It's that time of year! Let's take a look at some of the series that had viewers hooked, all streaming in SBS On Demand's .
The Old Man
Spies past their prime who’ve become a liability aren’t all that rare in dramas, but when they’re played by Jeff Bridges you sit up and take notice. As ex-CIA agent “Dan Chase” (fake name), Bridges is playing a character who’s both super-competent and out of touch with today’s spycraft. He was hiding out; now after an unexpected visit from a hired killer he’s on the run with his former landlady (Amy Brenneman) along for the ride. Dan’s former co-worker (if you can call Afghanistan during the Soviet occupation a workplace) turned FBI bigwig Harold Harper (John Lithgow) oversees the hunt, but he’s got his own issues – and that’s just the start of the twists and turns in a series that takes all the well-worn pleasures of the genre and keeps finding smart new angles on them.
The Old Man is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Old Man
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Tokyo Vice
Fresh-faced American journalist Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort) relocates to Tokyo in the ‘90s and rapidly bumps up against a Yakuza culture that’s both omnipresent and facing upheavals of its own. As an outsider his every success is a hard-won triumph, but what makes this series work is its refusal to focus solely on Adelstein’s experience: anti-yakuza cop Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) is basically his co-lead, while thoughtful gang member Akiro Sato (Sho Kasamatsu) and hostess-turned-small businesswoman Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller) provide a more personal look at how crime operates. It’s a series that constantly finds new angles to take down Tokyo’s laneways.
Both seasons of Tokyo Vice are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Tokyo Vice
series • Crime drama • Japanese
MA15+
series • Crime drama • Japanese
MA15+
Paris Has Fallen
A terrorist with a grudge (possibly with good reason) is murdering his way through the upper echelons of France’s leadership, and only a secret service agent (Tewfik Jallab) with a personal reason for wanting the rampage stopped and a MI6 spy (Ritu Arya) with a grudge of her own stand in his way. This spin-off from Gerard Butler’s successful “Has Fallen” action franchise features none of the films’ cast but captures the series’ non-stop ethos, and then puts a smart polish on some of the genre’s classic tropes. You might think you know where this is heading, but there’s always a surprise – or just a brutal fight scene – around the corner.
Paris Has Fallen is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Paris Has Fallen
series • action • French
MA15+
series • action • French
MA15+
Four Years Later
Long distance relationships are tough at the best of times, but what if you haven’t even had time to build the relationship first? That’s the dilemma facing Sridevi (Shahana Goswami) and Yash (Akshay Ajit Singh), who are only just married when Yash gets a career opportunity he can’t pass up and moves to Sydney from his native Jaipur. It takes Sridevi four years (and an urgent request) to join him: what follows is a thoughtful look at two people who’ve grown apart and aren’t sure if they want to try to grow back together in a country very different from the one they call home.
Four Years Later is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Four Years Later
series • drama • Hindi
M
series • drama • Hindi
M
Under the Banner of Heaven
It’s the 1980s, and in Salt Lake Valley the brutal murder of a young mother (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her baby daughter have rocked the community. Detectives Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) and Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham) are on the case, but as they dig deeper into the insular Mormon community, Pyre – who’s Mormon himself – increasingly finds his faith put to the test. With a great supporting cast (including Sam Worthington) and a gripping mystery, this based-on-a-true-story series is compelling viewing just on it’s true crime merits. But it’s Pyre’s personal struggles, and a stellar performance from Garfield, that makes this series one that’s hard to forget.
Under the Banner of Heaven is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Under the Banner of Heaven
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
Dopesick
Mixing drama and documentary-level attention to the facts, this Emmy-winning series takes aim at the family behind the decision to flood the US with opioids, and those who made billions while thousands died. Following the crisis through the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, as well as the increasingly frustrated offices of the DEA and the Justice Department, plus a Virgina mining community that’s on the frontlines of the wave of addiction, this mini-series has a cast stacked with big names (including Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Will Poulter and Rosario Dawson) and a seething anger at how a handful of extremely rich people were able to devastate entire communities just to boost their bottom line.
Dopesick is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Dopesick
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Alone Australia
If you think sitting by yourself out in the middle of nowhere for a few months doesn’t sound like gripping television, then you’ve never watched Alone. This year’s edition of Alone Australia saw the contestants dropped off in a remote stretch of New Zealand’s South Island where they had to build their own shelter, find their own food, and figure out how to stay alive (and sane) in a hostile environment without human contact. Survival is as much about mental resilience as it is survival skills, and you never can tell what’s going to tip someone over into tapping out.
Alone Australia is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Alone Australia
series • action
M
series • action
M
Need more Alone? Explore the with series from the US, UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden and special series including Alone: The Skills Challenge and Alone: Frozen.
Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey
Shaun Micallef joins some of Australia’s funniest comedians as they visit their ancestorial homelands to reconnect with the culture that played a part in shaping them. Micallef is rapidly becoming one of this country’s best interviewers, and here he takes on multiple roles – guide, workmate, even father figure – while his guests deal with everything from family trauma to simply enjoying the view. Travel shows and family histories are firm viewing favourites: in mixing the two, and adding in Micallef’s warm-hearted interest in both his guests and the cultures being visited, this becomes something new.
Shaun Micallef’s Origin Odyssey is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Shaun Micallef's Origin Odyssey
series • documentary
PG
series • documentary
PG
The Dry
Returning home to live with the family that drove her to drink isn’t the best idea for recovering alcoholic Shiv Sheridan (Roisin Gallagher), but until she comes up with a better one it’ll have to do. What follows is both hilariously funny and often very moving as Shiv struggles with the quirks of AA and staying sober in Dublin. Her family are scene-stealers, and the series goes all in on its cast of messed up but always deeply human characters as they struggle to keep on an even keel. They’re on shaky ground as it is; their wobbles make for great comedy, but every fall is heartbreaking.
Both seasons of The Dry are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Dry
series • comedy
M
series • comedy
M
Did your favourite make the list? Find out in the at SBS on Demand. You can also discover the year's most popular films and documentaries and some hidden gems in the .
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