S3 Ep22  Hello December

S3 Ep22 Hello December

Author: Gino Shelile December 1, 2025 Duration: 14:54

December is here, Christmas is round the corner and so are the holidays. And how are we going to kick off the celebrations? With a resounding win by the Springboks. For the first time, Gino got to watch the Boks with his Dad on his birthday. And how? Because DStv has unlocked the Premium package to all Compact subscribers until the end of December, but only on the decoder, not DStv Stream.

ACP has a look at the Open Chats Podcast which scored a win with the South African Social Media Awards (SASMA) which took place recently.

In case you were wondering, Gino gives a rundown of the top 10 (music) videos that racked up a billion views the fastest on YT.

And before you hit the pool or the beach, here's some watchlists to keep you occupied.  

 On Netflix

  1. Stranger Things - Season 5 - One Last Adventure
  2. Kevin Hart - Acting My Age - In his latest stand-up special, Kevin Hart hilariously tackles middle-age challenges
  3. Troll 2 - Nora, Andreas and Captain Kris leap back into action when a dangerous new troll awakes - and this time they'll need more help to take it down.
  4. All The Empty Rooms - A seven-year-long project to document the empty bedrooms of children killed in school shootings.
  5. One Piece, Season 32, Egghead Arc -Rubber-bodied dreamer Monkey D. Luffy gathers an eclectic pirate crew and braves the perilous Grand Line, battling tyrants and monsters to become King of the Pirates.

Coming Soon

  1. Love and Wine - Childhood friends trade lives to see who can find true love. 
  2. Sean Combs - The Reckoning - A revealing look at Sean Combs' journey from music mogul to controversial figure.
  3. Man vs Baby - Rowan Atkinson is now looking after a luxurious London penthouse, with another unlikely, un-asked-for companion.
  4. Simon Cowel:The Next Act -Simon Cowell's journey to create a hit boy band
  5. Wake Up Dead Man - Benoit Blanc returns for his most dangerous case yet.

and on Showmax

  1. Novocaine - When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, a man incapable of feeling physical pain turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.
  2. The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip - Africa - You know there's gonna be fighting!
  3. The Chair Company - Follows a man who investigates a conspiracy after an embarrassing incident at work.
  4. Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning - With governments and a figure from his past in pursuit, Hunt races to stop it from forever changing the world.
  5. Drop -A widowed mother's first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she's bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone.

Enjoy! 

Yes? No? Send us a text

Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:
instagram.com/africancouchpotato
twitter.com/africancouchpot
gino.arlechino@gmail.com

WhatsApp Channel: Mzansi Film News, Views and Reviews 

YouTube; African Couch Potato - YouTube 

https://www.patreon.com/c/AfricanCouchPotato 

Gino Shelile’s profile • Letterboxd
Member of the Film Critics Association of South Africa (FCASA)

Produced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting
ted@aten.co.za

Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay

© SANTE MEDIA 2026


Gino Shelile’s African Couch Potato offers a distinctly South African lens on the world of screens, big and small. As an award-winning TV producer himself, Gino brings a seasoned insider’s view that goes beyond simple reviews. Each episode feels like a relaxed, insightful conversation, blending a deep-dive review of a current film or series with curated recommendations for what’s worth your time in the coming week. The podcast truly shines in its interviews, where Gino chats with a variety of industry professionals right from the studio, uncovering the stories behind the stories we watch. There’s also a fond look back at older movies that deserve a fresh viewing, all discussed with a local flavour you won’t find elsewhere. It’s a comprehensive, engaging listen for anyone who loves to think and talk about television and film, delivered with the warmth and knowledge of a friend who really knows his stuff. Tune into this podcast for a regular, thoughtful fix of screen culture that feels both personal and professional.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 144

African Couch Potato
Podcast Episodes
S3 Ep30 News, Views and Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:54
We are almost at the end of January and that paycheck should be coming in right now. Still plenty to watch; In this ep we have a mixed bag of local and US items.We kick off with a mention of The Bridge Networking Soiree,…
S3 Ep29 Albert Pretorius on “Die Kantoor” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:53
Goeie dag! Welcome to the latest episode of ACP where Gino has to take on the new boss. New boss of what? we hear you ask. Meet Flip, the manager at polony distributors Deluxe Processed Meats. Still confused? All will be…
S3 Ep28 First Reviews of the Year [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:52
2026 is here and most people are already back at work and the next holiday is Human Rights Day, way away on the 21st of March. Here at ACP we never stop, and Gino has a full goody bag for this week's ep.We kick off with…
S3 Ep27 First Episode of the Year [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:38
Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of African Couch Potato of 2026. We kick off the ep with Gino's top 26 movies to look out for over the coming year. He has a look at the whirlwind African tour of American…
S3 Ep26  New Year’s Episode [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:30
The last episode of ACP for 2025! With only a few days left of the year, Gino takes time to reflect on the amazing guests we've had the pleasure of hosting; where we are all over the world and how you managed to listen i…
S3 Ep24 Luto Mpunga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:16
Luto Mpunga is a South African social media personality and content creator known for her activity on TikTok, sharing videos featuring personal moments, humour, and music-related content. She is also part of the Director…
S3 Ep23 Sibusiso Mthiya [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:21
Sibusiso Mthiya is a South African media personality, producer, and presenter known for hosting inspirational shows and it was a pleasure to welcome him to the studio for a chat with Gino about his career and his plans f…
S3 Ep21 Nikki Comninos on True Crime Documentaries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:40
The war is over, but the silence remains. The South African Border War left broken nations and haunted lives. Unspoken War reveals the hidden cost of a conflict few speak about and even fewer truly understand. This week…
S3 Ep20 Global Creative Summit & Everything Else [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:19
Episode 20 of ACP found Gino in a sartorial spin when he was invited to speak at the inaugural Global Creative Summit that just happened in Johannesburg, but more on that later. We kick off the ep with a couple of review…