The new Tshedza Pictures telenovela will air on e.tv before streaming on Netflix from the following day
By Kaunda Selisho
South African television has another global streaming win on its hands. Tshedza Pictures’ highly anticipated new telenovela, The Four of Us, has secured a Netflix deal ahead of its terrestrial debut, with the streamer acquiring the series ahead of its premiere.
The drama debuts on Monday, 29 June, at 8pm on e.tv, with episodes streaming on Netflix from the following day, giving the series both immediate local free-to-air reach and a global streaming audience from the outset, according to entertainment outlet Blex Media.
Taking over from Scandal!
The series marks a significant shift for e.tv’s primetime line-up. The Four of Us takes over the prime 8pm slot previously held by the long-running soapie Scandal!, which aired for 23 years, and launches the channel’s new Golden Hour weeknight drama block. It also marks Tshedza Pictures’ first project for e.tv, the production house behind hits including The River, Adulting and Gqeberha: The Empire.
Watch the video below:
Lesson of the day icherry ye16 years ayikhulumi ngezindaba zomndeni 😂😂😂🤞 #TheFourOfUs premieres on MONDAY at 8pm pic.twitter.com/xWb8kdARNr
— @etv (@etv) June 28, 2026
eMedia’s group head of Content Development and Strategy, Helga Palmer, said the new line-up, which also includes the youth music drama eGagasini: Waves of Change, reflects a broader strategic push, noting that “launching two new shows signifies a major expansion in our prime-time storytelling at e.tv.”
Story and cast
Per entertainment site ShockNG, the show created by Phathutshedzo Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon, explores family dynamics through power struggles, ambition, romance, betrayal and personal sacrifice within the Dhlomo family and its interactions with rivals.
Leading the cast is multiple Safta winner for Best Actress in a Telenovela, Sindi Dlathu, as Busani Dhlomo, the fiercely principled eldest sibling who has spent her life carrying the burden of family responsibility. Opposite her, Sdumo Mtshali plays Bobbi Dhlomo, a charismatic and ambitious man who has spent years feeling overshadowed and is now ready to fight for his rightful place.
The ensemble also includes Thembinkosi Mthembu as Banzi Dhlomo, the overlooked middle sibling whose search for validation fuels much of the family’s emotional conflict, and Kealeboga Masango as the youngest Dhlomo, a free spirit weighed down by unresolved grief.
Rami Chuene, Dumisani Dlamini, Sibongile Nojila and a wider supporting cast round out the Dhlomo family saga.
Riding ‘The Polygamist’s’ wave
The Netflix deal follows a breakout Netflix debut for fellow South African production company, Stained Glass. The production house’s previous series, The Polygamist – also starring Mtshali – became a global phenomenon upon its June 2026 release, reaching No. 4 on Netflix’s global non-English chart and landing in the top 10 in 63 countries, including the United States, within its first two weeks.
The 22-episode series reportedly drew 19.1 million viewing hours in its opening week and hit No. 1 in 16 countries
That show also sparked plenty of conversation, with audiences and critics widely divided over its portrayal of male infidelity versus cultural traditions around polygamy, while Mtshali’s performance as patriarch Jonasi Gomora left viewers simultaneously outraged and addicted.
The Four of Us airs daily on e.tv at 8pm from Monday, 29 June, with new episodes following on Netflix from Tuesday, 30 June.
This article was republished from The Citizen.
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