A new name, jingle, cast and plot. Generations returns on Monday with a complete make-over.
The 20-year-old soapie, now dubbed Generations: The Legacy, will feature veteran cast members Connie Ferguson, Rapulana Seiphemo and Ronnie Nyakale, and 12 new faces. The new series picks up the story "two years later".
After two months off air and with an incomplete storyline after the sacking of 16 actors who went on strike, director Mfundi Vundla said the show would be "starting back from the old man Moroka, his children and grandchildren".
But the narrative would be driven in a new direction.
"We are opening up the show two years later, which will explain what happened to the other people who had left. The sequel will be a continuation of the old Generations and [viewers] will still recognise the people there," he said.
The Sunday Times visited the Henley Studios set in Auckland Park this month to find out more about the new show.
Apart from Ferguson, Seiphemo and Nyakale, viewers can expect four other familiar faces: Skin actress Ivy Nkutha, Isidingo actress Letoya Makhene, V-Entertainment presenter Denise Zimba and Zabalaza actress Manaka Ranaka.
They cracked the nod after the show auditioned more than 300 actors from various acting agencies. Shooting on the new series started on October 27.
Nyakale, who plays gangster Cosmos, is now also a family man.
His sisters are Lucy, played by Ranaka, Getty (Andiswa Dweba) and Namhla (Thulisile Phongolo).
Businesswoman Karabo, played by Ferguson, and her husband, Tau (Seiphemo), return from living in London to revive the Moroka household. They live with their 20-something children Angela (Lebohang Mthunzi) and Jonathan (JT Medupe).
Vundla said he was happy with his new cast, who reminded him of his days on the soapie Backstage.
"When you start shooting with a younger cast, you can manoeuvre the plot. We are very excited. It is a young, trendy, forward-looking and fashion-forward Generations," said Vundla.
The show incorporates a new title sequence, which features Joburg's vibrant business hubs, and is accompanied by a jingle produced by Grammy-winning musician Jonas Gwangwa.
The show will also have a new head of writing, Collin Olifant, who was a senior writer on the previous series. He takes over from Bongi Ndaba, who recently left the series.
Most of the show's film, wardrobe and makeup crew have been retained.
Vundla wrote the first episode, which he said was not easy: "We have recorded up to eight episodes, which have been submitted to the SABC. I have already read the script for episode 20, which will air on December 26. We're on a roll."
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