Johannesburg, 3 April 2023 – S3 takes viewers back in time with the acquisition of Foreign Retro Dramas set to start in April 2023 at noon. From 3 April, on Mondays and Tuesdays, the channel will introduce Dawson’s Creek, Joan of Arcadia on Wednesdays and Thursdays and Party of Five on Fridays.
From American screenwriter, director, and producer Kevin Williamson, Dawson’s Creek features James Van Der Beek as Dawson Levy and Katie Holmes as Joey Potter, two childhood friends now facing the challenge of sustaining their close, platonic relationship as their world changes around them. While Dawson focuses on being a filmmaker and Joey deals with her mother’s death and her father’s imprisonment, Jennifer Lindley, played by Michelle Williams, has just moved to the city to help Joey catches Dawson’s eye. Joining the stars of the show is Joshua Jackson as Pacey Witter, an uncomfortable outsider with the classmates who makes an impression on his teacher. An out-of-wedlock birth by Joey’s sister, the exposure of Pacey’s affair, and a visit by Jen’s former boyfriend and a serial killer in Capeside add more drama to the plot.
Set in the fictional town of Arcadia, Joan of Arcadia features Amber Tamblyn as 16-year-old Joan Girardi, who struggles to cope with her family and life in a new town and is complicated by the fact that God talks to her. Although she is keeping it a secret from her family, she begins to question everything, including her sanity and follows God’s cryptic directives while trying to retain a “normal” existence. The series highlights interwoven plot lines with more real matters, such as the relationships between the Girardi family, various storylines that spanned multiple episodes dealing with the consequences of Kevin’s accident, Will’s job as a police officer, mother Helen’s career as an art teacher, and Luke’s aspirations to be a scientist.
We close the week with Party of Five, starring Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, Neve Campbell, and Lacey Chabert. Following the tragic death of his parents, 24-year-old Charlie Salinger is back at home and in over his head as his siblings’ legal guardian. Wary of Charlie’s judgment, 16-year-old Bailey takes on the responsibilities of the family’s finances and ground rules, 15-year-old Julia faces a confusing time in her life in her search for independence, and talented 11-year-old violinist Claudia helps Bailey hold the family together. Together, they share the responsibility of taking care of 11-month-old Owen. Through it all, as they learn to run their parent’s restaurant, manage disastrous relationships and school problems, and finally come face-to-face with the man who killed their mom and dad, the Salingers know that to survive, they must help each other.
“Retro TV shows play a vital role on the channel as they form part of the historical global content culture and the transformation of the television landscape. In the late 90s, iconic shows like Dawson Creek, Joan of Arcadia and Party of Five were at the forefront of popular culture and formed part of the top 20 teen dramas around-the-world. The strategy for S3 is ensuring that we bring the best forgotten teen dramas of the 90s to screen and allow viewers to reminisce.” – Pat van Heerden – S3 Channel Head.
For more information and publicity images, contact the S3 Publicity office.
Open Up to new worlds of Retro Dramas, weekdays at 12 pm on S3, starting Monday, 3 April 2023.
