At the TCA press tour, Michael Lombardo, HBO’s president of programming, spoke about the future of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Though it won’t be continuing as a TV series, there are plans to continue the story in the form of two movies.
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency ran for seven episodes on HBO, from March until May in 2009. The comedy-drama was filmed on location in Botswana and follows Mma Ramotswe as she operates a detective agency. The cast includes Jill Scott, Anika Noni Rose, Lucian Msamati, and Desmond Dube.
This weekend, Lombardo said, “We’re talking to our friends at the Weinstein Company about the possibility of, and actually developing two scripts, possibly to do two movies. And if we can get the cast together and if everything can come together we’ve love to do it. So it’s alive.”
If they get the final go-ahead, the two HBO movies would likely be shot back-to-back. It seems they won’t be filmed completely in Botswana however.
It was reported last month that the show’s producers had relocated from Botswana to Cape Town. The Botswana government, hard hit by the recession, balked at the idea of subsidizing film production while South Africa doubled their rebate offer.
If the movies are actually made, they’ll be filmed mostly in Cape Town with occasional lensing in Botswana, the locale where the story is set.
What do you think? Are you a fan of No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency? Would you like to see it return as a pair of movies?
Image courtesy HBO.
Please bring this show back! It was a very pleasant and delightful show! 🙂
please please i cant wait to see the it on again …please we still waiting for what will happen next …
I’ve read all the books (so far) in the Ladies # 1 Detective Agency series, and I was always sad as I ended each one. I recently finished his final book so far – The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party. I would LOVE to see all the books made into TV shows (but not on HBO).
I hope the book I just finished was not McCall Smith’s final book of this series. He is such an awesome writer!
This was an understated, elegant and enchanting tv series. It perfectly captured life in rural Africa. I can’t tell you how much I loved it. Please bring it back!!!
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is one of the most delightful shows I have seen in a very long time. I received three discs on netflix and watched them straight through. I would like to see more please.
Please, please continue as a series or movies. The author’s sensitivity and humor has been well captured by these delightful HBO presentations. Please don’t make us wait much longer. And thanks so far, HBO!
Please give room for the No.1 Ladies, they are GREAT in any form. I’ve read all 12 of the books, listened to one in Audible form with great pleasure, and watched the entire bunch of episodes on HBO On Demand. I also rented the Netflix form so my DH could watch with me. I even started drinking tea several times a day, and recently ordered some rooibus, or Precious’s RED BUSH TEA. The series actors are great in their roles, and I would not change a one of them. By all means, give us more of the Botswana stories by… Read more »
I caught this series recently on demand and was pleasantly surprised! Such beautiful stories and so wonderfully acted! I laughed and cried and was left wanting so much more! I will definitely check out the books now. I hate to admit it but I get why HBO cancelled it after only 7 episodes. No sex, violence, drugs or swearing with an all-black cast? Not to mention a strong, “traditional body-typed”, gorgeous, black woman with natural hair in the lead? I found it to be an oasis in this modern tv wasteland so HBO made an epic FAIL!!!
This is such a great feel good series that its a shame to not continue it. If no series, then yes please do the moves and hopefully more. This is a great cast and great lessons of life are presented in such an interesting way, and I do believe that the audience is quite varied and wants to see more of this great series. Thanks, Kathleen
What a wonderful and uplifting story. It was so refreshing and entertaining. I will be hoping and looking for it’s return. Jill Scott was engaging and beautiful I will be looking for her as well. I not only loved the stories but I fell in love with the colors and the fashions in Botswana. There is so much crap and violence in the world and on film, I don’t understand why this was not successful.
Ya gotta get this show back on; it’s killing me to know what could have happened next. The actors gave top drawer performances, the scenery spectacular and the plot was some of the very best that HBO has had to offer. Loved the acents, the costumes, everything about the show with one exception. That is I don’t like to see starving abused animals; not necessary to get the point across. We know it’s out there but with a show such as this, well like I said, not necessary. Come on HBO just do it.
I read all of the books and I loved the show. I was very disappointed when it was cancelled, I don’t understand why it was canelled. I think they didn’t give it enough time as the books are very popular.
Home sick with not a lot to watch on daytime TV I found The #1 Ladies Detective Agency. I found it to be delightful! I would catch myself smiling at the TV. The characters were well thought and perfectly cast. I was so disappointed when I found out it had been cancelled. It’s a very unique into a foreign word and as an artist i was thoroughly charmed by the art work at the end of each show.
I look forward to the promised movies!
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is or was a great show. I have been watching it on Netflix. I would rather the show continue but two movies would be nice. The show is very entertaining and it’s cool to see people from another culture, I think it was a well done show. Maybe I will read the books, seven shows is not enough!
I would love to have the ladies detective agency come back, it is a very good show. So sad that it ended so soon. Please try to bring it back.