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Generations mastermind Mfundi Vundla doesn’t have sleepless nights about his once-popular soapie losing the top spot on SABC1 to new telenovela Uzalo.
“I have lost and gained some viewers, and it was inevitable that things wouldn’t be the same between the old and new Generations,” he told City Press from the soap’s studios in Auckland Park.
Uzalo has become the most watched show on South African TV, with an average daily viewership of 7.9 million between October 19 and 25, according to ratings from the SA TV Authority.
Generations: The Legacy came in second with 7.2 million viewers. The soap was relaunched in December last year after an actor revolt over pay led to the dismissal of the entire cast.
Although Vundla has been struggling to reclaim the number one spot, he is adamant the new Generations is still one of the top shows in Mzansi.
“I have never produced a flop show in my life. I’m a successful producer. Generations is still the number one show in the 8pm prime time slot – that is a fact. We’ve always dominated the 8pm slot and we’ll continue to do so,” he said.
Uzalo airs at 8.30pm, immediately after Generations: The Legacy.
Vundla said he didn’t understand why people were comparing his show to Uzalo because the two offerings were different and did not air at the same time.
He said Uzalo was not a soapie, because part of the drama was shot on location, while Generations was a studio-based soapie.
“This is a very funny and unfair comparison. When Orlando Pirates is playing against Kaizer Chiefs, they are competing on the same pitch at the same time,” he said.
Vundla said Uzalo had gained momentum because of the problems that had plagued Generations when it was forced to go off air.
When asked why more than five actors in the revamped edition of Generations had left the show in less than a year, he said having to put the show together in a short space of time meant that some of the characters did not eventually work out.
“It’s a new show with new characters. Like any new show, [it] has to find its true pedigree and character. Sometimes there are elements in the team that do not get where you want to go, and you have to sharpen your team to get to where you want go,” he explained.
“The show is not bleeding talent, and when people leave, it’s not that they are bad actors. We are continually trying to work on sharpening and making the show more entertaining to secure more of an audience.
“We have asked some actors to leave because they have taken it this far, but we want to go further. We’ll always appreciate their contribution,” he said.
Two weeks ago, Generations axed the Radebe family by cutting its story line and firing the actors who portrayed the family.
“The show has been on air for almost a year and we are at the point where we have a firm idea of where the story line is leading, and which characters and families we’d like to have grow with the show,” wrote publicist Gaaratwe Mokhethi.
Vundla said Generations operated in a highly competitive environment and there were more shows on TV that were after its viewers.
“We welcome that, but in the process, we have to make sure we meet our competition head-on and are even better [than them],” he said.
Does it bother Vundla that a lot of people have been criticising the new Generations?
“It’s a new environment; the old Generations died with its actors. We are working on new, exciting television. I’m trying to get a squad together, like [Bafana coach] Shakes Mashaba is.”
He said bad publicity didn’t bother him at all.
“The audience loves my work – the only people who can bring me down is the audience. When they bring me down, I would be out of a contract and I can even lose my job,” he said.
He said viewers should brace themselves for an exciting upcoming story line and new top actors joining the show.
“One of the viewers’ favourite characters, Jack Mabaso [played by Vusi Kunene], is rejoining the show and at least two more faces will be joining. We are also working on having a top-notch actor from west Africa on the show. Watch this space!”
