TV REVIEW. Shadow on Netflix as a South African drama series is unnecessary TV pain - underwhelming, boring, not good acting and not moving any goalposts.

The new South African TV drama series, Shadow on Netflix - the first South African produced show to be added to the global video streaming service - is underwhelming, dreary, with not such good acting and is borderline boring, without actually moving borders.

While the character of Shadow is unable to feel anything, viewers watching it will definitely feel some pain.

Extremely formulaic as a run-of-the-mill South African crime-of-the-week procedural episode show, Shadow lacks oomph and that binge-watching quality users pay for with streaming series. Shadow feels as if it was made for ordinary week-to-week television like The Docket on SABC3, the only twist being that the protagonist can't feel physical pain.

With an avalanche of content to watch, that's not enough to make Shadow stream-watch worthy.

Shadow, produced by Motion Story Productions, reminds very strongly of Jongo, that was touted as "Africa's first-ever superhero show" that was broadcast on BET and e.tv, just without the extremely overt supernatural part.

It coincidentally hails from the same production company as the 2016-show and it's clear that Motion Story has learnt and improved somewhat with the more down-to-earth approach of Shadow, although this 8-episode series still also feels underwhelming and borderline boring.

Imagine a South African, more low-budget version of Netflix's Luke Cage from Marvel, like Jongo but without the Jongo blue eyes special effects.

Pallance Dladla is the titular character Shadrack "Shadow" Khumalo (struck by lightning as a child and impervious to pain) and becomes a crime-fighting, problem-solving vigilante after the murder of his 6-year old daughter. Amanda Du Pont is Ashley and Max (Khathu Ramabulana) is one of Shadow's former partners.

Nothing really pops and the acting in Shadow is sad to say, underwhelming. As former TV soap actors, who were more believable in former roles, the problem here is probably more a script and characterisation issue the characters they've portrayed in Isibaya and Generations felt more "lived-in" and authentic.

Several action and weapons scenes come across as very "acted" and fake-choreographed, like kids' lightsaber-playing. How much did everyone involved actually practise?

Again, similar to The Docket, the hunt for a killer is the overall series' story, with episodic dilemmas ranging from abuse and bribery to stalking as the "crime of the episode".

Is there a hook to want to make a viewer immediately want to watch the next Shadow episode on Netflix? No. Does Shadow offer something revolutionary, outstanding and mind-blowingly different in terms of narrative, visual style or acting besides being that it was produced in South Africa? No.

Shadow, directed by Gareth Crocker, is filled with predictable TV tropes, none of which are actually upended to surprise, tantalise or grab the viewer to want to watch more. Little in or from it willmake a viewer go "wow".

Shadow's episodes and stories feel forgettable and fail to tread new ground, with a slight build-up of tension and never enough pay-off.

Some of the same frustration and criticism about a lack of forward momentum and development that applies to Marvel's Iron Fist on Netflix is applicable to Shadow - viewers wait for "more" to happen in terms of a bigger and better story that draws you in, actual character actualisation, and to make you forget that you're watching a show, which doesn't happen.

Why Shadow is on Netflix isn't clear. It feels mundane, run-of-the-mill and like yet another retread of what there's exists a lot of already - and done better - from the BBC's Luther to the SABC's Zero Tolerance.

Shadow on Netflix is unnecessary TV pain you can do without.


ALSO READ: Netflix's first locally-acquired South African series, Shadow, stars Pallance Dladla and Amanda Du Pont.
ALSO READ: How bad is Shadow as Netflix's first South African series? Apparently very, as Netflix SA cancels a planned media event and isn't giving screeners to critics, saying the Motion Story Productions drama already got enough coverage.

How bad is Shadow as Netflix's first South African series? Apparently very, as Netflix SA cancels a planned media event and isn't giving screeners to critics, saying the Motion Story Productions drama already got enough coverage.

The first local South African series on Netflix - Shadow - looks like it could be bad, with the global video service that's cancelled a planned media event in its country of creation for local press, with screeners not being made available to TV critics to preview the show, and Netflix's South African public relations company saying that the Motion Story Productions drama series already got enough coverage and exposure in terms of pre-determined "targets".

Eclipse PR, the PR company in South Africa that Netflix currently uses, on Tuesday countered bubbling South African TV industry buzz that Shadow with Pallance Dladla and Amanda Du Pont - set for release on 8 March on Netflix - is bad, as questions are rumbling inside the media and biz about a perceived lack of press exposure and a lack of media buy-in for Shadow.

The company, when asked questions about Shadow, says there has been a media event for certain media, and that there will be a physical screening of some of the Shadow series but that it will happen on 7 March, only in Johannesburg, only for some other media, set for a day before the show becomes available on Netflix.

Media insiders are wondering why Netflix held off from making announcements about the acquisition of Shadow as an African series and why Netflix failed to do a staggered publicity roll-out, from much earlier around the Gareth Crocker directed drama series in the way Netflix does for other countries' series and acquired content.

Netflix's lack of letting media who want and need to see Shadow see the show before its debut in order to write reviews and do other reporting - as well as its scuppered plans for a planned press day - has led to several raised eyebrows about the quality of the upcoming 8-episode series, as well as questions around why Netflix South Africa hasn't and isn't doing more to let the public know about Shadow.

Some people who have seen some of Shadow, the first locally-acquired South African TV drama series on Netflix - coming to its subscribers under the auspices of Kelly Luegenbiehl, vice president for international originals for Europe, Turkey and Africa at Netflix - described it as terrible and as not good.

Full disclosure, on 14 January 2019 TVwithThinus was one of the media contacted about a media junket planned for Shadow. On 18 February when asked if there's a date yet for the press event and if there are preview episodes of Shadow for review purposes, Eclipse PR said that it looks as though it's cancelling the press event and that screeners won't be given prior to release.

Another week later, on 26 February when reaching out again and asking Netflix if the media event is definitely now cancelled, Eclipse PR confirmed that the Shadow media event won't be going ahead.

In Hollywood parlance, not making a screener or screeners available beforehand to press happens for one of two reasons.

Firstly, the studio, distributor, network or channel don't need to because press, public and consumer interest and engagement is already high, built-in or guaranteed - for instance Disney and Lucasfilm's Star Wars or HBO's Game of Thrones on M-Net (DStv 101) - or there's some internal recognition that it's bad and limiting media from seeing it, is an attempt to limit inevitable bad reviews that will just inflict further damage.

Of course not making content available to media to preview when asked, has, the past few years, led the wider press and critics to automatically now assume that when it happens, it's indicative of how bad something is.

When DVD or digital screeners of shows are not given to the press it's now assumed that it's not done because the content is rubbish, it's produced too close to the broadcasting date, is a live broadcast, or contains a twist or spoiler that producers want to keep secret.

Eclipse PR on Tuesday said that it already "hosted a Shadow press junket for long lead outlets" and gave screeners to these media.

Eclipse PR said that for Shadow on Netflix it had "originally anticipated hosting a second junket for online platforms, but have since reviewed this approach because we had already reached online targets through our date announcement".

A media screening is being organised for 7 March, said Eclipse PR.

7 March will, of course, be the day before Shadow becomes available on Netflix, giving media, including online media, very little time to put together reviews.

Earlier this year MultiChoice's video streaming service, Showmax, for its first locally-commissioned drama series, The Girl from St. Agnes produced by Quizzical Pictures, held its media screening for the press on 25 January, a week before its official release on 31 January.

In January M-Net (DStv 101) showed press the first episode of The Voice South Africa a week and a half before its debut on 3 February.

On Tuesday evening FOX Networks Group Africa (FNG Africa) previewed it's Bafta and Oscar-winning film, Free Solo to the press a week before it will make its debut on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220 / Cell C black 262) on 4 March.

On Thursday evening BBC Studios Africa will screen the new 5th season of Come Dine with Me South Africa produced by Rapid Blue to the media, a week and a half before making its debut on BBC Brit (DStv 120) on 11 March.

Showmax also asked the media, and is giving TV critics a digital screener of its upcoming new and local stand-up comedy series, Trippin with Skhumba, before it becomes available from 28 February.

Netflix's first locally-acquired South African series, Shadow, stars Pallance Dladla and Amanda Du Pont.

Shadow, the first locally-acquired South African TV series, is set to become available on Netflix South Africa from Friday 8 March with Pallance Dladla and Amanda Du Pont in a crime drama spanning a variety of set-pieces giving a feel for the African continent.

While Queen Sono, a spy drama series with Pearl Thusi, produced by Diprente with Kagiso Lediga as director is Netflix's first commissioned African and South African original drama series, Shadow is Netflix's first locally-acquired drama series.

Following the unjust murder of a young girl, Johannesburg detective and former task force specialist, Shadrach "Shadow" Khumalo, portrayed by Pallance Dladla, quits his job to become a fixer for people who, like him, have been failed by the criminal justice system.

With the help of his former partner, Shadow cuts a swathe through the city’s underworld taking full advantage of a rare condition that affects his central nervous system: he is impervious to physical pain.

Amanda Du Pont plays Ashley, Shadow's love interest in Shadow that has 8 hourlong episodes.

Shadow is produced by Motion Story Productions, with Gareth Crocker as director.