After a brief hiatus from daily television, former “7de Laan” star Nico Panagio has joined the cast of M-Net telenovela, “Legacy”.
Along with his role as the host of “Survivor SA”, Panagio has been taking roles on the occasional film and series project over the past few years.
Panagio also serves as chairperson of the non-profit organisation, Missing Children SA.
“Legacy”, now in its second season, is one of M-Net’s marquee shows and the first telenovela to ever air on the premium subscription television channel.
“Imagine the Machiavellian mega-rich characters living dysfunctional lives in the award-winning HBO series, ’Succession’, in a fresh, distinctly South African context,” Jan Du Plessis, Director: M-Net Channels, explained when “Legacy” launched last year.
“Add a daily dose of ’The Bold and the Beautiful’, colour the concoction with pure escapism in the topical and aspirational style of the best Brazilian telenovelas, and you have ’Legacy’ in a nutshell.”
The popular telenovela, which was created by Phathu Makwarela and Gwidyon Benyon from the hugely successful Tshedza Pictures, is built on the premise of a power struggle that ensues after Sebastian Price, founder and CEO of Legacy Investments, an upmarket investment empire he’s helmed for 30 years, dies unexpectedly as he’s on the brink of announcing his successor.
This tragedy sets in motion a brutal familial power struggle filled with lies, secrets and betrayal.
Panagio’s character, the complex, fiercely loyal and ice-cold Detective Marco Andino, made his first appearance on the show on Wednesday.
"Detective Marco makes his debut on what seems to be a one-night stand with Felicity (the show’s villain and Sebastian's eldest daughter), to only find out that he is actually investigating the case of the guy who was murdered in cold blood by Felicity and Dineo (Sebastian’s second and most recent wife)," the show's storyline write up reads.
"The plot thickens when we find out that Darren is actually his half-brother, and he wants to avenge his death."