On Friday, local TV channel, Mzansi Magic, announced that they will be parting ways with The Queen after the last episode in January 2023.
The series has been produced by Ferguson Films for the last 7 years. And according to the statement, channel strategies have been “revised to keep abreast with changing audience preferences and the evolving competitor landscape”.
Ferguson Films denied Phil Mphela’s claims
During the week, the show was trending on Twitter after a spat broke out between entertainment commentator Phil Mphela and The Queen actress Brenda Ngxoli.
Mphela claimed that Ngxoli was leaving the show and then dropped a further bomb by announcing that the show had been cancelled. However, everyone involved denied this and Ferguson Films even shared a “False News Alert” statement on their Facebook page.
The final season of The Queen will end in 2023
Even though The Queen has been renewed for a 7th season, it will now be the final season. It is set to start in July 2022 on DStv channel 161 and will be broadcasted until the 13th of January 2023. This of course raises questions of when did Ferguson Films find out? Why deny the claims days before an official statement was released?
And in the statement, Mzansi Magic added that “The success of our local strategy depends on how well we adapt to what our viewers desire to see on screen.”
“Telenovelas have been the crux of our weekday viewership and continue to be so on Mzansi Magic. A new telenovela will be introduced into the weekday 21:00-slot, replacing The Queen from January 2023.”
“New content is still under development and will be announced in due course.”
“While 1Magic is not traditionally known as the home of telenovelas, it houses one of our leading telenovelas, The River – a multi-award-winning production that is popular with viewers. It has just been renewed for a 5th season. Our replacement for Lingashoni will be announced soon.”
Mzansi Magic maintains a good relationship with Ferguson Films
Despite being cancelled, it seems as if Connie Ferguson’s company is still in the good books of Mzansi Magic.
“We maintain long-standing and positive relationships with Ferguson Films and Stained Glass TV, with both production houses having created other shows for our channels.”
“In the case of Ferguson Films, they have given us hit shows including Rockville, Igazi, The Imposter and Unmarried; while Stained Glass TV is the studio behind our shows Ifalakhe, eHostela and the massively popular The Wife.”
DStv has not revealed if there are any other projects to take the place of The Queen on Mzansi Magic, however, they are looking forward to “the thrills of the next 12 months” as the show comes to an end.