DiepCity (Photo: Mzansi Magic)
Television brims with brand-new local TV shows starting on Monday, 5 April – making it even more difficult for viewers to decide what to watch where next.
uBettina Wethu, South Africa s local adaptation of Ugly Betty, makes its debut on SABC1, while SABC3 opens the gates to its new local soap,
The Estate.
There is a new timeslot for the public broadcaster s English TV news bulletin on SABC3 that will now compete with e.tv, while DiepCity starts as Isibaya s replacement on Mzansi Magic.
Then there is also the start of The Station as a new drama series starring and produced by Sello Maake Ka-Ncube.
Ugly Betty.
This local version of the popular telenovela is the first in the world to feature a black Betty along with a majority-black cast.
The show will debut on Monday, 5 April at 19:30 on SABC1 with three weekly episodes from Mondays to Wednesdays.
SABC1 has announced that former MTV VJ Farieda Metsileng will portray the title role of Bettina Sikhakane in the local adaptation of Ugly Betty.
The co-production between the SABC that will broadcast it on SABC1 and the video streaming VIU is produced by the South African production company Known Associates Entertainment, with Tshepiso Sello as producer. The company has been responsible for series like
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There was something about that girl. She was young, a little awkward and full of dreams and everyone related to her. Which is why Ugly Betty became a popular series all over the world.
Now South Africa is working on finding it s very own Ugly Betty, titled uBettina Wethu. There s an adaptation of the international smash hit show Yo Soy Betty La Fea, also known as Ugly Betty, in the works in SA, it just needs the right Betty.
The hugely popular series holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful telenovela and has been adapted in 19 territories, aired in 180 countries, and dubbed into 15 languages.