'Diiche: Showmax premieres its first Nigerian original limited series

The Crime Thriller series debuts on the streamer on September 29, 2022.

Ahead of its Thursday premiere, Showmax hosted the premiere of its first Nigerian original limited-drama series, Diiche.

The exclusive event hosted by media personality, Chigul, held in Lagos, on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, and had the cast, industry players and some of the evicted BBNaija in attendance.

Chigul hosts Diiche premiere [IDAfrica]

The James Omokwe directed and produced show follows the life of the titular character, Diiche, an A-list actress, who becomes a prime suspect in a high-profile murder investigation over the death of Nnamdi, her fiancé. She must take it upon herself, race against the clock to find out who killed him, and exonerate herself.

However, there is more to the case than meets the eye and a backstory of almost 30 years ago that reveals the tussle between good and evil. Speaking on how excited he is about the new series, Executive producer James Omokwe said, “I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a particular episode entirely in Igbo, and it’s a big deal. When the opportunity to make this film came, it was exciting for us as a team.

Showmax premiere Diiche in Lagos, Nigeria [IDAfrica]

"To be honest, my real love is telling psychological stories. The first film I ever did, called the Awakening, is a thriller. It (Diiche) was like a homecoming for me, and I was very excited to produce it. However, I was anxious because it was for Showmax, and the production scale was so large, but we did it eventually.”

When asked what she expects the audience's reaction to be, Co-director Ifeoma Chukwuogo added, “I think the audience will find the show very layered. Diiche is a beautiful blend of genres. It’s a whodunnit. It's a psychological thriller.

"There are some metaphysical, supernatural stuff, and cultural elements. So, I think as people watch the series, they’ll start to see so many layers to the storytelling.

"It’s obviously entertaining, exciting, and illuminating. I think people will also ask questions about themselves, certain elements of the human condition, and some cultural things. In general, I’ll say entertaining and intriguing.”

Uzoamaka Aniunoh & James Omokwe at the premiere of Diiche [IDAfrica]

Also speaking on fan expectation, Co-director Fiyin Gambo added that people will be surprised to learn about the making of Diiche. He said, “I think what comes to mind is - ‘now you see me, now you don’t. With the show, you think you are right and know who killed Nnamdi, but with each episode, your thinking starts changing. I think that’s what the show does to keep that suspense throughout the six episodes. It’s almost telling you, ‘don’t judge a book by the cover and don’t take things as it is’.”

Norbert & Gloria Anozie-Young at the premiere of Diiche [IDAfrica]

Diiche stars Uzoamaka Onuoha, Chinyere Wilfred, Gloria Anozie-Young, Frank Konwea, and Uzoamaka Aniunoh. New episodes of the show will drop every Thursday, exclusively on Showmax from September 29.