Kaunda Selisho

By Kaunda Selisho

Journalist


Durban Gen: Another Stained Glass TV production show goes off air

For months on end, Durban Gen has been subject to complaints from viewers about how medically accurate some of the show's script is.


After first airing in October 2020, e.tv drama Durban Gen is already making its way off the air. 

The channel confirmed its cancellation in a statement issued on Tuesday. 

“e.tv can confirm that the hospital drama Durban Gen will be coming to an end in January 2023. The decision to decommission the daily drama is part of a business strategy which includes the ongoing review of the on-air life-cycle of all our shows,” said the channel which gave a similar reason for their decision to cancel long-running soapie, Rhythm City

“e.tv continues to look forward to fulfilling its mandate of producing exceptional and relevant local content, and the production has successfully achieved its part of the obligation throughout the past 2 years,” added the channel. 

For months on end, Durban Gen has been subject to criticism from viewers about the accuracy in most of the scenes which follow the lives of people in a number of medical professions. 

Durban General (aka Durban Gen) was produced by Stained Glass TV, the same production company responsible for shows like The Wife, eHostela, Uzalo and Ifalakhe, to name a few.

Most recently, The Wife went on a break ahead of its third season and reportedly did so to go back to the drawing board in an effort to improve the show after a barrage of complaints.

The production house describes Durban Gen as a daily drama that plays out in the emergency ward of Durban’s biggest public hospital, and follows the trials and tribulations of the doctors and nurses that make up its staff.

ALSO READ: Durban Gen opens with a look at vaginismus and mixed reviews

Durban General is NOT a drama about a hospital. Durban General is a soap opera about doctors and nurses falling into and out of love with each other, having affairs under each other’s noses, backstabbing their best friends, and fighting for promotions and status in the workplace; all set against a backdrop of high stakes human drama, as doctors lose patients just as often as they save lives.”

The show stars actors such as Meshack Mavuso, Zuluboy, Mtando Mncube and singer-turned-actress Nelisiwe Sibiya among others.

https://twitter.com/_Noma_S/status/1523706436265517057?s=20&t=ndXdDmMM8ClcjNSXVdTdUA

This description did not save the show from the scrutiny of an audience that wanted a little medical accuracy from the show they were watching.

The show debuted to much fanfare but it left fans in two minds about the show.

The first two episodes set the scene for many a storyline, including that of the show’s first patients, a couple who find themselves struggling with a case of vaginismus.

Some fans seemed to have found this storyline hilarious, while others were not too fond of certain elements in the show.

https://twitter.com/NelisiweLehasa/status/1398297703872933894?s=20&t=ndXdDmMM8ClcjNSXVdTdUA

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