Is ‘The Polygamist’ based on a true story?
If you’re looking for a show on Netflix that’s unlike anything you’ve witnessed before, you cannot miss out on The Polygamist.
The 22-episode South African telenovela, currently streaming on Netflix, follows wealthy self-made banking CEO Jonasi Gomora, whose perfectly planned world is upended due to his web of deceit, betrayal, and polygamy.
In the first season of The Polygamist, the women openly and secretly intertwined with his life become the primary catalyst of his downfall, especially his wife, whose arc of revenge is packed with twists and turns many don’t see coming.
While viewers have largely found answers to the questions that were at the heart of the Netflix series, what remains to be addressed is the final burning question: Is The Polygamist based on a true story?
Well, for those unaware, The Polygamist is adapted from Zimbabwean author Sue Nyathi’s 2012 novel of the same name, seemingly making it primarily a work of fiction. But then again, things are not so black and white. In a conversation with GLAMOUR earlier in June, Nyathi revealed the storyline was partially inspired by stories she heard about her grandfather, who happened to have five wives.
“I was interested in examining the version of polygamy that I was increasingly seeing around me, which often felt very different from the traditional structures I had grown up hearing about,” she said ahead of the series premiere. Nyathi unveiled that she had witnessed firsthand accounts where wives were forced to accept polygamous arrangements that they never really consented to after years of marriage, somewhat similar to her characters.
“I also come from a family with a history of polygamy. My maternal grandfather had five wives, and my grandmother was the first wife,” she further explained. “Hearing those stories made me curious about how modern women navigate these relationships, especially when they have more education, independence, and choices than previous generations. That curiosity became the foundation of the novel.”
So, although The Polygamist is not rooted in one true story, it is inspired by many real-life accounts, which adds to the show’s core value, giving it more weight. As of now, the South African telenovela is ranked second on Netflix’s weekly top 10 non-English shows chart.
In case you still haven’t tuned into it, consider this a sign: The Polygamist is currently streaming on Netflix.