Adulting on Showmax – Four Men. One Mirror. A Reflection We Can’t Escape

Sometimes, a series doesn’t just entertain — it exposes. Adulting on Showmax is one of those. It’s not just a show about four friends; it’s a stripped-down, no-filter reflection of what many of us are dealing with. Trauma. Identity. Lust. Ego. Rejection. And denial so thick, we live in it like a comfort zone.

Let’s break it down character by character — because each one represents a side of the South African man that we see every day, but hardly ever talk about.

Eric – The Gangster Who Can’t Let Go

Eric is that guy who grew up in the streets, became a product of his environment, and now uses that as a lifelong excuse. And real talk? We know so many like him. The ones who say, “I didn’t have a choice.” But Eric did. He had so many choices. The brotherhood gave him a softer place to land, people opened doors for him, and yet — every time — he ran back to the same life: carjacking, violence, survival mode.

His story hits hard because it asks the uncomfortable question: Why do we cling to the pain we say we want to escape? Is the fear of change greater than the danger of the streets?

Bonga – The Millionaire with a Broken Inner Child

From the outside, Bonga has it all. Money, business moves, charisma. But deep down? He’s that boy still asking, “Why didn’t my dad want me?” Raised by a single mom, the absence of a father left a wound that no amount of money can heal. His marriage crumbled when his wife prioritized her career over having children, and now he fills that void with temporary love — a string of meaningless hookups trying to numb the pain.

It’s a reminder that many black men walk around with hidden trauma — masked by success, masked by masculinity, masked by sex. But at the core? It’s just a cry for love, for connection, for belonging.

Vuyani – The Gigolo Who Lost His Power

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Vuyani plays the pretty boy role. Smooth talker, good body, lives off his mom, and knows how to get women to give him what he wants. But eventually, reality knocks. That charm fades, the lifestyle catches up, and he’s left questioning his worth.

When his ego is stripped and his manhood feels crushed, he finally realizes — using people isn’t power. Being your own man is. He walks away from the comfort, from the fake validation, and chooses the harder path of building something for himself.

He’s that guy who thought he had the game on lock — until the game locked him out.

Mpho – The Baby Daddy Stuck in the Past

Mpho is every man who thinks he’s moved on… until he realizes he hasn’t. Recently separated, he’s caught in the messy reality of co-parenting while still sleeping with his ex (who happened to be the side-chick that ruined his marriage). His heart wants stability, but his actions say otherwise.

Even when he meets a good woman, he can’t hold onto her, because he hasn’t dealt with the mess behind him.

His story is a cautionary tale. Having a child with someone ties you to them in ways deeper than we admit. And intimacy with an ex, even once, can sabotage every chance at real healing.

The Bubble We Live In

What Adulting does so well is show us the bubble. That space where men pretend they’re fine. They joke, they flex, they sleep around, they ghost therapy — and underneath it all, they’re hurting. They’re scared. They’re drowning.

The show doesn’t preach. It doesn’t sugarcoat. It simply shows what so many black South African men live through every day — but are too afraid or too proud to say out loud.

It’s a mirror. And sometimes, we don’t like what we see.

Final Thoughts

Adulting is real. Raw. It’s not for escape; it’s for reflection. Each character brings something to the table — whether it’s pain, denial, growth, or destruction. And the truth is, we all know an Eric, a Bonga, a Vuyani, a Mpho… or maybe, we are one of them.

The question is: what are we going to do about it?