A bigger city, higher stakes and a global audience await Ethan and his crew as the award-winning South African drama returns for its second season.
A global rollout for a South African story
South African drama series Spinners is set to reach an international audience on an even larger scale, with CANAL+ and STUDIOCANAL announcing the global rollout of its second season across more than 45 countries.
The eight-part second season will launch from 25 October across the African continent before expanding to CANAL+ audiences in France, its overseas territories, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium from 26 October.
The series will be available in five language editions, including its original English, Kaaps and Afrikaans version, alongside French, Swahili and Amharic dubs, with Portuguese subtitles.
The international expansion follows the success of the first season and forms part of CANAL+’s broader strategy of taking African stories to audiences beyond the continent.
From Cape Town to Johannesburg
Season 2 picks up with Ethan, played by Cantona James, and his crew having left the Cape Flats behind for Johannesburg, where they find themselves navigating the city’s competitive spinning scene.
Ethan, Trevor, Shane, Angelo and Amber are beginning to experience fame, love and the possibility of stability, but that progress is threatened when Ethan’s former gang orchestrates a brutal ambush.
The new season moves beyond the spectacle and adrenaline of spinning culture to explore power, violence, grief and the consequences of the choices made by the characters.
The Johannesburg setting also gives the series a new backdrop as its central characters attempt to build new lives while confronting problems from their past.
CANAL+ on taking the story global
Nomsa Philiso, Executive Vice President of Content at CANAL+ Africa, said the international rollout demonstrates the company’s belief in the strength of African storytelling.
“SPINNERS has already proven that African stories can compete on the world stage, and this rollout is us backing that conviction at scale,” Philiso said.
“Bringing Season 2 to millions of viewers across the world and delivering it in more than five languages, means audiences from Lagos to Paris get to experience South African storytelling at its best.”
The rollout will see the original version broadcast across several African markets, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Zambia.
For audiences in Kenya and Tanzania, the series will be dubbed into Swahili, while an Amharic version will be available in Ethiopia. Portuguese-subtitled versions will reach audiences in Mozambique and Angola.
In French-speaking Africa, the series will be broadcast in French on CANAL+MAGIC.
New faces enter the story
Season 2 introduces the Maseko family, adding a new group of characters and relationships to Ethan’s increasingly complicated world.
Clementine Mosimane, known for How to Ruin Christmas, joins the cast as Ma Sithole, the family’s matriarch. Mondli Makhoba, known for Shaka Ilembe, plays her bodyguard.
Aphiwe Mkefe joins as Sayi, Ma Sithole’s grandson and Ethan’s new rival, while Luyanda Zwane, known for Sibongile and the Dlaminis, plays her granddaughter Amahle.
The new characters are expected to bring another layer of tension to Ethan’s journey as his ambitions collide with new rivalries and threats.
Cantona James on bringing Ethan home
For James, returning as Ethan carries a personal connection, particularly as the character makes the journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
“As a Jozi boy playing a character who moves from Cape Town to Johannesburg, there’s something deeply meaningful about telling this story,” James said.
“We live in a rainbow nation, but we rarely see that represented authentically on our screens, and I believe Spinners is one of those shows that brings people together in a way that feels honest and real.”
The actor’s comments speak to one of the series’ central elements – placing recognisable South African communities, cultures and experiences at the centre of an internationally distributed production.
Mkefe similarly described the opportunity to take the story to an international audience as significant.
“There’s something deeply important about telling authentic South African stories on a global scale, about bringing our world to audiences who may have never seen it before,” he said.
Zwane described the new season as “an exciting moment” for African storytelling and said the production provided an opportunity to showcase her talent to international audiences while continuing to develop as a South African actress.
‘The scars we carry’
Director Jaco Bouwer returns for the second season, with the filmmaker pointing to the emotional consequences carried by the characters as a defining feature of the new episodes.
“This season is personal,” Bouwer said.
“SPINNERS Season 2 is about the scars we carry, the ones that don’t show up in rear-view mirrors.”
The statement reflects the season’s shift towards the psychological and emotional consequences of the characters’ experiences, alongside the action and spinning culture that helped define the first season.
A South African production with international backing
STUDIOCANAL, CANAL+’s in-house studio and worldwide distributor, is also positioning Spinners as part of its continued support for large-scale productions made in South Africa.
The company said the production highlights South African technical expertise and production capabilities while providing local talent with an opportunity to reach international audiences.
The series is co-created by Joachim Landau and showrunner Benjamin Hoffman. Bouwer returns as director, while Matthew Jankes and Sean Steinberg return as head writers.
Landau produces for Federation Middle East, Africa and Caribbean, with Ramadan Suleman co-producing for Natives at Large.
The production is a co-production between MultiChoice and CANAL+, with STUDIOCANAL responsible for international distribution.
The series is proudly sponsored by Telkom South Africa.
Where and when to watch
From 25 October, Spinners Season 2 will air in its original form on Mzansi Magic in South Africa, Africa Magic Showcase in Nigeria, Akwaaba Magic in Ghana, Pearl Magic Prime in Uganda and Zambezi Magic in Zambia.
The Swahili version will serve audiences in Kenya and Tanzania, while the Amharic dub will be available in Ethiopia. Portuguese-subtitled editions will be released in Mozambique and Angola.
From 26 October, the series will roll out on CANAL+ channels and its app in France and its overseas territories, including Réunion Island, Mauritius, the Caribbean, New Caledonia and Polynesia, as well as Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
