MTV Shuga Mashariki Season 2 is here: High hopes, higher concerns

I’ve always been vocal about my problem with the traditional TV format. A series often feels like a bus with no destination; the driver takes these dramatic, sudden turns and just when you think you finally see the destination on the horizon, they bypass the exit entirely.

You find yourself still on the road, wondering if the driver even has a map. Despite my deep-seated scepticism of that dragging style of storytelling, I had to tip my hat to the first season of MTV Shuga Mashariki.

It remains, in my estimation, the best young adult show on the continent, balancing genuine thrills with a character-driven hook that actually made me care about where each character arc was heading.

Now, less than a year later, Season 2 is here. We are only two episodes in, and while it is early, there are already specific elements making me oscillate between excitement and dread.

If you need a refresher on how we got here, I’ll skip the recap. Season 1 is free on YouTube, and you should catch up there.

From a production standpoint, the quality remains impressively high. The cinematography is simply fantastic, though the "gloss" of the debut season feels slightly dialled back. It still looks very good, but there is a grittier texture emerging.

The stylistic title card remains largely unchanged, and the audio remains clean, featuring a more subdued, effective approach to the music that I actually prefer over the loud transitions of the past.

The direction and performances in these early episodes are the true MVPs. In many scenes, the visual staging does the heavy lifting to save a script that feels thin. You can tell the directors are working hard to maintain the aesthetic language and personality established in season 1, and for the most part, it works beautifully.

However, my biggest immediate concern is the rushed setup. Within the first 10 minutes, it is clear that the writers want to split the focus between the established university setting and a new high school contingent.

Read: MTV Shuga Mashariki renewed for Season 2

To make this happen, certain character arcs are being accelerated to the point of feeling frantic. Instead of letting the story organically blossom, it looks like the creators are moving chess pieces as quickly as possible to set up a new board.

This rushed setup loses the emotional weight in some character arcs. It feels less like a natural progression of characters we love and more like a tactical move to accommodate a new demographic.

There is a strange, "universal" feel to the writing at this early stage. More here than the first season the show feels like a globalised interpretation of what Kenyan youth are supposed to be, rather than an authentic, lived-in reflection of who they actually are.

While the performances are standout, the dialogue feels slightly more synthetic this time around. Some new characters come off as caricatures, though that doesn't necessarily mean I’m not interested in their journey.

In fact, this isn't a formal review yet, it’s too early for that. Instead, I want to share the questions and notes I made watching the episode.

Where is the central hook? Why do the early episodes feel bloated? Why introduce a same-sex plotline for a character who was already compelling? Is the high school angle a reaction to the Emmy nomination of Perfects? Why the oddly specific, explicit mention of reversible vasectomy? Where is Mariam Bishar’s character and the cultural depth her arc brought to Season 1? Are we simply resetting the villain for the sake of it?

I’m intrigued by the pregnancy arc and the approach to relevant trends, but the lack of a strong hook and the uninspired, synthetic writing have me wary. But am going to stop, we are still in the setup stage; I’ll be back with a proper review by the end of episode 8. See you in eight weeks.

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