# Smoke & Mirrors (TV series)

Smoke & Mirrors is a South African television drama series created, written and produced by Loyiso Maqoma. It is an e.tv original series produced by The Final Chapter Productions for e.tv, and stars Ayanda Bandla, Hlomla Dandala, Meshack Mavuso Magabane, Kabomo Vilakazi, Charmaine Mtinta and Lusanda Mbane, among others.

## Plot

Thandiswa Mseleku (Ayanda Bandla) is a hairdresser by day and escort by night. She is haunted by the ghost of her sister, who was murdered to be used in a ritual by Caesar (Zolisa Xaluva), Jaxon (Mavuso Magabane) and Mthetho (Kabomo Vilakazi). Her relentless spirit forces Thandiswa to move into the mining town of Emnyameni to face the unholy trinity of morally corrupt men.

## Cast
### Main

* Ayanda Bandla as Thandiswa Mseleku
* Zolisa Xaluva (Season 1) & Hlomla Dandala (Season 2) as Caesar Ngonyama
* Meshack Mavuso as Jaxon Mkhize
* Kabomo Vilakazi as Mthetho Moloi
* Lusanda Mbane as Martha Mayekiso
* Charmaine Mtinta as Nomeva Ndamase
* Siya Sepotokele Raymond as Sakhile Buthelezi
* Khayalethu Xaba as Mpendulo Mseleku

### Supporting

* JT Medupe as Leeroy
* Angela Sithole as Nthabiseng
* Zinhle Mabhena as Virginia
* Herald Khumalo as Mandla
* Kamo Letsosa as Mamiki
* Kgaugelo Monama as Petunia
* Eyethu Myeza as Fanyana

## Production

Pre-production for the series started in September 2022, with the series filmed in Sasani Studios, with some footage filmed around Johannesburg. The series was then renewed for season 2, for which pre-production began in December 2023.

### Casting

Zolisa Xaluva was cast as Caeser, while Ayanda Bandla was announced as Thandiswa.
e.tv hosted a launch party on Sunday 16 April 2023, for Smoke & Mirrors. The series was launched alongside e.tv's other telenovela Nikiwe.
In April 2024, it was announced that Zolisa Xaluva would exit the series due to investagations / parties involvement. Hlomla Dandala would take over the role as Ceaser from the series second season.

### KwaNgonyama: The Movie

Certain episodes of the series were filmed in KwaBhaca, Eastern Cape, alongside a short film, titled KwaNgonyama: The Movie. The episodes, along with the film, focused entirely on Caesar and how he became a ruthless cold-hearted villain. The episodes were filmed in partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation, and starred Sive Mabuya and Thembekile Komani.

### Allegations of plagiarism

In April 2023, it was reported that reality-TV star Tebogo Ramokgadi accused e.tv series producer Khanyi Nxumalo of plagiarising the show concept. Screenshots of WhatsApp messages and emails detailed that the series was registered in 2019, with the pilot episode filmed costing R1 million, and pitched to e.tv in 2021 by Leo Phiri. According to news articles, Tebogo's version of the series was meant to be a 13-episode series, set in a mining town and filmed in the North West. Tebogo threatened to sue eMedia for stealing his intellectual property. eMedia released a media statement on 21 April 2023, confirming Tebogo's unsolicited proposal, stated that the proposal was based on a royal family and their celebrity couple friends grappling with their sexual identity was rejected, and that the name of the series is simply a common phrase, and that any similarities were purely coincidental.

## Music

This series is heavily used production music.

### Library music

Like House of Zwide and other modern local e.tv series, it has a similar method tracks are heard from the episodes.

## Broadcast

The series premiered on e.tv on 17 April 2023. The series was also added to streaming service eVOD.

### International broadcast

The series is distributed in French-speaking territories through Canal+ and A+, under the title 'Le Voile de L'illusion' (lit. The Veil of Illusion).

## Reception
### Critical reception

The series reached 1.7 million viewers in its debut, and later reached 3 million viewers in October 2023. The series went on to become the third most watched series on the channel, ultimately beating e.tv's longest-running soapie Scandal!. Critics attribute its debut figures to e.tv's lack of effort into promoting the series.