SABC1's new Sunday night comedy-drama 13 Ways to Find Mr Right premiered this past Sunday (6 February) at 19h30 with radio presenter Kea Zawadi in her first starring role.
Kea had a guest role on M-Net's drama series Inconceivable in late 2020 but that was only a one-episode appearance so this is her first primetime headline role. The series centres round her character Nkuli, a junior journalist at Dazzle magazine who needs to take urgent action when she hears she might be retrenched.
She attempts to save her job by writing an anonymous dating column to prove whether she can find Mr Right in 13 weeks. For the full lowdown on the series, including the writing team and cast, tap yourself here: 13 Weeks to Find Mr Right
Here's a teaser pack as a companion to the series:
Episode 1
On: 6 February 2022
Nkuli takes a drastic u-turn from the pursuit of love to focus on her career, only to discover that the only way to save her job is to go on a series of dates and write about them on digital column she dubs, “13 Weeks to Mr Right.
Her first date does not quite work as expected but it leads to an unexpected connection with an unexpected suitor.
Episode 2
On: 13 February 2022
A date with a handsy guy makes Nkuli realize that if she continues with her online dating, she needs to be prepared to defend herself in potentially dangerous situations.
Zakhele comes up against his brother who is determined to get him into a steady job and take his life seriously when he misses his nephew’s prize giving.
Episode 3
On: 20 February 2022
Nkuli's given one more chance to succeed when her online column struggles to create buzz on Dazzle's social media.
When her next date stands her up, she finds herself in the company of a married public figure who propositions her.
Olwethu becomes paranoid when she reads Andile's secretive behaviour as him cheating on her. She plays detective and discovers that he is keeping a secret from her.
Episode 4
On: 27 February 2022
Nkuli goes on a date with an obnoxious perfectionist which leads her to Donny’s comedy club and reunites with Zakhele while on her date. Andile is a man on a mission to propose to Olwethu.
He gets Pumla’s help him sell more hair so that he can buy a simple ring for Olwethu. But when he learns what Olly's idea of the perfect ring is, he realizes that his efforts fall short by a long shot.
Episode 5
On: 6 March 2022
Nkuli’s plans to steam things up with her next date takes an unexpected turn but leaves her with a new understanding of the pain that comes with lost love.
Sparks fly between Pumla and her neighbour Bolelo but to Nkuli, Pumla declares herself closed off to the possibilities of finding new love.
Olwethu demands romance from Andile and Andile pulls all the stops to surprise her with a romantic date. But will he be able to pull it off?
Episode 6
On: 13 March 2022
After a terrible date with a guy who isn’t entirely over his ex, Nkuli bumps into Zakhele in need of a good time. And with Zakhele, she finds it as they move through the city together and get to know each other better.
Episode 7
On: 20 March 2022
It’s a race to keep Nkuli’s identity a secret when Zakhele finds her cell phone and is determined to track her down. This while Lerato overhears Elaine call Nkuli the frontrunner for the junior editor job and comes up with a plan to sabotage Nkuli.
Trying to help her best friend, Olwethu sends Andile to track Zakhele down, but Andile is on a mission to get Olwethu the ring of her dreams.
Episode 8
On: 27 March 2022
\Zakhele refuses to speak to Nkuli and when Lerato seems to be taking over the column, Nkuli fights back and forces herself to go on a date with a wannabe rapper whose only interest in her is to use her for social media clout.
In denial about his feelings, Zakhele obsesses about his performance for comedy executives who could help take his career to the next level.
Episode 9
On: 3 April 2022
Nkuli is confronted by the wife of one of her former dates who wants Nkuli to write a puff piece about their family in order to remedy the damage she caused.
This request brings Nkuli to Elaine’s home, giving her a peek behind the curtain with regard to Elaine. She learns that not all that glitters is gold. Andile and Olwethu come up against a loan shark who is ready to break Andile’s legs over a defaulted loan.
Episode 10
On: 10 April 2022
Nkuli is catfished by Lesiba and she uses the opportunity to tell him why she left him. Despite Nkuli showing him her ugly side, Lesiba is unrelenting.
When Nkuli decides to move back home, Pumla is left in the awkward position of having to hide her romance with Bolelo from her daughter out of shame.
This threatens her relationship with Bolelo who doesn’t want to be kept as a dirty little secret. After Nkuli moves out, Olwethu grapples with sharing her space with Andile for the first time.
Episode 11
On: 17 April 2022
With Lesiba determined to win Nkuli back and Zakhele in full ghost mode, Nkuli decides to shake things up by going on a date with a woman.
Zakhele has a crisis of confidence when he suffers from a kind of stage fright when he’s due to perform. This makes him reconsider whether comedy really is for him and he makes an extreme decision.
Episode 12
On: 24 April 2022
Zakhele has to reckon with himself when he starts working at Dumisani’s firm. Now at his absolute lowest, he finally finds the courage to fight for what he wants and risks it all to make his move on Nkuli but is it a little too late?
Episode 13
On: 1 May 2022
It’s finally D day and Nkuli is under pressure to publicly announce Lesiba as her Mr Right despite her reservations about him.
When Elaine reveals that choosing Lesiba will win her the junior editor position, Nkuli has to choose between her dream job and the chance of true love.
On the other hand, Zakhele is determined to move on with his life without Nkuli. He prepares to make big moves in his career and even decides to pursue a new romantic relationship. But can he move on or will his connection to Nkuli pull him back to her?