Programming note: Too school for cool: House of Anubis starts on Nickelodeon today as a new weekday teen mystery drama.

Teenagers in preppy private school uniforms involved in all manner of mischief, mysteries and mayhem are in vogue in popular culture from Harry Potter to Glee and now the trend continues with House of Anubis that starts today on Nickelodeon (DStv 305) weekdays at 16:55 (repeat 20:15).

ALSO READ: Nickelodeon goes big with the new daily teen mystery drama House of Anubis from 13 June.

The MTV owned youth channel Nickelodeon couldn't bother with screeners for the South African press about this new high-buzz show that's taking over a sizeable chunk of the channel's programming real estate with daily episodes that include a daily repeat as well as a weekend omnibus of House of Anubis as well. Besides the one in the show itself, the biggest mystery here is why MTV and Nickelodeon haven't been doing more to promote the start of House of Anubis in South Africa through the press.

House of Anubis, an enjoyable teen soap and the channel's successful first venture into this genre, centres around an old dorm at an English boarding school where the attc and basement are firmly locked. New student Nina arrives from America just after another high schooler mysteriously went missing. This main mystery must be solved over the course of the first season's 60 episodes (House of Anubis has been renewed for a 2nd season) while the teenagers dabble in minor mysteries and riddles involving secret diaries, hidden panels, trap doors, books, paintings and mystery keys. There's also some teen romance and other social and school issues like friendship, homework and loyalty (this is high school after all with all the typical teen stereotypes).

In House of Anubis the scare factor is more implied that explicit and the narrative drawn out to keep luring viewers back for another installment of resourceful teens on a hunt for secrets. Adults will enjoy House of Anubis as much as older children and teens. There's no Voldemort here although sinister adults abound like the secretive caretaker Victor.

BREAKING. Nickelodeon goes big with the great new teen mystery drama House of Anubis starting on 13 June with daily episodes.

You're reading it here first.

While the Cartoon Network (DStv 301) is stalling to its own detriment in deciding whether it's going to show South African viewers its live-action teen drama shows Unnatural History as well as Tower Prep (both of which are awesome and have been shown in America) Nickelodeon (DStv 305) is absolutely taking the gap with its own House of Anubis that will be starting in June.

South African viewers will be able to watch the wonderful House of Anubis from Monday 13 June at 16:45.
House of Anubis has a first season of 60 episodes has just been renewed for a second season.
The show is the first soap opera created by Nickelodeon and follows a group of eight teenagers who live together in Anubis House (named after the Egyptian god Anubis).

Just like Unnatural History and Tower Prep which South African viewers haven't seen yet, House of Anubis is also centered around a group of Harry Potter-ish teenagers going to a private school where mystery and supernatural riddles abound. In House of Anubis they live in an early 1900s-era building that serves as a boarding house for an elite boarding school in Britain.

House of Anubis will have a new half hour episode daily on weekdays and a repeat block scheduled for Saturdays at 19:40 (starting 18 June) and Sundays at 12:30 (starting 19 June).

Overseas the first episode and season finale of House of Anubis were both an hour long but I'm still waiting to hear from Nickelodeon whether that will be the case here, or whether it will be broken up into two half hours over two days.

In House of Anubis the American girl Nina Martin (Nathalia Ramos), who's been living with her grandmother since the death of her parents, leaves America to go to the boarding school when another student suddenly disappears.