M-Net’s Recipes for Love and Murder renewed for second season.

by Thinus Ferreira

The murder mystery series Recipes for Love and Murder on M-Net (DStv 101) has been renewed for a second season which will start filming in April 2024.

Recipes for Love and Murder - a co-production between M-Net, Acorn TV and production company Both Worlds Pictures - will have a second season of eight episodes, bringing the total number of the series to 18 episodes. 

The first season with director Christiaan Olwagen was broadcast on M-Net in March 2022.

Recipes for Love and Murder is based on the novel Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery of the South African author Sally Andrew with the culinary murder mystery that revolves around Maria Purvis (Doyle Kennedy) who is a recipe advice columnist for a small town newspaper.

"Recipes for Love and Murder has since its global distribution once again proven the appetite for our stories told through authenticity by Africa’s most-loved storytellers," says Nomsa Philiso, general entertainment CEO at the MultiChoice Group in a press release that was issued globally but not to South African media.

"We look forward to building on the success of this title through our international partnerships."

Catherine Mackin, managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises on behalf of Acorn TV, says "We are delighted to welcome our audiences back to the beautiful region of the Karoo in South Africa and the exciting but often dangerous world of Tannie Maria, led by the incomparable Maria Doyle Kennedy".

"There are still many investigations with shocking twists and turns to uncover, and with Tannie Maria leading the charge, justice is surely a small discovery of detail away."

Thierry Cassuto, Both Worlds Pictures managing director, says "We're overjoyed to announce the renewal of our beloved Recipes for Love and Murder for another season".

"This achievement is a testament to the dedication and talent of our creative team. To our partners, your support has been invaluable. To our fans, your love for the show has been the ultimate reward. And to Maria, we can't wait to have you back in South Africa and to cook up more magic together."

M-Net brings a 10-week Recipe for Love and Murder to Sunday nights at 8pm.

by Thinus Ferreira

As more South African TV channels join the trend of shifting to showing locally produced series in the Sunday night 20:00-timeslot, M-Net (DStv 101) is once again pushing its entrenched movie slot to 21:00 for 10 weeks from tonight to showcase the new crime-solving series Recipes for Love and Murder. 

Like Trackers in 2019 and Reyka in 2021, M-Net is once again moving its iconic Sunday night movie berth an hour later for a third time to broadcast the 10-episode murder mystery series from M-Net, Both Worlds Pictures, AMC Networks' Acorn TV and Global Screen.

Filmed in the Northern Cape's Karoo, Cape Town and Scotland, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Tony Kgoroge lead the ensemble cast in this small-town mystery series based on Sally Andrew's novels about a woman with a pet chicken.

With the series sliding between genres and moments which are both heartwarming, chilling and shocking, the TV adaptation - written by Karen Jeynes also directing with Christiaan Olwagen - has a cast that includes Jennifer Steyn as Jattie Wilson, Elton Landrew as Constable Piet, Arno Greeff as Warrant Officer Regardt Snyman, Lee Duru as Grace, Alan Committie as Cornel van Wyk, Rolanda Marais as Candy, Bennie Fourie as Dirk Burger who is the main murder suspect; and Daneel van der Walt as Anna Pretorius.

Following the murder of Martine Burger (Tinarie van Wyk Loots) in her home who was trapped in an abusive marriage, Maria Doyle Kennedy's character of Maria Purvis, nicknamed Tannie Maria, decides to team up with her younger, feisty colleague Jessie September (Kylie Fisher) to solve Martine's murder.

Meanwhile, questions swirl around Maria's secretive past in Scotland, while the murder investigation leads to several twists and turns involving ex-boyfriends, greedy family members, land development, religious fanatics, chaotic funerals, and pomegranates.

ALSO READ: Filming starts on 10-episode South African drama series Recipes for Love and Murder as another M-Net international co-production with AMC Networks' Acorn TV starring Maria Doyle Kennedy and Tony Kgoroge.

Filming starts on 10-episode South African drama series Recipes for Love and Murder as another M-Net international co-production with AMC Networks' Acorn TV starring Maria Doyle Kennedy and Tony Kgoroge.

by Thinus Ferreira

M-Net is doing another international co-production for a drama series, this time Recipes for Love and Murder that is a 10-episode South African murder mystery series done with the global streaming service Acorn TV from AMC Networks with principal photography that is starting today.

Recipes for Love and Murder will premiere on M-Net (DStv 101) in March 2022 and throughout 2022 on Acorn TV.

The series is based on Sally Andrew's acclaimed novel Recipes for Love and Murder: A Tannie Maria Mystery that Oprah's Book Club raved about for its "mouth-watering food and landscapes" and was translated in 16 languages.

The novel was adapted for television by South African writer Karen Jeynes who is also an executive producer, with the Scotland-based director/writer Annie Griffin as story consultant and co-executive producer.

Recipes for Love and Murder stars Maria Doyle Kennedy as an empathetic, accomplished and complicated recipe advice columnist for a small-town gazette who investigates the murder of one of her correspondents, as well as Tony Kgoroge who plays Khaya Meyer, the local chief detective.

Recipes for Love and Murder also stars Elton Landrew as Constable Piet and Arno Greeff as Warrant Officer Regardt Snyman, Jennifer Steyn as the editor of the local paper, and Lee Duru as Grace, a domestic worker whose story shakes up the town.

Recipes for Love and Murder is being filmed in Cape Town, in the semi-arid region of the Karoo and in Scotland.

Recipes for Love and Murder is produced by the Cape Town-based Both Worlds Pictures, in collaboration with Pirate Production in Scotland), and is helmed by the South African directors Christiaan Olwagen and David Isaacs.

Maria Purvis (nicknamed “Tannie Maria,” meaning “Auntie Maria” in Afrikaans), is a middle-aged advice columnist who moved to Scotland as a child along with her parents and returned 10 years ago to South Africa after her husband died.

She now dishes out help and recipes via the local gazette in the imaginary South African town of Eden, in the beautiful region of the Karoo.

Mostly keeping to herself, focusing on food, gardening, and showing kindness to others, she is often thought of as an old lady before her time.

When Martine, a woman who writes to Maria about her abusive husband, is found dead, Maria joins forces with a local, risk-taking, rookie journalist, Jessie September (newcomer Kylie Fisher), to solve the small-town murder and catch the killer - before the local police finds more victims.

Recipes for Love and Murder is produced by Both Worlds Pictures' founder Thierry Cassuto in collaboration with Pirate Production's Jenny Williams, with development support provided by Screen Scotland.

Executive producers for Recipes for Love and Murder include Catherine Mackin and Lesley Pemberton from Acorn Media Enterprises, Yolisa Phahle, Allan Sperling and Jan du Plessis for M-Net, Thierry Cassuto and Karen Jeynes for Both Worlds Pictures.

M-Net will hold the exclusive rights to the series in Africa, Acorn TV will hold the exclusive rights in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, while Global Screen will handle distribution for the rest of the world.

The series will premiere on M-Net 101 in March 2022 and throughout 2022 on Acorn TV.

"Recipes for Love and Murder has just the perfect ingredients for a rich, appetizing mystery drama, and the beloved Maria Doyle Kennedy will make a wonderful fit as the empathetic recipe advice columnist with a mysterious past," says Catherine Mackin, managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises, in a prepared statement.

"We look forward to bringing this first-ever TV dramatisation of Sally Andrew’s renowned novels to life. This series is a prime example of the kind of fascinating, masterfully-written stories set around the globe which we're proud to offer on Acorn TV."

Yolisa Phahle, MultiChoice CEO of general entertainment and connected video, says "MultiChoice is delighted to partner with Acorn TV and Global Screen on this brilliant murder mystery series".

"We are proud to be working with South Africa's talented writer Karen Jeynes and award-winning directors Christiaan Olwagen and David Isaacs. This partnership will continue to put MultiChoice on the forefront of high-quality African television that promotes our ongoing commitment of being Africa’s most-loved storyteller."

Thierry Cassuto of Both Worlds Pictures says "We are thrilled to partner with M-Net, Acorn and Global Screen to produce this ambitious series brilliantly adapted by Karen Jeynes from the delicious Sally Andrew novels".

"Viewers can look forward to a dazzling cast and a very intriguing story with a unique tone, which brings together small-town life, murder, love and mouth-watering food, which our extraordinarily talented director Christiaan Olwagen likes to present as The Killing meets Chocolat."