Netflix’s The Polygamist has hooked viewers(Image: Netflix )
The Polygamist fans may think the Netflix show is too wild to be a true, but it was inspired by real-life events.
Soap opera fanatics have been completely hooked on the South African drama since it was released on June 12. It is currently ranked at number six on the top 10 most-watched shows by UK viewers, and we imagine it’ll keep storming up the charts.
Brought to screens by Akin Omotoso, the 22-episode show starts at the funeral of business tycoon Jonasi Gomora (Sdumo Mtshali).
Viewers soon learn that Jonasi’s wife of 20 years is not the only lady in mourning: his secret second wife, mistress, and girlfriend are also in attendance.
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What follows is a gripping drama about “how one man’s greed and lust led to his downfall,” according to the synopsis.
The South African series dives into a dead man’s string of secret romances (Image: Netflix )
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The show has gone completely viral on social media, with some viewers claiming it is too wild to be a real story. While the show isn’t a step-by-step retelling of a real events, it does have some grounding in reality.
What was the real-life inspiration for The Polygamist?
The series was partially influenced by the author’s own family (Image: Netflix )
The Polygamist is adapted from Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi’s 2012 novel of the same name.
Nyathi previously confirmed that its plot was partially inspired by stories she heard about her grandfather, who had five wives.
“I was interested in examining the version of polygamy that I was increasingly seeing around me, which often felt very different from the traditional structures I had grown up hearing about,” she told Glamour ahead of the series premiere.
The writer went on to explain that she witnessed incidents where wives were pushed into accepting polygamous arrangements they hadn’t agreed to after years of marriage, similar to her characters.
The Polygamist is streaming now on Netflix(Image: Netflix )
Explaining how her family shaped the story, Nyathi explained: “I also come from a family with a history of polygamy. My maternal grandfather had five wives and my grandmother was the first wife.
“Hearing those stories made me curious about how modern women navigate these relationships, especially when they have more education, independence and choices than previous generations. That curiosity became the foundation of the novel.”
The Polygamist is streaming on Netflix