Single Kiasi (Singleish), the latest Original series on Showmax, is now streaming, with new episodes releasing every Thursday. The show will be available to Kenyans in the UK, France and 31 other countries in the diaspora. In the course of the 13 episodes, Single Kiasi follows Sintamei, Rebecca and Mariah as they go through the ups and downs of love and dating in Nairobi.
Single Kiasi is the second Showmax Original series in Kenya after the Kalasha-winning Crime and Justice. The show is adapted from the popular South African series Unmarried, which already has successful adaptations in Nigeria (Unmarried Nigeria) and Ghana (To Have and To Have Hold).
Gathoni Mutua (This Is Life) plays the overachieving, career-focused Sintamei, a brilliant lawyer who seems to have the life that any woman would dream of. She is on track to making partner in a prestigious law firm and has been happily married for 10 years to the man of her dreams.
Talking about what drew her to the project, Gathoni says, “Other than the fact that it’s a show about women, Single-ish has this chic yet nostalgic old-school girlfriends vibe that takes the drama a notch higher without feeling like the friendship will fall apart.”
Minne Kariuki (Ma’Empress) plays the sassy Mariah, a woman with a taste for the finer things in life, who uses her looks to get whatever she wants.
“She (Mariah) is a modern-day slay queen who pretends to afford a lavish lifestyle and flaunts it all on social media because she wants to keep up with the trends,” Minne says, adding that the show does not shy away from telling it all as it is, capturing the struggles of modern women.
Faith Kibathi (This Is Life) plays the humble and down-to-earth Rebecca, a housewife and a mother of two who has lived with her high school sweetheart for nine years despite not being officially married. “It is an honour to get to play Rebecca as she explores motherhood and failures of her relationship. Single-ish is different because it’s very relatable and has a touch of the actual dating experiences in Nairobi,” Faith says.
Single-ish also stars Brian Abajah (Sincerely Daisy), Michael Munyoki (A Grand Little Lie), Lucarelli Onyango (Crime and Justice), Mburu Kimani (Nairobi Half Life), Lenana Kariba (Selina), Dora Nyaboke (Crime and Justice) and Jacky Kaboi (Bait). The show is produced by Insignia Productions, known for shows like Changing Times and New Beginnings, co-directed by Insignia’s duo Philippe Bresson and Grace Kahaki alongside Robby Bresson (Simiyu Samurai).
“In the South African version, one of the leading women has an affair with a security guard but we felt that this wasn’t authentic to the Kenyan setting so changed the guard to an intern, which is more reflective of what happens here. This show aims to look at women through our three main characters and allow them to choose what label they want to attach to themselves, be it single, married, wife, career woman, mother, etc,” says Grace Kahaki, the show’s co-Producer.