{ "id": "ep6achg0mv", "slug": "savage-beauty", "title": "Savage Beauty", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series", "label": "Series and fictional screen worlds", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials", "label": "International serial drama and telenovelas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_international_serials" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_turkish_other", "label": "Turkish, Middle Eastern, and African serials", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_turkish_other" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_turkish_other.african_serials", "label": "African serial dramas", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_turkish_other.african_serials" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.afr.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 2021 and later: Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2021.culture.performance", "path": [ { "id": "geo.afr", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2021", "label": "Sub-Saharan Africa · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.afr.t2021.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.afr.t2021.culture.performance" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Savage Beauty is a South African Netflix drama created by Lebogang Mogashoa, produced by Quizzical Pictures. Two six-episode seasons (May 2022, June 2024) follow Zinhle Manzini's revenge on the Bhengu family over toxic skin-lightening tests.", "snippet": "Savage Beauty is a South African Netflix drama created by Lebogang Mogashoa, produced by Quizzical Pictures. Two six-episode seasons (May 2022, June 2024) follow Zinhle Manzini's revenge on the Bhengu family over toxic skin-lightening tests.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.series.series_int_serials_turkish_other.african_serials", "markdown": "# Savage Beauty\n\n**Savage Beauty** is a South African television drama series created by Lebogang Mogashoa for Netflix, in which a mysterious woman embeds herself in a powerful family that owns a global beauty empire, seeking revenge for a tragic past.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) Its first season premiered on May 12, 2022 with six episodes, and a second season of six episodes followed on June 28, 2024.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) • [2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?season=2&showId=5688)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Origin | South African drama, original language English, produced by Quizzical Pictures for Netflix[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) |\n| Premiere | Season 1 released May 12, 2022; Season 2 released June 28, 2024, all episodes at once[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) • [2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?season=2&showId=5688) |\n| Format | Two seasons of six episodes each (12 total); episodes run about 50 minutes[3](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/savage-beauty) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61661/savage-beauty) |\n| Premise | Fifteen years earlier, Don and Grace Bhengu tested a toxic product on street children; survivor Zinhle Manzini returns for revenge[5](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81282561) |\n| Lead cast | Rosemary Zimu, Dumisani Mbebe, Nthati Moshesh, Angela Sithole, Jesse Suntele, Nambitha Ben-Mazwi, Oros Mampofu[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) |\n| Rating | TV-MA; Season 1 holds a 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes (5 reviews)[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nThe story centers on Zinhle Manzini (Rosemary Zimu), who is chosen by public vote to become the new face of Bhengu Beauty, one of the biggest beauty brands in South Africa.[7](https://www.ottplay.com/review/savage-beauty-s1-review-although-in-no-way-perfect-this-south-african-revenge-drama-has-enough-steam-to-keep-you-hooked/9dca35230d512) Her arrival is no accident. Fifteen years earlier, the family patriarch and matriarch, Don and Grace Bhengu, tested a toxic product on a group of children living on the streets; Zinhle, one of two survivors, returns to seek revenge, exposing family secrets and leading the Bhengus down a path of destruction while her own darkness threatens to consume her.[5](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81282561)\n\nThe series is set against the beauty industry and engages with skin lightening and colorism. Netflix's synopsis describes a company whose success was built on testing a skin lightener on children, and reviews note its treatment of beauty standards in Africa alongside themes of classism and family power.[8](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflixs-south-african-drama-series-223047853.html) • [9](https://www.entertainmentsa.co.za/savage-beauty-review-this-south-african-netflix-series-is-quite-a-slow-burn/) Director Rea Rangaka described it as \"a revenge story, with high stakes and high fashion,\" with costumes by South African designers including Gert-Johan Coetzee.[10](https://iol.co.za/lifestyle/style-beauty/fashion/2022-05-10-savage-beauty-promises-high-fashion-and-african-glam/)\n\n### Cast and characters\n\nThe core cast pairs Zimu's vengeful outsider with the Bhengu dynasty:[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688)\n\n- Rosemary Zimu as Zinhle Manzini, the mysterious young woman pursuing revenge\n- Dumisani Mbebe as Don Bhengu, the patriarch\n- Nthati Moshesh as Grace Bhengu, the matriarch\n- Angela Sithole as Thando Bhengu, Don's second ex-wife\n- Jesse Suntele as Phila Bhengu\n- Nambitha Ben-Mazwi as Linda Bhengu\n- Oros Mampofu as Ndu Bhengu\n\nSeason 2 expanded the cast with Tony Kgoroge, Abena Ayivor, Desmond Dube, and newcomer Lebogang Fisher.[2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?season=2&showId=5688)\n\n### Seasons\n\n**Season 1 (2022).** The Bhengu family celebrates the new face of its beauty brand when a public relations fiasco erupts, and Zinhle's infiltration of the household begins.[14](https://www.netflix.com/title/81282561) By the end of the season she has extracted a confession from Don and is on the verge of escaping before a cliffhanger ending.[15](https://www.namibian.com.na/savage-beauty-flips-the-script/)\n\n**Season 2 (2024).** Picking up immediately after the first-season finale, the season follows the family at war with itself: Don manipulates his broken family back toward unity while each member pursues power on their own terms, and newfound enemies move to seize control of the company.[2](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?season=2&showId=5688) Reviewers highlighted the added layers of corporate espionage, hostile takeovers, and business ethics, with the season culminating in a board vote on a new CEO.[16](https://mg.co.za/friday/2024-07-29-savage-beauty-back-with-a-vengeance/) • [17](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty/s02)\n\n## Production\n\nQuizzical Pictures produces Savage Beauty for Netflix, with backing from South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry and [Competition](https://www.edgepedia.org/competition), and the series was created by Lebogang Mogashoa, a former writer on the South African soap *Legacy*.[1](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688) • [11](https://mg.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/5dbf48ad-thecontinentissue86.pdf) Executive producers include Harriet Gavshon, Nimrod Geva, and Mogashoa.[12](https://chocolatetribe.co.za/savage-beauty/) Netflix announced the second season in September 2023 at its MIP Africa slate reveal, with production already underway for a 2024 release.[13](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/savage-beauty-renewed-for-season-2-at-netflix/)\n\n## Reception\n\nSeason 1 holds a 100% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes from five reviews, with an audience score of 63%; Season 2 stands at 54% from one review.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty) • [17](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty/s02) Nthati Moshesh won Best Supporting Actress in a TV drama for the series in the South African awards coverage compiled in the government's 2022/23 Yearbook.[18](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202403/yb2023.pdf) Critics described the show as blending telenovela melodrama with topical South African issues,[19](https://dramaquarterly.com/a-thing-of-beauty/) though some found the plot convoluted relative to its themes of toxic beauty standards, colorism, and classism.[20](https://www.ewn.co.za/2022/05/27/all-beauty-no-brains-an-appropriately-unhinged-review-of-savage-beauty)\n\nListings vary on the series' status after two seasons, giving \"Continuing,\" \"Returning Series,\" or \"To Be Determined,\" with no third season announced.[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61661/savage-beauty) • [21](https://thetvdb.com/series/savage-beauty)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Savage Beauty, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshow.aspx?showid=5688)\n2. [Savage Beauty Season 2, TVSA](https://www.tvsa.co.za/shows/viewshowseasons.aspx?season=2&showId=5688)\n3. [Savage Beauty, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/tv-show/savage-beauty)\n4. [Savage Beauty, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/61661/savage-beauty)\n5. [Savage Beauty, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81282561)\n6. [Savage Beauty, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty)\n7. [Savage Beauty S1 review, Ottplay](https://www.ottplay.com/review/savage-beauty-s1-review-although-in-no-way-perfect-this-south-african-revenge-drama-has-enough-steam-to-keep-you-hooked/9dca35230d512)\n8. [How Netflix's South African Drama Series 'Savage Beauty' Takes On Skin Bleaching And Colorism, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/netflixs-south-african-drama-series-223047853.html)\n9. [Savage Beauty review, EntertainmentSA](https://www.entertainmentsa.co.za/savage-beauty-review-this-south-african-netflix-series-is-quite-a-slow-burn/)\n10. ['Savage Beauty' promises high fashion and African glam, IOL](https://iol.co.za/lifestyle/style-beauty/fashion/2022-05-10-savage-beauty-promises-high-fashion-and-african-glam/)\n11. [The Continent, Mail & Guardian, Issue 86](https://mg.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/5dbf48ad-thecontinentissue86.pdf)\n12. [Savage Beauty, Chocolate Tribe](https://chocolatetribe.co.za/savage-beauty/)\n13. [Savage Beauty Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/savage-beauty-renewed-for-season-2-at-netflix/)\n14. [Savage Beauty, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/81282561)\n15. ['Savage Beauty' flips the script, The Namibian](https://www.namibian.com.na/savage-beauty-flips-the-script/)\n16. [Savage Beauty back with a vengeance, Mail & Guardian](https://mg.co.za/friday/2024-07-29-savage-beauty-back-with-a-vengeance/)\n17. [Season 2 – Savage Beauty, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/savage_beauty/s02)\n18. [South Africa Yearbook 2022/23, Government of South Africa](https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202403/yb2023.pdf)\n19. [A thing of Beauty, Drama Quarterly](https://dramaquarterly.com/a-thing-of-beauty/)\n20. [All beauty, no brains: an appropriately unhinged review of 'Savage Beauty', EWN](https://www.ewn.co.za/2022/05/27/all-beauty-no-brains-an-appropriately-unhinged-review-of-savage-beauty)\n21. [Savage Beauty, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/savage-beauty)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › Turkish, Middle Eastern, and African serials › African serial dramas*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Savage Beauty\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Savage Beauty](https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty](https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Savage Beauty\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/savage-beauty. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Savage Beauty is a South African Netflix drama created by Lebogang Mogashoa, produced by Quizzical Pictures." }