The 10 best international series on Showmax in November

Debut seasons of His Dark Materials, Watchmen, Godfather of Harlem, What We Do In The Shadows & more.

WATCHMEN S1
New episodes every Monday

Inspired by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ iconic DC graphic novel, Watchmen is set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws. Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk,Seven Seconds) leads a strong cast as Angela Abar, alongside the likes of Oscar winners Jeremy Irons and Louis Gossett Junior, Golden Globe winner Don Johnson, Tim Blake Nelson (Oh Brother Where Art Thou), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Aquaman) and Adelaide Clemens (The Great Gatsby). The series is created by Emmy winner Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), with Andrij Parekh (Succession), Nicole Kassell (The Following), Emmy nominee Stephen Williams (Westworld) and Oscar nominee Steph Green (The Americans) among the directors.

:: #1, Most Popular TV, IMDB
:: 94% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
:: “The perfect superhero story for our tattered times.” The Guardian

GODFATHER OF HARLEM S1
Same time as 1Magic. New episodes every Tuesday

In the early 1960s, infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Oscar winner Forest Whitaker) returns from 10 years in prison to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in a shambles. With the streets controlled by Vincent ‘Chin’ Gigante (Emmy nominee Vincent D’Onofrio from Daredevil and Jurassic World) and the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch from Selma). Godfather of Harlem shows how the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement collided during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.

:: Directed by Oscar winner John Ridley, the writer of 12 Years A Slave and creator of American Crime
:: From the creators of Narcos
:: 95% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
:: #91, Most Popular TV, IMDB

THE TWILIGHT ZONE S1
Same time as M-Net. New episodes every Friday

The godfather of sci-fi series, the original The Twilight Zone premiered 60 years ago on CBS. The series became a worldwide phenomenon as it used socially conscious storytelling to explore humanity’s hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways conventional dramas could not. Oscar winner Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) reboots the series as co-creator and narrator, alongside an all-star cast that includes Oscar nominees Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick) – in an Emmy-nominated performance – and Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets); six-time People’s Choice nominee Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time); Emmy nominee Tracy Morgan (30 Rock); two-time Critics Choice nominee Adam Scott (Big Little Lies); and Teen Choice nominee John Cho (Star Trek). 

:: 2019 Emmy nominee for Outstanding Guest Actor (Kumail Nanjiani) 
:: Best Streaming Horror & Thriller Series nominee, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, 2019

SOUTH PARK S23
New episodes every Monday

It’s hard being a kid growing up in South Park, Colorado, what with all the insane adults, deranged celebrities and occasional talking turd… 

Season 23 starts as Cartman sends an anonymous tipoff that Kyle is an illegal immigrant, leading ICE to detain and separate his entire family after Kyle’s dad can’t find their passports. So yes, South Park is as topical as ever, or as Forbes puts it, “Reality has never resembled South Park as much as it does today.”

:: #90, Top Rated TV of All Time, IMDB
:: Winner of five Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program
:: Recently renewed for another three seasons

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS S1
First on Showmax. Binge now

From Jemaine Clement (Flight Of The Conchords) and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), the hit mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows is a look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of three vampires who’ve lived together in New York for over 100 years – plenty of time to get on each other’s nerves.

:: #31 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best TV Shows of 2019 So Far
:: 94% critics score, Rotten Tomatoes | 8.4/10, IMDB

:: “Delightfully absurd and ridiculously fun… A mockumentary worth sinking your teeth into.” Rotten Tomatoes’ critics consensus

PERPETUAL GRACE, LTD S1
First on Showmax. Binge now

This 10-episode modern noir drama follows a young grifter, James (Emmy nominee Jimmi Simpson from Westworld, Black Mirror and House of Cards), as he attempts to prey upon Pastor Byron Brown (Oscar winner Sir Ben Kingsley). But the pastor and his wife Lillian (Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver from Silver Linings Playbook) – known to their parishioners as Pa and Ma – turn out to be far more dangerous than he suspects…

:: 92% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
:: Kingsley is “my odds-on favourite to win the Emmy for best actor in 2020” – The Hollywood Reporter

THE DEUCE S3 – THE FINAL SEASON
First on Showmax. Binge now

Following the interconnected lives of Times Square’s barkeeps, prostitutes, pimps, police, mobsters, porn actors and producers, the eight-episode third season of The Deuce brings the series to a dramatic conclusion. It’s 1985 and VHS has just overtaken film as the primary medium for porn production and distribution, while the lure of the California sunshine, the city’s aggressive takeover of commercial sex properties in Times Square, and the devastating impact of the AIDS epidemic mark the end of an era… Maggie Gyllenhaal (Golden Globe nominee for Season 1 and Critic’s Choice nominee for Season 2 of the series) returns as Candy, a porn director struggling to maintain her artistic integrity in an industry that is quickly devolving.

:: 92% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
:: 8.1/10, IMDB
:: From The Wire creators George Pelecanos and David Simon

THE GOOD FIGHT – SEASON 3
Binge now

Missing The Good Wife? Thankfully Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski in an Emmy-nominated role) and Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo in a Critics Choice nominated role) are back in the sequel, The Good Fight, which picks up a year later as a financial scam wipes out Diane’s life savings, and good reputation, forcing her to start from scratch at a historically black law firm, Reddick, Boseman, & Kolstad. Look out for a host of familiar faces from The Good Wife, including Kurt McVeigh (Emmy nominee Gary Steele), Marissa Gold (Sarah Steele) and Julius Cain (Michael Boatman), alongside the likes of Emmy winner Audra McDonald (Private Practice), Screen Actors Guild nominees Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones) and Delroy Lindo (Get Shorty), and Golden Globe nominees Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex) and Matthew Perry (aka Chandler from Friends).

:: #27 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best TV Shows of 2019 So Far
:: “Pulls no punches… One of the best dramas on TV.” Rotten Tomatoes
:: Critics Choice nominee for Best Drama Series at the 2019 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
:: Nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Drama and Outstanding Individual Achievement In Drama (Christine Baranski) at the 2019 Television Critics Association Awards

:: Two-time Emmy nominee

CATCH-22 S1
Binge now

Based on the classic Joseph Heller novel, Catch-22 follows the adventures and misadventures of a US air squadron in Italy in World War II. Christopher Abbott (The Sinner, Girls) is Yossarian, a bombardier, whose frantic obsession every time he goes up on a mission is “to come down alive”. His odds of success at such a simple aim keep getting worse, because Colonel Cathcart (Emmy winner Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Lights and Bloodline) keeps raising the number of missions the men have to fly. More than the retreating Germans, the real enemy for Yossarian and his rag-tag bunch of friends is the bureaucracy of the military, inverting logic at every turn. The pinnacle of this is Catch-22, a military by-law which states that if you willingly fly your missions, you’re crazy, and don’t have to fly them; all you have to do is ask. But if you ask, that proves you’re sane, and so you have to fly them. Oscar winner George Clooney stars as the barking mad, parade-obsessed Scheisskopf and Golden Globe winner Hugh Laurie (House M.D.) is the mellow, slightly checked-out Major de Coverley.

:: #52 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best TV Shows of 2019 So Far, with an 87% critics rating
:: Nominated for two Emmys, 2019

HIS DARK MATERIALS S1
First On Showmax. New episodes every Tuesday, express from the US, from 5 November

Lyra’s search for a kidnapped friend uncovers a sinister plot involving stolen children, setting off a quest through parallel worlds to understand a mysterious phenomenon called Dust. The fantasy’s cast includes child stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson as Lyra and Will, supported by Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Luther), Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy (X-Men), and BAFTA winner Helen McCrory (Harry Potter, The Queen). Oscar winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) is one of the directors.

:: Based on author Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy of the same name
:: 92% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes
:: #83, Most Popular TV, IMDB (pre-launch!)

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE…

THE PASSAGE S1 – Apocalyptic horror | Based on Justin Cronin’s bestselling novel – First on Showmax; binge now

DEEP WATER S1 – Mini-series drama | Starring Golden Globe nominee Anna Friel (Marcella) – First on Showmax. Binge now

LEGION S1-S2 – Superhero | 91% critics rating, Rotten Tomatoes – Binge now

NEW GIRL S1-7 – Comedy | Five-time Golden Globe nominee – Binge now 

THE VILLAGE S1 – Drama | Stars Critics Choice winner Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black) and Emmy nominee Dominic Chianese (The Sopranos) – Binge now

IN THE DARK S1 – Drama | Stars Rich Sommer (Glow) and Oscar-nominated singer Kathleen York (Crash) – Binge now

TEACHERS S2 – Comedy | Based on The Katydids web series; exec produced by double Golden Globe nominee Alison Brie from Glow – Binge now

HARROW S1 – Forensic Drama | Stars Welsh actor Ioan Gruffudd from UnReal – Due 4 November

STATION 19 S1 – First responders drama | Spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy with Jason George (Ben Warren from Grey’s) and Miguel Sandoval (Sharp Objects) – Due 18 November

FOR THE PEOPLE S1 – Legal Drama | Stars Golden Globe nominees Hope Davis (Wayward Pines) and Ben Shenkman (Billions) – Due 18 November

To see everything on Showmax in November, click here. Please note this release schedule is subject to change.