For many years, South African television has been dominated by festive entertainment rooted in Western culture. While these films were joyful, they often felt distant from our everyday lived experiences. Nevertheless, as families, we came together to enjoy timeless laughter through classics such asHome Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Last Christmas, and various Hallmark Christmas movies.
Locally, both television and cinema screens were largely ruled by Leon Schuster films, including There’s aZulu on My Stoepand theMr. Bonesfranchise. However, as traditional television declined and cinema attendance dropped, the rise of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Showmax, and Amazon Prime has given rise to a strong binge-watching culture, extending even into the festive season.
Celebrating its 10-year milestone in the African market in 2026, Netflix constantly tries to put their best foot forward with festive entertainment for the family.Yoh! Christmas, Trippin’ with the KandasamysandDisaster Holidayhave been binge-worthy Christmas shows for viewers’ pleasure. It is arguablyHow To Ruin Christmasin 2020 that set the tone for the global streamer’s intentions to reimagine December viewing.
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Created by Burnt Onion, the franchise had three seasons subtitled with a different holiday event –The Wedding, The Funeral andThe Baby Shower. In 2024, the award-winning production company introduced theHow to Ruin Lovefranchise which followed a young couple’s budding relationship. In the second season, premiering 19 December, the couple now must start lobola negotiations.
Shot over five weeks,How To Ruin Love: The Lobola picks up where Zoleka (Sivenathi Mabuya-Bukani) and Kagiso’s (Bohang Moeko) tangled love story left off inHow To Ruin Love: The Proposal. “When returning for a second season, there’s a comforting sense of familiarity as the characters and the world is established,” said co-creator and co-executive producer Rethabile Ramaphakela. Besides navigating cows on a highway as new experiences for the Burnt Onion team, Ramaphakela said it was important to elevate what was done in the previous season.
“We also introduced four new characters to the series, adding depth and variety to our narrative. This season promises to offer something truly different and captivating.” In 2024 the production company released Lobola Man, a male centric romcom about a professional lobola negotiator. As suchHow To Ruin Love: The Proposalprompts a concern for duplication and lack of originality. Ramaphakela, however, confirmed that the two stories are different.
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