Bad Influencer Series Review
Bad Influencer is a South African crime drama series created by Kudi Maradzika with Nosipho Ngoasheng Dumisa (Blood & Water) as Creative Producer for Netflix South Africa. The series which premiered on the 31st of October 2025, stars Jo-Anne Reyneke, Cindy Mahlangu, Thapelo Mokoena, Hamilton Dlamini and Aubrey Poo among other South African talent.
The story is centred around a single mother seamstress BK, raising a special needs son. She teams up with ambitious influencer Pinky to sell counterfeit luxury handbags and the hustle escalates into a dicey enterprise with cops on one side and criminal syndicate on the other…
The Good
Jo-Anne Reyneke and Cindy Mahlangu work well together, their effortless chemistry pulling off the love-hate relationship between a conservative older generation and the younger generation that grew up on the digital streets; cold calculated logic meets passion with a short fuse and the resultant explosive mix.
Jo-Anne’s portrayal of BK is a show stopper, displaying incredible range as a mother doing everything in her power to take care of her child. Cindy Mahlangu as Pinky aka Qween Pinks captures the youthful exuberance of the influencer crowd where the number of likes and follows decide who is in and who is out and lavish lifestyles financed by brands and blessers.
While its not explicitly spelt out BK is caught between her soulmate and her twin flame, one is love at fast sight and the other ignites the darkness within. Crime Boss Bra Alex refers to BK as his twin flame which at first glance seems like some inappropriate joke, but the two characters are more alike than BK would care to admit, not even to herself… their complicated relationship mirrors twin flame energy cycling between the a runner-chaser dynamic and its chaotic turbulence that consumes.
The series is set in Johannesburg and the visuals capture the bustle of Joburg life, those familiar with it, feel at home or a familiarity and for the international audience a peak behind the curtains of the hustle culture, on the other side of the world.
Without being preachy the show tackles some hard truths about the “soft life”, the trendy glitzy lifestyles posted by socialites and influencers, the blesser game, usually financed by older wealthy predators preying on the young ladies.
The Bad
A mother who is left with no other choice but to resort to not so legal or moral means to take care of her family, ends up entangled with a criminal syndicate…. Sounds familiar?… the heist series Marked has a somewhat similar storyline, so does Unseen… the characters BK (Bad Influencer), Babalwa (Marked) and Zenzi (Unseen) are like the same protagonist.
It’s a character driven drama, but some of the subplots were distracting, for example, while it was nice to see the former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi in her debut series playing Naomi… The mean girls storyline felt forced and rushed through to no conclusion.
I kept thinking Naomi looks much too nice to be so mean to someone whose only crime was to ask for a selfie… But I suppose not all that glitters is gold… maybe people should eat filters and makeup, so they can be as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.
The Ugly
The protagonist is portrayed as not having a choice except to turn to crime and the consequences drag them further and further down a dark path… This removes their own agency and even when they take accountability for their actions, it kinda rings hollow, when the truth is they arent good people.
While a character tries to highlight that there’s many other people in similar situations who do not turn to crime, that thought is not explored or depicted. Maybe we need more stories that highlight the ones who stay true, despite the challenges they face.
Final Thoughts
Bad Influencer is a messy but magnetic blend of crime, comedy, and commentary that is socially relevant and visually polished. While its not perfect, its worth watching and you just might find yourself binge watching all 7 episodes.
Is this something you would watch?
Becoming The Muse 
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