Everybody is talking about the South African TV series The Polygamist, which has had social media buzzing with controversy and passionate discussion. But what has made this Netflix title such a massive global hit? Akumbu Uche digs deeper.
S hortly after The Polygamist , the 22-episode steamy South African telenovela about a wealthy businessman whose lust leads to his downfall, premiered on Netflix on 12 June 2026, it quickly gained a worldwide following and climbed the ranks of the platform’s global top 10 list.
In Africa, Hollywood (as well as Bollywood) films and TV shows do better in attracting continental audiences than indigenous African content. The latter does have dedicated audiences in various countries – Nollywood is one of the biggest producers in West Africa; South Africa has a massive and well-developed film and TV industry; North Africa, especially Egypt, produces series that are watched daily by millions throughout the region; and East Africa has smaller industries in Kenya and Tanzania. However, audiences for these products tend to be confined to the regions where they are based and rarely, if ever, does a product find an audience outside its language and cultural sphere.
Over the years, Netflix has invested heavily in producing ‘ethnic’ series and films, for example in Hindi, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, French, Italian, Tamil, Turkish and other languages. The aim has been to increase subscriptions in those regions and perhaps discover global hits.
Some of these series, such as the Spanish Money Heist , the Korean Squid Game , India’s Sacred Games , etc., went on to become huge international hits. But the African output hardly moved the needle. That was until the Zulu-language The Polygamist broke through the language barrier, accruing a 16.5m global audience by the end of June, according to the first of Netflix’s 2026 biannual reports.
Currently, it still dominates the streaming platform’s global top 10 ranking, and judging from records on the independent data tracking site, ‘What’s On Netflix’, it has since amassed a total of 266.6m viewing hours and 27.6m completed views.
The show’s success at home in South Africa and in Nigeria and Kenya, fellow regional powerhouses where it earned #1 spots, is to be expected, but it has also been a hit as far afield as the Caribbean and Latin American markets, notching up high viewing figures in Argentina, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Salvador, and Venezuela.
France 24 has called it “an example of an African story resonating beyond the continent” while for the Guardian UK , it is the “first African smash hit of the streaming age”.
The series has also acquired fans in Hollywood, with celebrities like Taraji P. Henson, Sherri Shepherd, and Joe Jonas (who shares a name with the titular character) taking to social media to share their thoughts and impressions.
Status-signifying position
The television series is an adaptation of the 2012 novel by Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi. Transposed from its original Bulawayo setting to Johannesburg, the plot centres around Jonasi Gomora ( pictured opposite ), who begins an affair with Matipa, an ambitious subordinate from work, just as he welcomes the birth of his third child with Joyce, his long-suffering wife – who was at his side long before he made his first million rand.
The more entrenched Matipa becomes in his life, the more his relationship with Joyce deteriorates, and soon, both women are fighting for the status-signifying position of the official Mrs Gomora.
Add to this dysfunction the discovery of a secret third (but second, chronologically) wife, Essie, who has been posing as Jonasi’s sister-in-law. As if that wasn’t messy enough, Jonasi steps into the role of sugar daddy to Lindani, his daughter’s best friend, whom he has known since she was eight years old.
With the series spawning wild reactions and analysis videos on YouTube and TikTok, lead screenwriter Busisiwe Zwane has called the response to the show “overwhelming”.
But long before The Polygamist hit the screens, there were signs that it was geared to make a big impression. In the build-up to the show’s premiere, Netflix’s marketing department went into overdrive, inundating social media platforms like X and YouTube with promotional tweets and multiple trailers to prime television viewers.
Releasing all the episodes in one fell swoop was another strategic decision that made it easy to binge-watch.
So what is it about The Polygamist that has captured the hearts and minds of audiences worldwide?
First, the plotting follows the time-tested soap opera formula of sex, surprise, and scandal. The Gomora family is upper class, which plays into the fascination people have for watching the flawed and messy lives of the rich and famous.
In addition, the characters’ unapologetic display of wealth is at odds with stereotypical portrayals of poor and starving Africans in Western media, and presents an alternative narrative that many non-African viewers may be encountering for the first time. As the renowned actress and talk show host Sherri Shepherd explained to her Instagram followers, “I thought Crazy Rich Asians was something, but crazy rich Africans is a whole other level.”
In the wake of recent xenophobic attacks against Black African foreigners, South Africa has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. With the show’s release coinciding with this moment, it offers a countering, positive view of the country.
Interestingly, the creative team behind the project shows how much embracing pan-Africanism stands to benefit the South African creative economy. Nyathi, the author whose novel the series is adapted from, is from Zimbabwe, while the showrunner, Akin Omotoso, is of Nigerian heritage.
The show’s preoccupation with polygamy and its accompanying drama is another key part of its appeal. We might live in the age of open relationships and polyamory, yet in many countries around the world, polygamy is illegal. On the other hand, polygamy is a commonplace cultural practice in many parts of Africa, and is legal in South Africa, where the series is set.
Cultural underpinnings?
Jacob Zuma, former President of South Africa, is a noted polygamist. Married six times, he had four concurrent wives during his tenure, and two of his daughters, Gugu Zuma-Ncube and Thuli Zuma, are credited as executive producers on the show, with a third, Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, listed as a screenwriter.
There are times when the show’s portrayal of the ins and outs of such a marriage – the logistics of managing multiple households and emotional tensions, and the effects it has on the family – can feel like watching a documentary or reality show.
There has been controversy about whether Jonasi is a polygamist in the traditional sense of the word, something conducted with cultural requirements and expectations in mind, or whether he is a philanderer, driven by base appetites. His name hints at the Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah, which has become a metaphor for licentious behaviour.
In a modern world different from the times that necessitated them, traditional cultural practices can be abused, and there exist polygamists who, like Jonasi, embrace the institution as a cover for their selfishness, greed, lust, and possibly sex addiction.
While it would be easy to dismiss The Polygamist as pure escapist fun, the show takes itself seriously. Peel back the scenes depicting unrestrained emotional displays, fighting and wig-snatching, and you get a show weaving in critical discussions about gender-based violence, family trauma and HIV, which is rampant in South Africa.
South African actors S’dumo Mtshali and Gugu Gumede not only deliver strong performances as Jonasi and Joyce Gomora, but they also do a good job shouldering the weight of the entire series.
Mtshali has come a long way, from winning the acting competition show Class Act in 2010 to taking on a succession of leading roles. In the hands of a less skilful actor, his part could have easily devolved into a caricature of a TV villain, but Mtshali’s Jonasi is equal parts charming and manipulative, and even as viewers love to hate him, it’s easy for them to identify with the women in his life, who despite their disappointments still find him irresistible.
Gugu Gumede first came to prominence through a role in the long-running soap opera, Generations . Her Joyce is a steely but emotionally vulnerable first wife who is intent on saving her marriage, if only to keep up appearances, but Jonasi’s behaviour tests her limits.
While The Polygamist is explicit about the physical and emotional toll Jonasi’s behaviour takes on his wives, they are far from textbook victims. They are presented as intelligent, ambitious and savvy in their unique ways, but ultimately flawed.
Collectively, they present a subtle critique of male-centred women. Every one of them could forge an independent life from Jonasi, but they have all been conditioned to downplay their worth and personal achievements, making them susceptible to manipulation and abuse from Jonasi.
Noluthando Shabalala (Mpume), Lwazie Keith Mfeka (Sarah) and Wonder Ndlovu (Menzi) deliver moving performances as Jonasi’s young adult children, navigating the hurt and trauma his neglect and behaviour have caused them, and their screen time adds an intergenerational dimension to the show.
The Polygamist is not just another popular show; it is a watershed moment for South African TV, proof of how far good quality African storytelling can travel, and it serves as an encouraging reminder to African creatives that African intellectual property is financially and culturally viable and should be tapped into .
The post Why is everybody talking about The Polygamist? appeared first on New African Magazine .
Why is everybody talking about The Polygamist?
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