RENEWED. New seasons for Arrow, Dynasty, Supernatural, Supergirl, Riverdale, Legends of Tomorrow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Flash, Jane the Virgin and Black Lightning.

Several American TV series just got renewed for further seasons, meaning more superhero action and some Cristal for Cristal in Dynasty.

America's CW network has renewed Arrow for a 7th season, The Flash for a 5th season, Legends of Tomorrow for a 4th season, Supergirl for a 4th season, Jane the Virgin for a 5th season and Riverdale for a 3rd season that are all shows seen in South Africa and across Africa on M-Net (DStv 101) on MultiChoice's DStv satellite pay-TV platform.

The new Black Lightning superhero show that just started has also been renewed for a second season, while Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on VUZU (DStv 116) has been renewed for a 4th and likely final season.

The spooky series Supernatural broadcast on SABC3 and that will likely see it's M-Net broadcast moved to 1Magic (DStv 103), has been renewed for a 14th season.

The reboot of Dynasty available on Netflix South Africa as episodes are broadcast on a weekly basis in America, has been renewed for a second season despite low ratings - very likely because of the lucrative international broadcasting rights deal with Netflix.

"We are proud to have such a deep bench of great returning series for 2018-19," says Mark Pedowitz, the CW president in a statement. "By picking these 10 series up for next season, we have a terrific selection of programming to choose from. And I'm especially happy that we'll continue to work with the incredibly talented casts, producers and writers who create the series our fans are so passionate about."

Valor, also from the CW, and also seen on M-Net has had terrible ratings and is very likely cancelled after its first season of 13 episodes.

BBC to follow-up David Attenborough's Blue Planet II on BBC Earth with programmes looking at how ocean plastic and clothing manufacture are impacting nature, and animal dynasties.

The BBC is following up Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet II oceanographic series coming to Africa's viewers from next month on BBC Earth (DStv 184) with further documentary programmes looking at how plastic is killing the oceans, a shocking expose about clothing, and wildlife "dynasties".

The BBC commissioned Drowning in Plastic as as 90-minute documentary with presenter Liz Bonnin who will look at the shocking impact plastic in the sea is having on the world, travelling to horrific “plastic hot spots” to show viewers first-hand what all forms of plastics is doing to sealife along shorelines and in the open sea.

The Truth About What You Wear with presenter Stacey Dooley will examine the connections between fashion, modern-day clothing manufacture and rainforest deforestation, water contamination and pollution, in addition to the threats posed to endangered animal species like orangutans and jaguars.

Dynasty will be the BBC's new signature wildlife documentary TV series that will look at groups of lions, African hunting dogs, chimpanzees, tigers and emperor penguins and how they create "dynasties" and groups as family packs.

The BBC has also commissioned Spy in the Wild II for 2019 using cameras to travel with various animals on their migration journeys, as well as Equator from the Air, looking at the Earth's equator region from above.

Blue Planet II has been scheduled to start on BBC Earth (DStv 184) on Sunday 4 February at 16:00.

Nicollette Sheridan cast as the new Alexis Carrington in the Dynasty reboot on Netflix.

Nicollette Sheridan, better known for her role as Edie Britt in Desperate Housewives, has been cast in the iconic role as the new Alexis Carrington in the reboot of Dynasty on Netflix.

The CW network showing the recently started Dynasty, a reboot of the hit 1980's glitzy drama series from Aaron Spelling, announced that Nicollette Sheridan will be joining the new show in the role originally made famous by Joan Collins.

Outside of America Netflix holds the show's international rights.

As in the original version, Nicollette Sheridan as the ever-scheming Alexis, will return unexpectedly to create chaos and turmoil in the lives of Blake (Grant Show), Cristal (Nathalie Kelley) and the rest of the Carrington clan.

Alexis is the first wife of Blake and the mother of both Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies) and Steven (James Mackay).

In a one sentence statement, the show says Alexis "will return unexpectedly to their world, challenging Blake’s marriage to Cristal, seeking to reunite with her children, and fighting to claim what is hers".

It is Nicollette Sheridan's first TV role since her contentious axing from Desperate Housewives and her lawsuit against the show and ABC Studios.

In the original series Alexis - then still shrouded in mystery and hidden under a big-rimmed hat - made her first appearance in the first season finale of Dynasty when she dramatically strutted into court.

In the new version, produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Fake Empire, Nicollette Sheridan will start filming in early-2018, with the Alexis character who will be making her first appearance during the last few episodes of the first season.

'We live in an age of dynasties': Newly imagined Dynasty coming to Netflix South Africa from Thursday with a new episode weekly.

As images of the Kasdashians and the Trumps flash by, the new Fallon says in the opening voice-over that "we live in an age of dynasties" - and on Thursday Netflix South Africa viewers will be able to watch the first episode of the new and reimagined Dynasty drama series.

Netflix users in South Africa and across Africa will be able to watch the new Dynasty from Thursday 12 October after its debut on America's CW network on Wednesday night due to an international deal between CBS Studios International and Netflix.

Dynasty is produced by CBS Television Studios, but just like CBS Studios International did with the new Star Trek: Discovery that currently has a new episode being made available weekly on Netflix after it airs in America, CBS Studios International is licensing Dynasty to Netflix as well for all countries outside of the United States and Canada.

A new Dynasty episode will become available weekly every Thursday on Netflix South Africa, within 24 hours after broadcast in America.

The new Dynasty comes 36 years after episodes of the original series was broadcast within weeks of being shown in America on the SABC's then TV4 channel where it remained one of the most watched shows for several seasons with boffo South African TV ratings and helped influence everything from big hairstyles to shoulder pad female fashions.

Dynasty's original creators, Esther and Richard Shapiro are executive producers together with Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz, the writers of Gossip Girl.

And there's still a "ling" credit in Dynasty like Aaron Spelling: Brad Silberling is the director of the first episode.

Dynasty doesn't happen "after" the original 80's drama series in the way that 90210 with new teenagers followed decades after Beverly Hills, 90210 and that the new Melrose Place followed the original.

Instead Dynasty is a reimagining - a new version set in the current era, with several of the same characters, keeping some of the original traits, but also with changes.

Where the original was set in Denver, the Carrington "dynasty" now lives in Atlanta. The family business is now named Carrington Atlantic and is an energy company, involved in things like fracking.

The Colby family is back as well but this time they're black. Cristal is now from South American descent and her name is no longer spelled Krystle but like the expensive champagne, dar-hling. Sammy Jo is now a man, and gay.

Grant Show from the original Melrose Place is now Blake Carrington and he is about to get married to his fiancée Cristal (Nathalie Kelley).

The scheming Fallon (Elizabeth Gillies) who is sexing and sexting the chauffeur is his daughter and James Mackay is his gay son Steven.

Will the one who lifts up her head and peek out from under her large rimmed hat with a devious smile also show up?

There no word yet on when the iconic TV villainess Alexis Carrington (who was played by Joan Collins) will show up again - but she first did only in the finale of the first season's court scene to become a permanent character from then on.

She is however already mentioned in Thursday's first episode but who is playing her is being kept a big secret. Could it maybe be Heather Locklear who was in Melrose Place and Sammy Jo in the original Dynasty?

For those who want to relive history, or want to watch it for the first time - the entire original Dynasty series is being released today by Paramount Home Video as a new 57-disc set, including all 217 episodes - available from Amazon.

EbonyLife TV on DStv expands its production operations to more Nigerian cities; dramas done in Calabar and entertainment shows moved to Lagos.

EbonyLife TV (DStv 165) is expanding its production operations to the Nigerian cities of Abuja, Lagos and Calabar.

Calabar is the city where the African remakes of Dynasty and Melrose Place will take place and where the African version of Desperate Housewives was shot. Script adapatation for Dynasty and Melrose Place to make it African versions will start this year.

The Governor, a new 13-part drama series is also currently being shot in Calabar for broadcast later in EbonyLife TV.

Production of the second season of Desperate Housewives will start in the second half of 2016.

While drama series production is done in Calabar, EbonyLife TV is moving production of its entertainment programming like its lifestyle magazine shows to its new studios in Lagos where it will be easier to book and get the guests that's the staple of these shows.

The channel has also expanded its operations to Abuja where the recently commissioned 13-part political drama series Sons of the Caliphate is currently being filmed.

Sons of The Caliphate is a political drama set in the north of Nigeria about three rich, entitled and ambitious young men all caught up in the lust for power, addiction, love and desire, as well as the obligations of family loyalty and the craving for revenge in the deadly tussle for the governorship seat of the Northern Caliphate State.

EbonyLife TV launched on 30 June 2013 and is now broadcast in 49 African countries, including South Africa.

EbonyLife TV acquires the TV rights from CBS to remake the American drama series Dynasty and Melrose Place as African versions with black stars.

Following a black remake of Disney's Desperate Housewives for Nigeria, EbonyLife TV (DStv 165) now plans to tackle both the 80's series Dynasty and the 90's series Melrose Place after having acquired the format rights to these American dramas from CBS Studios International.

While the African remake of Desperate Housewives wasn't that popular and didn't get a big publicity push from EbonyLife TV, the entertainment and lifestyle channel is forging ahead with more black versions of former American TV shows which it wants to show in several African countries through its channel on DStv.

"We're highly pleased to have acquired the format rights for Melrose Place and Dynasty, two of the most iconic and unforgettable series from CBS Studios International," says Mo Abudu, the CEO and executive chairperson of EbonyLife TV.

"This is a first for CBS Studios International's scripted formats and we are thrilled to be working with EbonyLife TV to develop these two iconic series for the African market," says Roxanna Pompa, the vice-president for international sales and production at CBS Studios International.

FIRST LOOK! Ugly Betty recreates infamous Dynasty fish pond fight scene with Wilhelmina Slater and Claire Meade.

You're seeing it here first.

I just finished watching it, and the penultimate episode of Ugly Betty that just went out in America features a wonderful Dynasty visual in-joke that seems to have slipped past everyone.

South African viewers will get to see the second to last Ugly Betty episode on Tuesday, 6 July on M-Net when Wilhelmina Slater and Claire Meade re-enact Dynasty's famous fish pond fight scene.

In a tip of the hat to one of modern television's most iconic TV scenes, Ugly Betty just recreated the infamous fish pond fight scene of the eighties super soap when the evil Alexis and the blonde Krystle gets involved in a cat fight, tumbles into the fish pond and continues to go crazy and claw at each other. Now Wilhelmina and the blonde Claire do the same in a cool homage to Dynasty when they clash at a MODE photo shoot and fall into the fish pond!

For the awesome Ugly Betty sequence of events recreating the Dynasty fight scene, click on READ MORE below.