15 May 2018
5 reasons you should watch The Crossing
In The Crossing, Sundance Jury Prize winner Steve Zahn (Happy/Texas, Modern Family) plays Jude Ellis, sheriff of a small fishing town on the Oregon coast in modern-day America. His plans for a quiet life are upended when 47 refugees from a war-torn country wash up on his beach seeking asylum. The country they’re from is America… and the war they’re fleeing is 180 years in the future.
As The Los Angeles Times wrote, “I will happily watch the actor Steve Zahn in just about anything… [The Crossing] is definitely good Zahn.” The Gazette agrees, “Known more for his comedic roles, Zahn does a splendid job of balancing touches of humour with the seriousness of his new situation.”
From left: Sandrine Holt as Emma Ren, Steve Zahn as Jude Ellis and Natalie Martinez as Reece in The Crossing, first and only on Showmax. Image: ABC
With The Crossing now first and only on Showmax in Africa, here are five reasons (other than Steve Zahn) everyone is going to be talking about this show.
1. It’s from ABC, the network that brought you Lost
Look, we’re well aware that you probably don’t love Lost as much now as you did at the end of Season 1. That ending wasn’t for everyone. But The Crossing will remind you of the good parts of being, well, lost, in early Lost. As lead actress Natalie Martinez says, “I love shows like this, where you read and you have no idea what’s happening, so you get to create your own theories and then something happens and you have no idea what’s going on and then you get a cliffhanger and you have to keep watching. It’s definitely one of those scripts that grabbed my attention and made me want to figure the puzzle out.”
2. It co-stars Natalie Martinez
Half a million people watched Natalie Martinez getting out of a car in Death Race on YouTube. If you’re not that kind of fan, you may still recognise her from her roles as detective Jamie Lovato in CSI:NY and MMA fighter Alicia Mendez in Kingdom, among others. But it’s her part in The Crossing as Reece, a refugee looking for her daughter, that’s propelled her up the IMDB Top 500 ranks.
Image: ABC
3. It’s created by two writers from Revenge and Criminals Minds
Co-creators Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin have written for some of the most entertaining shows on TV, from the Golden Globe nominated Revenge to the three-time Emmy nominee Criminal Minds to the People’s Choice nominated The Event.
4. The first episode is directed by four-time Emmy nominee Rob Bowman (The X-Files)
Rob Bowman has four Emmy nominations to his name for The X-Files, as well as stints directing the Emmy-nominated Castle and the Emmy-winning Star Trek: The Next Generation, among other shows. Other directors on The Crossing include Ken Girotti (Vikings, Orphan Black); Jeffrey Hunt (Vampire Diaries, The Originals); David van Ancken (Californication, The Following), Tara Nicole Weyr (Lucifer, Desperate Housewives), and Alex Zakrzewski (Bosch, Oz).
Image: ABC
5. Audiences love it
The Crossing has an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently one of IMDB’s Most Popular TV Shows.
As The Gazette wrote, The Crossing is “a drama wrapped in mystery. At every turn, there’s a new secret to unravel… Reminiscent of Lost and Wayward Pines, signalling great potential for the new series.”
All episodes are now available to binge on Showmax, express from the US.
Original African stories by local talent
Empini S1
Stream the Showmax Original drama series Empini from 23 May 2024.
Made in South Africa
Original Sin: My Son The Killer
Original Sin: My Son The Killer follows the murder of Andrea Venter by Gerhard Jansen van Vuuren, who then went on the run from South Africa to Brazil.
Made in South Africa
Tracking Thabo Bester
From the makers of Devilsdorp and the director of Convict Conman comes the true-crime documentary South Africa has been waiting for. All the episodes are streaming on Showmax.
Made in South Africa
The Illuminated
The Showmax Original docuseries The Illuminated explores different religious movements in South Africa. Stream now, with new episodes every Wednesday.
Made in South Africa
Koek S1
The crime comedy Koek, starring Cindy Swanepoel, now streaming on Showmax, with new episodes every Thursday.
Made in South Africa
Ekhaya Backpackers S1
Stream the Showmax Original comedy series Ekhaya Backpackers. All the episodes are now streaming.
Made in South Africa
Cheta M
Cheta M explores the love story between Adanna and Nnanna, young lovers who battle the spiritual and political forces in their way. Stream now, with new episodes Wednesday to Friday.
Made in Nigeria
Youngins S1
Stream Tshedza Pictures’s first teen drama, Showmax Original Youngins, with three new episodes every week.
Made in South AfricaThe Roast of Minnie Dlamini: The roast everyone's been waiting on
Empini, coming soon
More Mzansi gold
The Mommy Club Season 2 Episode 10 recap: Getting to the bottom of it
In episode 10 of The Mommy Club S2, Hermajesty and Mrs Sande go head-to-head and Nozipho confides in Mrs Mops. New episodes land every Monday on Showmax.
Made in South Africa
The Real Housewives of Durban S4: Nonku and Slee’s friendship is dead and buried
In the finale episode of The Real Housewives of Durban S4, all is laid on the table at the ladies’ dinner. All episodes are now streaming on Showmax.
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row
MaBlerh to host The Real Housewives of Durban reunion for the second year in a row. The two-part reunion will stream on 15 May and 22 May 2024.
Made in South Africa
Your initiation into the cool, chaotic world of Wyfie
Feel like we’re almost at midterms but you stopped going to class after you skipped a couple of lectures? Let’s swot up on Episodes 1-24 of Showmax Original Wyfie.
Made in South Africa