They are unpredictable, gripping and depict the full spectrum of human emotion – and each series in SBS On Demand’s Most Popular Drama collection has that extra something special that keeps us coming back for more.
From taking down a terror cell to solving murders, battling unknown enemies to fighting the demons within, it is the characters at the centre of these dramas that should send them straight to the top of your must-watch list.
Hidden Assets
Where there’s crime, drama is never far behind, and six-part Irish crime-drama Hidden Assets perfectly fuses the complexity of an international criminal investigation with that of a less than ideal professional relationship. It’s safe to say Emer Berry (Angeline Ball) and Christian De Jong (Wouter Hendrickx) aren’t entirely on the same page when it comes to, well, anything, but both know they’ll have to put tensions aside if they’re going to have any chance of solving this case.
A diamond haul in Limerick quickly becomes a body in Antwerp, and, before they know it, Berry and De Jong find themselves running out of time to find those responsible for a spate of devastating bombings before they strike again. This is the police procedural at its mysterious best.
Why Women Kill
If you prefer your drama with a dash of quick-witted comedy, then Why Women Kill is for you. Writer Marc Cherry’s (Desperate Housewives) critically acclaimed series tells the story of different women, across different decades, connected by one simple fact: they are all responsible for someone’s death. But they have their reasons. And betrayal is as good a reason as any, right?
Over two suspense-filled seasons, a star-studded cast, including Lucy Liu, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Lana Parilla, perfectly balance homicide with humour as it’s revealed that, beneath the facade of domestic bliss, there’s a world of secrets waiting to be exposed. With both seasons now available to stream, the binge-watch potential is off the charts!
The Handmaid’s Tale
There’s nothing more dramatic than the fight for one’s freedom or, in the case of dystopian drama The Handmaid’s Tale, the fight for one’s life. With the penultimate fifth season now here, we are on the edge of our seats to see what happens in the next instalment in the fight against Gilead.
Season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale premiered exclusively on SBS and SBS On Demand. Weekly episodes follow at 9.30pm Thursdays on SBS from 22 September. Episodes will also be available after they go to air. Encore episodes air at 9.30pm Saturdays on SBS VICELAND. Dive into the first episode of season 5 now:
The Long Call
Many great television series have their origins in the pages of a novel, and British offering The Long Call is one of them. Based on the book of the same name by crime writer Ann Cleeves, the series follows Detective Inspector Matthew Venn (Ben Aldridge) as he sets about solving a seemingly unsolvable case. Sure, DI Venn was anticipating some drama when he and his husband Jonathan (Declan Bennett) returned to Devon for his father’s funeral following a twenty-year absence from the community he left behind, but he certainly wasn’t expecting it to come in the form of a body discovered on the local beach. With echoes of Broadchurch (and the same temptation to watch back-to-back episodes!), the first season sees DI Venn struggle to remain objective in a case that is uncomfortably close to home.
4 Walls
One hotel room, five stories and a blending of genres that amplifies the very best that drama has to offer: this is 4 Walls. The five-part Afrikaans language series begins with the tale of the morally dubious Ivan who, thanks to a fortuitous spot of time travel, finds himself three hours before the tragic events of 9/11 with the opportunity to save countless lives and redeem himself in the process. But will he be able to resist the temptation to use his position for personal gain? Each of the subsequent episodes sees another individual’s story unfold within the walls of the sinister Room 7, linked together by resident housekeeper Marcelina, and though they are just 25 minutes long, you will find you get serious bang for your dramatic buck with this series.
True Colours
Australian dramas stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world, and four-part miniseries True Colours is no exception. Detective Toni Alma (Rarriwuy Hick) is kicking career goals in Alice Springs, but a suspicious car accident sees her pulled back to her hometown of Perdar Theendar and into the middle of a fight between two cultures and their search for justice. Was this a tragic accident? Or something far more sinister? Even though these people were once her community, Toni quickly discovers that many feel her attempts to uncover the truth are a threat to their way of life. Featuring an array of works by First Nations artists throughout, and with dialogue in both English and the Arrernte language, the series explores how, when cultures collide, the line between right and wrong becomes harder and harder to see.
The Runaway
One decision can be all it takes for life to take a dramatic turn, and for 16-year-old Léa in French drama The Runaway, that decision comes in the form of rapper, Nico, an older man who turns her world upside down. She might be a diligent student with loving parents and relative privilege, but Léa is still a teenager, and running away from home to be with Nico when she doesn’t get her way seems like the logical thing to do. What could have been nothing more than a classic act of defiance against her overbearing parents, quickly becomes something else entirely, and Léa finds herself in too deep. Now Léa’s family are faced with the difficult task of getting her out from under Nico’s thumb before she descends further into his hellish world.
D.I. Ray
There’s nothing like adding a little bit of thrill to a drama to have you waiting anxiously for the next episode. And that’s exactly how you’ll feel about D.I. Ray. With the winning formula of a quality British cast and compelling storyline, headed up by Bend It Like Beckham star Parminder Nagra as D.I. Rachita Ray, the drama-meets-thriller series tracks her experience as part of a Birmingham police unit. D.I. Ray has been steadily rising up the ranks, but her new assignment, described as a ‘culturally specific homicide’, leaves her questioning the real reason behind her promotion. Either way, she’s in charge, but can D.I. Ray reconcile the two parts of her identity to allow her to solve the case?
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