Trackers is a South African crime thriller series produced by Scene 24, Three River Studios, Helle Media and Scribe Studios. It is an adaptation of

Deon Meyer Deon Godfrey Meyer is a South African thriller novelist, writing in Afrikaans. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has also written numerous scripts for television and film. Life and career Meyer was born on 4 July 1 ...

's 2011 novel of the same name, and it was adapted for television by

Robert Thorogood Robert Thorogood (born 1972) is an English screenwriter and novelist. He is the creator of the BBC One murder mystery series '' Death in Paradise''. He won France Film's "En Route to France" award in 2012. Early life Thorogood was educated at U ...

, leading a team of South African writers. It is the first co-production between South Africa pay-TV channel

M-Net M-Net (an abbreviation of Electronic Media Network) is a South African pay television channel established by Naspers in 1986. The channel broadcasts both local and international programming, including general entertainment, children's series, ...

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

's sister network

Cinemax Cinemax is an American pay television, cable, and satellite television network owned by the Home Box Office, Inc. subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. Developed as a companion "maxi-pay" service complementing the offerings shown on parent net ...

and German public broadcaster

ZDF ZDF (, short for Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen; ; "Second German Television") is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. It is run as an independent nonprofit institution, which was founded by all fe ...

. Before the last episode aired, M-Net announced that Trackers was already their best-performing show of 2019. On April 17, 2020, it was announced that the series will premiere in the U.S. on June 5, 2020 on Cinemax.

Cast

Main

Milla Strachan (Rolanda Marais) A 40-year-old woman who finds the courage to leave her abusive husband, her resentful son and a life of luxury. She struggles to find work in a job market that has moved on. Her journalism degree secures her a research job as an analyst in a government agency. Lemmer (James Gracie) A former Special Forces member and ministerial bodyguard. Lemmer resides in Loxton (a small town in the

Karoo The Karoo ( ; from the Afrikaans borrowing of the South Khoekhoe !Orakobab or Khoemana word ''ǃ’Aukarob'' "Hardveld") is a semi-desert natural region of South Africa. No exact definition of what constitutes the Karoo is available, so its ext ...

) after a failed intelligence operation led to the termination of his employment. He focuses his time on fixing up an old house and resolving his anger issues. Janina Mentz (

Sandi Schultz Sandra Schultz (born 19 January 1964) is a South African actress, presenter, and fashion designer. Her films include ''Door to Silence'' (1992), ''Assignment'' (2015), '' While You Weren't Looking'' (2015), and ''Call Me Thief'' (2016). On televis ...

) The Presidential Bureau of Intelligence (PBI) Director who diligently protects South African citizens. She was active in the country's liberation struggle and is against corruption and anyone who undermines the country's independence. An operational mistake in her past now threatens the future of her bureau. Quinn Makebe (

Thapelo Mokoena Thapelo Mokoena is a South African actor, television producer and presenter. He is best known for his role on UKs Bulletproof S3 as William, Trackers the series and presenting the first season of the South African version of the reality competit ...

) As COO of the PBI, Quinn is vying for Janina's position while working closely as her

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

. Even though he's considered clever, educated and ambitious, Janina questions his intentions. Flea van Jaarsveld (

Trix Vivier Trix Vivier (born 28 June 1988) is a South African film, television and theater actress, who is known for portraying the role of Flea van Jaarsveld in the 2019 television series '' Trackers'', for which she gained prominence and national recogni ...

) An expert wildlife tracker with a checkered past.

Additional

Diederick Brand (

Deon Lotz Deon Lotz (born 20 July 1964)"Deon Lotz"
''TVSA: The South African TV Authority.'' Retrieved 20 ...

) A local businessman with criminal connections. Barkatulla 'Baboo' Rayan (

Kaseran Pillay Kaseran Pillay (born 5 January 1976), is a South African actor and stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known ...

) A local man hosting the meeting in the

Bo-Kaap The Bo-Kaap (lit. "above the Cape" in Afrikaans) is an area of Cape Town, South Africa formerly known as the Malay Quarter. It is a former racially segregated area, situated on the slopes of Signal Hill above the city centre and is a historical ...

between the local terrorist cell and Al-Qaeda. Suleiman Daoud (Emmanuel Castis) The Allajna (The Committee), a key representative and suspected Islamic terrorist wanted by the PBI. Shaheed Osman (

Brendon Daniels Brendon George Kofi Nana Osei Mainoo Daniels (born 24 September 1993) is an English footballer who plays as a winger for club Stourbridge. He turned professional at Crewe Alexandra in May 2011, but was released after two years with the club ...

) The local terrorist cell leader planning the attack along with Hamadei and Garba. He meets with Daoud as part of the plan to secure what is needed for their next target. Hassan Hamadei (Stefan Erasmus) A member of the terrorist cell along with Osman. Abdullah Garba (Fabian Edeoye Lojede) A member of the terrorist cell along with Osman. Inkunzi Shabangu (

Sisanda Henna Sisanda Henna (born 18 March 1982) is a producer, director, and actor. His acting career exploded on South African screens in 2003, with the TV series ''Tsha Tsha''. He won the Duku Duku Best Actor award in 2004, and had started working in prod ...

) A local criminal hired by Osman to hijack the truck transporting the black rhinos. Lucas Becker (

Ed Stoppard Edmund Stoppard (born 16 September 1974) is an English actor. He is the son of playwright Tom Stoppard and doctor Miriam, Lady Hogg. Life Stoppard was born on 16 September 1974 in London, England, the son of playwright Tom Stoppard and Miriam ...

) Becker is a CIA operative on a covert mission. Ismail Daniels (Adrian Alper) A PBI confidential informant, who first notifies Quinn Makebe about the planned terrorist plot.

Episodes

Reception

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported an 83% approval rating for the first season with an average rating of 6/10, based on 6 reviews.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trackers (TV Series) 2019 South African television series debuts South African drama television series 2010s crime drama television series English-language television shows Thriller television series Serial drama television series Espionage television series Spy thriller television series Murder in television Television shows set in South Africa Television shows set in Johannesburg, South Africa Television shows filmed in South Africa Television shows set in Africa