Fans of “Legacy” aren’t surprised by the telenovela being canned by MultiChoice after two seasons as rumours have been rife about plummeting viewership figures.
It’s sad, though, as “Legacy” has bagged the crème de la crème of SA’s actors – Kgomotso Christopher, Mary Ann Barlow, Michelle Botes, Dawid Minaar, Lunga Shabalala and Neil McCarthy, to name a few - as well as notable guest actors.
In recent weeks, Terrence Bridgett made his entry as Gordon's long-lost love, Ramon, Lalla Hirayama joined as Akari Nakamura, Vignette Ebrahim sauntered onto screens as Marie Fortune, Camilla Waldman made her debut as Dimitra and even Nico Panagio made a welcome return to acting as Detective Marco Andino.
At the 15th South African Film and Television Awards ceremony earlier this year, “Legacy” bagged 12 nominations and walked away with Golden Horns for Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Botes) and Best Telenovela.
MultiChoice confirmed that the shooting of the second season would end in February 2022 and that “the channel will be exploring new avenues to entertain its loyal viewers in order to cater to their new and evolving desire for limited series”.
“Our viewership surveys guide us to adapt our content to the evolving needs of our customers.
“Whilst Legacy is a popular show, our M-Net 101 customers have indicated that they now want more limited series rather than long-running telenovelas.
“The success of our local strategy depends on how well we tune into what our customers would like to see on their screens,” says Nomsa Philiso,the executive head of programming.
She said M-Net and Tshedza were aligned on the change in strategic direction and would be managing the impact on cast and crew.
The entities have a long-standing working relationship and will continue collaborating on projects such as the award-winning “The River”, which has just been renewed for season 5.
Phathu Makwarela and Gwydion Beynon, the co-owners of Tshedza Productions, said: “Working with M-Net channel 101 has always been a dream for us as a company, and we thank the channel for their incredible support and encouragement in bringing ’Legacy’ to life.
“All our writers, crew members and actors have poured their hearts and souls into this project. We applaud MultiChoice Group for continuing to support local content and look forward to working on other exciting projects in future.”
This sudden canning of a show on the channel isn’t new. Back in 2011, “The Wild” was also axed after two years. And, like “Legacy”, it had a stellar cast and was a favourite with viewers.
In the meantime, fans weighed in on the telenovela being canned.
@WilnaIce wrote: “Noooooooo this can't be true @LegacySA_ @MNet Loudly @Leozelle @kgchristopher @AntonJeftha @seanmarcov @DeonLotzActor @andrelotter @mccarthy_neil @FreshByCaddy #LegacySA”
Noooooooo this can't be true @LegacySA_ @MNet 😭😭😭😭😭@Leozelle 😢😢@kgchristopher @AntonJeftha @seanmarcov @DeonLotzActor @andrelotter @mccarthy_neil @FreshByCaddy #LegacySA https://t.co/RVFFagniuY pic.twitter.com/hPPwedqFiq
— Wilna Rossouw (@WilnaIce) December 1, 2021
@PhilMphela wrote: “Mary-Anne Barlow and Kgomotso Christopher. Thank you for great television. I enjoyed your performances on #LegacySA.
“You did THAT! Ladies. I’m sorry the show is ending but … that the nature of the show business. Halala to Felicity and Dineo. Princess”
Mary-Anne Barlow and Kgomotso Christopher
— Kgopolo (@PhilMphela) December 1, 2021
Thank you for great television. I enjoyed your performances on #LegacySA
You did THAT! Ladies.
I’m sorry the show is ending but … that the nature of the show business.
Halala to Felicity and Dineo. 👸🏾 https://t.co/hwiF5cubRM pic.twitter.com/RZh0wRLoBq
Replying to @PhilMphela’s earlier post, @ThisIsSelby wrote: “Aaaargh no man. This is not nice. Jobs will be lost once again.
“They are probably going to replace it with an international show we don’t give a hoot about on that time slot. This is bad bad bad”
Aaaargh no man. This is not nice. Jobs will be lost once again. They are probably going to replace it with an international show we don’t give a hoot about on that time slot. This is bad bad bad.
— Selby mkhize (@ThisIsSelby) December 1, 2021