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
S2 51 News, Views and Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:00
Welcome to African Couch Potato, the #1 spot for the latest from the world of film and TV and African excellence. Kickin' off with acclaimed actor Idris Elba, who at a recent event in London noted the lack of cinemas acr…
S2 50 Roye Okupe on “Iyanu” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:56
There's a new superhero coming to Showmax! Iyanu. Iyanu is a teenage orphan girl who discovers she has divine powers and a destiny far greater than she ever imagined, one that involves saving the ancient kingdom of Yorub…
S2 49 Mpho Nkoana on Developing Stories for the Screen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 25:06
Here we are in June, so what better time of the year to talk about Christmas? But not just presents, tinsel and partying, this is about a Christmas slasher, coming from the pen of one Mpho Nkoana. Mpho is a passionate wr…
S2 48 News, Views and Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:46
A mixed bag, this episode, as we mourn the passing of a local star, take a look at what is happening with cinemas, drop a couple of reviews and celebrate the arrival of an award.ACP was saddened to hear of the passing of…
S2 47 Lethabo Kekana (The Catch, Showmax) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:47
Yes? No? Send us a textLet 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/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino…
S2 46 Brandon Auret on Funding The Local Film Industry [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:57
A lot of us came across Brandon Auret's LinkedIN video where he spoke about foreign films, the importance of co-productions and how Donald Trump is throwing his toys when it comes to the American film industry. Award-win…
S2 45  News, Views and Reviews [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:41
Donald Trump’s policy of slapping tariffs on anything that he thinks is threatening the American job market is possibly about to hit our industry as his latest rant threatens a 100% tariff on all foreign (to America) fil…
S2 44 The Roast of Helen Zille [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:15
It's always good to see that our politicians are up for a laugh and none more so than one-time DA leader Helen Zille. Showmax and Laugh Africa lined up a host of celebrities for the Roast of Helen Zille who arrived in a…
S2 43 Jordy Sank and Gabriella Blumberg on “Die Kwiksilwers” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:27
In this week's ACP, we were lucky enough to get both the director and the producer of the acclaimed road trip movie Die Kwiksilvers. Gino sits down with director Jordy Sank and producer Gabriella Blumberg from Sanktuary…
S2 42 Darrell McLean on Stunt Direction and “One Piece” (Netflix) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
What's it like to win an Emmy?In this ep Gino gets to find out, as he chats to Stunt Coordinator Darrell McLean. In March this year, Netflix's One Piece Live Action grabbed two major awards at the Children and Family Emm…