Zulu Adaptation Of Us Tv Series 'superstore' Coming To South Africa

Showmax has officially commissioned a South African Zulu-language adaptation of popular US comedy series Superstore .

The African streamer and NBCUniversal Formats announced the new format agreement in a statement on Tuesday 14 January.

Barkers Media will produce the South African version of the series in association with Universal International Studios. Production is expected to start this year, but the release date is unknown at this stage.

Barkers Media are behind well-known productions such as Killer Front Page , reality shows Shebeen Queens and The Bala Family , and the South African Film and Television Awards-nominated How to Manifest a Man .

"We're on Cloud 9," MultiChoices executive head of programming Nicola van Niekerk said. "I laughed my way through every episode of Superstore and can't wait to see how the funny and loveable characters are reimagined in our complex country."

Barkers Media executive producer Reneilwe Sema added, "We are proud to be producing the first African version of Superstore for Showmax.

"The format is globally recognised and adored by audiences all over the world, so we're looking forward to adding that distinctive South African flavour to it," Semas fellow executive producer Mpho Lengane also said.

The US series premiered in January 2015 on NBC and aired for six seasons. At its peak, it attracted more than six million viewers per episode.

The comedy follows a unique family of employees at Cloud 9, a super-sized mega store. From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.

The Showmax adaptation is the second non-English version after the Latin-language Supertitlan in Mexico. "I cannot wait to see Superstore take on a whole new life in South Africa!" NBCUniversal Formats VP for Format Sales Hannah Mabruk said.