It has been confirmed that The Queen, a local TV series, will come to an end in January 2023.
This, despite Ferguson Films recently creating false hope that they were going nowhere. News broke on social media that some of the actors had been fired and the show would be canned.
Fergsuon Films responded with the below:
In a statement released on Friday, pay-channel DStv said the strategies for its channels Mzansi Magic and 1Magic had been revised to keep abreast with changing audience preferences and the evolving competitor landscape.
1Magic’s Lingashoni will also flight its final season in March 2023.
“The Queen’s producers, Ferguson Films, will shoot Season 7 of the show, which will premiere in July 2022 and viewers will continue to enjoy the telenovela on their screens until its final episode airs on 13 January 2023,” reads the statement.
“The 1Magic telenovela Lingashoni, produced by Stained Glass TV, will come to an end after its second season concludes on 16 March 2023. This follows the season’s premiere on 21 March 2022.”
A new telenovela will plug the gap on the weekday 9pm slot, replacing The Queen from January 2023. The new content, which is under development, will be announced in due course.
Meanwhile The River, a multi-award winning production, has been renewed for Season 5.
“Our replacement for Lingashoni will be announced in due course. The business has reviewed our approach to focus on stabilising the channel slate with limited high-end series and realities.”
The Queen is produced through Ferguson Films, which had given the pay-channel other hit shows including Rockville, Igazi, The Imposter, and Unmarried, while Stained Glass is the studio behind shows like Ifalakhe, eHostela and the massively popular The Wife.
The statement reads: “Our strategy is still focused on growing our local content offering. It is what drives our growth and our viewership figures, and we are committed to giving our discerning audiences content they can relate to and see themselves in. We have exciting plans for our content for 2023 and beyond.”
For the latest entertainment news from Sunday World, click here.
Or read the latest from Shwashwi here.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
