge from Wednesday, 1 April
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 10PM on Thursdays from 2 April
The People vs. VBS is a true-crime documentary series from multi-award-winners IdeaCandy about a nearly two billion rand bank heist – allegedly orchestrated by the bank’s own executives.
Imagine waking up to find your life savings are gone forever. According to VBS liquidator Walter Stander, that’s what happened to an 86-year-old woman, who’d saved R650 000 over 30 years as “a nest egg for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren to go to college.” She lost it all in 2018, as did many others from rural and low-income communities.
The four-part Showmax Original is directed by Richard Finn Gregory and produced by Elle Oosthuizen and Wim Steyn. Gregory and Oosthuizen were named the Sanlam Group Financial Journalists of the Year in 2022 for Steinheist. They were also behind the 2025 International Emmy nominee School Ties, which won Best Made-For-TV Documentary or Documentary Series at the 2026 SAFTAs.
With court proceedings still unfolding eight years after the collapse, The People vs. VBS revisits a scandal that remains far from resolved.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDim-gcCGhg
HERMAN SE PAASTAFEL
VIA (DStv Channel 147) | 8pm on Wednesday, 1 April
Herman se Paastafel is a cooking special in which Herman Lensing prepares an Easter feast on a Western Cape farm.
Lensing was named Gourmand Best Celebrity Chef in the World 2025, an international award for cookbook authors.
The programme follows the preparation of four recipes and a drink, intercut with diary-style reflections, before guests gather at a wheat-field table at sunset to share the meal.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcHmSCE70r0
ANTIQUES ROADSHOW S48
BBC Lifestyle (DStv Channel 174) | 9pm on Thursdays from 2 April
Antiques Roadshow is a British institution that sees members of the public bring cherished objects for experts to evaluate.
Fiona Bruce and her team travel across Britain meeting local people and examining their most curious and treasured possessions, from delicate porcelain to vintage toys and film memorabilia. From charity shop finds to family heirlooms, each object comes with a story, as owners discover what their items are worth.
Antiques Roadshow has been nominated for 23 Emmys – including the last 21 years in a row.
STITCH HEAD TBC
MM1 (DStv Channel 104) | 2.50pm on Saturday, 4 April
Awoken by a mad professor and then forgotten, Stitch Head takes it upon himself to protect the professor’s other strange creations from the suspicious townspeople of Grubber Nubbin.
Based on the bestselling book series by Guy Bass, the animated feature was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best International Animated Film from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Critics Choice nominee Asa Butterfield (Hugo) voices Stitch Head. Screen International called the film “an oddball charmer boosted by offbeat humour and enjoyably quirky character design.”
Watch the trailer, which has over 18 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JrJtrGMrEw
EMIRATES FA CUP QUARTER-FINAL: MANCHESTER CITY VS LIVERPOOL
SuperSport Premier League (Dstv Channel 203) | 2:35pm on Saturday, 4 April
SECRETS OF THE BEES
National Geographic Wild (DStv Channel 182) | 6pm on Saturday, 4 April
Emmy-winning National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory reveals the hidden lives of bees, using specialised cameras to film inside a single beehive for three years.
More than 20,000 bee species pollinate one-third of the world’s food.
“Bees are socially complex, fast-thinking individuals and the most important insects on our planet,” says Oscar-winning executive producer James Cameron (Avatar, Titanic). “We’re only just beginning to see how extraordinary they truly are.”
Watch the trailer:
https://youtu.be/Mej2usrRCl0?si=fQG5JSEYZ4tlZjzV
MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS: THE SAINTS
National Geographic (DStv Channel 181) | 9pm on Sundays from 5 April
Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi and John the Baptist are among the religious figures explored in Martin Scorsese Presents: The Saints, hosted, narrated and executive-produced by the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind The Last Temptation of Christ and Silence.
Each episode focuses on a different saint, including Mary Magdalene, Moses the Black, Sebastian and Maximilian Kolbe.
The Saints was FOX Nation’s biggest series ever and ranked as the platform’s top show for seven of its first eight weeks.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZUSTd95gPE
GOOD FORTUNE
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8pm on Sunday, 5 April
Gabriel is a well-meaning but rather inept angel who meddles in the lives of a wealthy venture capitalist and a struggling gig worker.
Keanu Reeves stars as Gabriel opposite Emmy winners Seth Rogen (The Studio), Keke Palmer (Nope), Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) and Aziz Ansari (Master of None), who also writes and directs.
The Rotten Tomatoes critics’ consensus says, “A promising directorial feature debut by Aziz Ansari, Good Fortune‘s socially-minded humor is given wings by Keanu Reeves’ heavenly comedic timing.”
Watch the trailer, which has over seven million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKWndx83RwQ
NCIS: SYDNEY S3
Universal TV (DStv Channel 117) | 8pm on Mondays from 6 April
The first NCIS franchise set outside the US, NCIS: Sydney follows a multinational naval crimes task force of US agents and Australian police. Season 3 opens with the discovery of two missing US Navy aviators adrift in the Coral Sea, pulling the team into a high-stakes terrorist plot.
The first season premiered on CBS as the number one new drama of the 2023–2024 US broadcast season, with its debut reaching more than ten million viewers across linear broadcasts and an encore showing.
The original series was the fourth most-watched series in the US in 2025, according to Nielsen. It won the International Audience Award from Médiamétrie and Eurodata as the world’s most watched series in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Watch the trailer:
youtube.com
F.Y.P. S1 | Ages 13+
BASE Pulse (DStv Channel 322) | 7am on weekdays from Monday, 6 April
F.Y.P. takes tracks from algorithm-driven feeds and transforms online music buzz into a high-energy studio experience, hosted by Lerai Rakoditsoe and Teboho “Fresh by Caddy” Tsotetsi.
Rakoditsoe was the first African to host a show on Nickelodeon Africa, while Tsotsetsi is a YFM DJ who played Sanele in M-Net’s telenovela Legacy and has featured in GQ’s Best Dressed of the year list.
BASE Pulse is a new DStv channel run by channel manager Kgomotso Lakaje, the former head of programming for MTV Base.
Watch the channel promo:
https://youtu.be/Lpu3LXM0g9w?si=XiTXlc7zsAW-jQla
ISTHEMBU SIKA MSONGELWA S2
Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) | 8pm on Mondays from 6 April
After marrying his high school sweetheart Asanda in the S1 finale, taxi driver Msongelwa now has four wives and a lot of polygamous juggling to figure out.
Andile Mxakaza (Isibaya) plays Msongelwa, with Nompumelelo Vilakazi (DiepCity), Phumzile Mlangeni (eHostela), Thandeka Shangase (Generations: The Legacy) and Nosipho Pehlo (Outlaws) as his wives.
“Beyond the drama, the series carries a strong message about accountability, respect and the importance of communication in relationships,” says Andile.
Watch trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETUguUX-q7Q
PATIENCE S1
BBC Brit (DStv Channel 120) | 8pm on Tuesdays from 7 April
Patience is a talented autistic archivist who catalogues evidence in the Yorkshire Police records department. DI Bea Metcalf spots her crime-solving skills and draws her into an unpredictable new world.
Ella Maisy Purvis and BAFTA Scotland winner Laura Fraser (Breaking Bad, The Missing) co-star as Patience and DI Metcalf.
The crime series has an 88% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus says, “Distinguished by Ella Maisy Purvis’ terrific performance, Patience brings a fresh angle to the detective genre.”
Patience was Channel 4’s biggest drama of 2025, averaging 4.2 million views, and has been renewed for a second season.
HISTORY’S DEADLIEST WITH VING RHAMES
HISTORY (DStv Channel 186) | 8:15pm on Tuesdays from 7 April
Golden Globe winner Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible, Pulp Fiction) hosts History’s Deadliest, a documentary series exploring the surprising stories behind some of the world’s most lethal criminals, battles, plagues and natural disasters.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyhqyvyIiCg
LAATAAND BY RIAN S5
kykNET (DStv Channel 144) | 9pm on Tuesdays from 7 April
Rian van Heerden was up for Best Host of A Current Affairs or Talk Show at last year’s Silwerskerm Awards for Laataand by Rian.
The talk show’s lineup this season includes Rachel Kolisi, ex-wife of the Springbok captain; politicians Mathews Phosa and Tony Leon; Michelin-starred chef Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen; and legendary comedian Barry Hilton.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: QUARTER-FINAL 1 – FIRST LEG
SuperSport Premier League (DStv Channel 203) | 8:55pm on Tuesday, 7 April
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: QUARTER-FINAL 3 – FIRST LEG
SuperSport Premier League (DStv Channel 203) | 8:55pm on Wednesday, 8 April
THE GILDED AGE S3
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 9pm on Wednesday from 9 April
Season 3 of The Gilded Age resumes in March 1883, as the ambitious Russell family and their old-money neighbours, the van Rhijns and the Brooks, navigate shifting fortunes in New York society.
Carrie Coon and Denée Benton were up for 2026 Critics Choice Awards, while Audra McDonald received a nomination at this year’s NAACP Image Awards. Emmy winners Christine Baranski (The Good Fight) and Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) co-star.
Created by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey), The Gilded Age holds a 95% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for the site’s Golden Tomato Award for Best Historical Series. HBO has renewed the drama for a fourth season.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehEFfX6P-PE
MANEET’S EATS S1
Food Network (DStv Channel 175) | 4:05pm on Thursdays from 9 April
Indian chef Maneet Chauhan breaks down how to make her favourite dishes, from aloo goobi to chicken biryani to pork vindaloo.
Maneet was the first two-time winner of Food Network hit Tournament of Champions, is a regular judge on Chopped, and won a James Beard Award.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9tK20RauNbU
ATP WORLD TOUR MASTERS 1000 FINAL IN MONTE CARLO
SuperSport Tennis (DStv Channel 214) | 12 noon on Sunday, 12 April
THE MAKHENES S1
Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161) | 7pm on Sundays from 12 April
Letoya Makhene has been in the public eye since she was seven, performing backing vocals for Brenda Fassie. She later reached the semi-finals of the first season of Idols, co-hosted the second season, and went on to star in Isidingo and Generations: The Legacy.
She is joined in The Makhenes by her father, Blondie, one half of the 1970s band Blondie & Pappa, who helped produce Fassie’s hit Weekend Special. Her sisters, Pauline and Gontse, also feature in the series.
“This is not just another celebrity reality show,” says Letoya. “It is raw and deeply honest. We are opening up like never before and showing our family exactly as we are. I show up as my true, authentic self at a time when I had lost everything and reached my lowest point.”
Watch the trailer:
www.youtube.com
DIE OORD
kykNET (DStv Channel 144) | 8pm from Tuesday, 14 April
Everything is idyllic at a coastal caravan park – until a body washes up on the beach.
Multi-SAFTA nominee Jana Kruger stars as a criminologist taking her first holiday in years. SAFTA nominee Liam Bosman plays her son, with Silwerskerm winner Erica Wessels as her sister and Melissa de Vries (Mince Jou Hare) as the local police officer.
The crime drama is produced by Wolflight, the company behind the 2025 International Emmy Best Drama nominee Koek and the 2026 SAFTA Best Drama nominee Niggies.
SAFTA winners Christian Olwagen (Kanarie) and Eva du Preez (Rose d’Or nominee Wyfie) serve as creator and director, respectively.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh5xbexCD6Q
LYNLEY S1
BBC Brit (DStv Channel 120) | 8pm on Thursdays from 16 April
Tommy Lynley is a brilliant police detective but an outsider in the force simply by virtue of his aristocratic upbringing. When he’s paired with Barbara Havers, they seemingly have nothing in common but a desire to see justice done.
Leo Suter (Vikings: Valhalla) and Sofia Barclay (Ted Lasso) co-star as the mismatched duo, with BAFTA nominee Daniel Mays (Line of Duty) as DCI Brian Nies.
Based on the bestselling crime novels by Elizabeth George, Lynley holds a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Guardian hailed it as “the ultimate undemanding telly.”
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvTiXqTvwVg
GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE
M-Net Movies 1 (DStv Channel 104) | 2:35pm on Saturday, 18 April
Laila Lockhart Kraner reprises her role from the Kidscreen Award-winning preschool series as Gabby. She heads out on a road trip to the urban wonderland of Cat Francisco with her Grandma Gigi (four-time Grammy winner Gloria Estefan). When Gabby’s dollhouse, her most prized possession, ends up in the hands of an eccentric cat lady named Vera (Oscar nominee Kristen Wiig), Gabby sets off on an adventure through the real world to reunite the Gabby Cats and save the dollhouse.
With an 85% critics’ rating, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie was nominated for a Golden Tomato from Rotten Tomatoes for the Fan Favorite Family Movie of 2025.
According to Nielsen, the series was the ninth most streamed in the US in 2024.
Watch the trailer, which has nearly 10 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-GFCPEWqe4
UNGIFIHLELENI S1
Moja Love (DStv Channel 157) | 9pm on Sundays from 18 April
Ungifihleleni is a show that helps people who have been hidden in relationships or families to come forward and reveal themselves.
This may include a hidden child introducing themselves to their father’s family or a secret partner revealing their relationship.
MEVROU FOURIE & KIE
kykNET (DStv Channel 144) | 8pm on Sundays from 19 April
Middle-aged and trapped in a dull marriage, Anita Fourie has had enough. When she decides to divorce her husband, everything unravels – and not only because of the divorce.
Henriëtta Gryffenberg, a double SAFTA winner for her scriptwriting, stars as Anita, with Luandri Reynders (Karen in Binnelanders) and Elzabé Zietsman (Magda in Getroud Met Rugby) as her daughter and mother, respectively.
Multi-award-winner Philip Nolte (Sex in Afrikaans, Die Brug, Boer Soek ‘n Vrou, Die Onderonsie) directs and co-writes the comedy, which is being produced by Show/Tell Pictures.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvYNkjsjmfs
REGRETTING YOU
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8pm on Sunday, 19 April
Based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, Regretting You follows Morgan Grant and her daughter Clara. After a devastating accident reveals a shocking betrayal, they must confront family secrets, redefine love and rediscover each other.
Critics Choice nominee Allison Williams (Get Out, Girls and M3gan) stars as Morgan, with Emmy nominee Mckenna Grace (The Handmaid’s Tale, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Clara. Emmy nominee Dave Franco (The Studio) co-stars alongside Mason Thames (How to Train Your Dragon), Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad) and Willa Fitzgerald (The Fall of the House of Usher).
Directed by Josh Boone (The Fault In Our Stars), Regretting You was nominated for the Audience Choice Award for Favourite Film from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards.
Watch the trailer, which has over 12 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qub8lZlVlho
THE AGENCY S1
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 9pm on Mondays from 20 April
Two-time Oscar nominee Michael Fassbender stars as covert CIA agent Martian, who is ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station.
When the love he left behind unexpectedly reappears, their romance reignites. This pits his career, his real identity and his mission against his heart, while drawing them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage.
The cast includes Black Reel nominee Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim), Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), Emmy nominee Richard Gere (Pretty Woman), multi-award-winner John Magaro (Past Lives), and Cameroonian actor Kurt Egyiawan (House of the Dragon).
Co-created by brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow), The Agency is based on the French series Le Bureau des Légendes, one of IMDb‘s top-rated TV series of all time.
The Agency has already been renewed for a second season after its premiere attracted over five million viewers globally, making it Showtime’s most-watched new series ever, according to Paramount+.
Watch the trailer, which has over six million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zv817ouw7qE
RETURN TO PARADISE S2
BBC Brit (DStv Channel 120) | 8pm on Mondays from 20 April
Detective Sergeant Mackenzie (Mack) Clarke should be back in the UK, but is still in Dolphin Cove solving murder mysteries – and trying to stay out of her ex-fiancée Glenn’s wedding plans.
Anna Samson, who plays Mack, was nominated for Best Actress at Australia’s Logie Awards, where Return to Paradise won Best Series. Tai Hara and Lloyd Griffith also received Best Actor nominations for their roles as Glenn and Detective SC Colin Cartwright.
Hello! calls Mack their “favourite Australian detective” and says, “With its beautiful setting, warm humour and clever twists, this is pure cosy crime at its finest.”
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHuxe505tw0
FINEST HOMES S8
Home Channel (DStv Channel 176) | 4pm on Mondays from 20 April
Finest Homes immerses viewers in the world of South African interior design and architecture.
This season showcases a range of modern and character-filled homes across the country, highlighting innovative design and the people behind these spaces.
From architecture and interiors to landscape design, each episode explores emerging trends and insights from local design experts while offering practical ideas for transforming living spaces.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHuxe505tw0
MARSHALS S1
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 9pm on Tuesday from 21 April
Ex-Navy SEAL Kayce Dutton departs the Yellowstone Ranch to join the U.S. Marshals, where he combines his military training and cowboy instincts to take on crime across Montana.
In this Yellowstone sequel from co-creator Taylor Sheridan, Luke Grimes reprises his role as Kayce. He stars opposite Teen Choice nominee Arielle Kebbel (Kimberly in the After films), BAFTA nominee Logan Marshall-Green (And Just Like That…) and Brett Cullen (Winning Time). Also look out for Yellowstones‘s Gil Birmingham, Mo Brings Plenty and Brecken Merrill.
With 9.52 million same-day viewers, Marshals had the biggest premiere audience for a scripted show of the 2025-26 season. Excluding shows with football as a lead-in, this was the largest same-day audience for a broadcast scripted series premiere since 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Watch the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyAZ4mPkfws
SOWETO DERBY: ORLANDO PIRATES VS KAIZER CHIEFS
SuperSport PSL (DStv Channel 202) | 3pm on Saturday, 25 April
THE ‘BURBS
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8pm on Saturdays from 25 April
A young family moves back to the husband’s childhood home in “the safest town in America”, only to uncover dark secrets about their cul-de-sac.
Emmy winner Keke Palmer (Nope, Hustlers) and British comedian Jack Whitehall (Jungle Cruise, The Afterparty) co-star, opposite Julia Duffy (Palm Royale), Paula Pell (30 Rock), Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows), and Kapil Talwalkar (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist).
Emmy-nominated creator Celeste Hughey (Palm Royale, Dead to Me) adapted The ‘Burbs from the cult 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name.
The Peacock series holds an 82% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety calls it “fun and terrifying”, saying, “Dark, hilariously funny and totally bizarre, The ‘Burbs is an entertaining blend of genres that keeps viewers guessing until the very end.”
According to Nielsen, The ‘Burbs delivered the biggest Day 1 launch of any new streaming original in 2026 so far, while Peacock says it’s the platform’s most-watched series ever over nine days.
Watch the trailer, which has over 28 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-w5BqRB-I
ROOFMAN
M-Net (DStv Channel 101) | 8pm on Sunday, 26 April
Based on an unbelievable true story, Roofman follows former Army Ranger Jeffrey Manchester, a struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in their roofs. He later hides in a Toys R Us for six months, where he falls for a divorced mother.
Critics Choice nominee Channing Tatum (Magic Mike) stars opposite Kirsten Dunst (Civil War), who was nominated for the 2026 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance. Also look out for Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta), four-time Emmy winner Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), and four-time Emmy nominee Juno Temple (Ted Lasso).
Directed by Oscar nominee Derek Cianfrance (Sound of Metal, Blue Valentine), the film has an 87% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Channing Tatum is Oscar-worthy,” says The Telegraph in a five-star review. “Roofman has heart, energy and personality fit to burst.”
Watch the trailer, which has nearly 15 million views:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXecSGmQDEI
EVERYTHING COMING TO DSTV IN APRIL
This is just a taster. See the full schedule here.
Missed an episode? No problem: binge on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
Please note that schedules are subject to change.
