It’s the genre that keeps us coming back for more, but just what is it about true crime that makes it so compelling? Whether it’s random or calculated, fatal or destructive, we can’t help but be caught up in the story behind these crimes, their victims from all walks of life, those who commit them – or those who try to catch the criminals. From murder to kidnapping, political assassination to fraud, discover that truth really can be stranger than fiction with the True Crime Collection of television series and documentaries now streaming at SBS On Demand. Some document events as they unfolded, others are stories inspired by real events. All make for gripping viewing.
Under the Banner of Heaven
Inspired by the 2003 novel by Jon Krakauer, seven-episode crime drama Under the Banner of Heaven presents a fictionalised version of the 1984 murder of 24-year-old Utah journalist Brenda Wright Lafferty and her baby daughter Erica. The twist that makes this crime all the more sinister? Those who carried out the double murder were better known to Brenda than you might expect. Enter Detective Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) who finds his own faith challenged by the world of religious fundamentalism, family betrayal, and cold-blooded brutality he must navigate in order to solve the case. Will he be able to track down the killers before they continue on their quest for ‘blood atonement’? With a high-calibre cast including Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), and our own Sam Worthington, the reality of this story will stay with you long after the final instalment.
Under The Banner of Heaven is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Under the Banner of Heaven
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
The Vanishing Triangle
The ‘Vanishing Triangle’, a title given by the media to the disappearance of a series of women in the Leinster area of Ireland between the mid-1980s and late 1990s, was a dark period in the country’s history that still remains largely unexplained. The six-part series of the same name follows Dublin-based journalist Lisa Wallace (India Mullen) as she investigates the disappearance of local woman Amy (Grainne Good) in hopes of finding answers for Amy’s sister Susan (Laoise Sweeney). As Lisa quickly recognises a pattern in the disappearances, including a connection to her own mother’s murder years earlier, this entirely fictional account powerfully captures the very real emotion of the case for the families and loved ones left behind.
The Vanishing Triangle is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Vanishing Triangle
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
1985
Belgian series 1985 is a coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of one of the country’s most notorious unsolved crimes: the Brabant Murders. Vicky (Mona Mina Leon), her brother Franky (Aimé Claeys), and his best friend Marc (Tijmen Govaerts) are on the precipice of their adult lives when they, and the rest of the country, are caught up in the terror and turmoil surrounding the killings. As new recruits of the Gendarmerie, Marc and Franky quickly find themselves on the opposite side of the unfolding conflict from activist and aspiring lawyer Vicky, and the trio is torn between their loyalty to one another and doing what it takes to uncover the truth behind the killings. Tensions rise and friendships are put to the test over eight immersive episodes that will transport you back in time and keep you hooked from start to finish.
1985 is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
1985
series • biography • French
MA15+
series • biography • French
MA15+
Breaking Point
The fascination with crimes and those responsible for them is one largely focused on understanding the why: what leads people to carry out senseless acts? Is there ever an explanation that can help us make sense of them? And could something have been done to prevent the crime in the first place? German drama Breaking Point interrogates these very questions as it follows the lives of five everyday people involved in the Sunshine City shopping centre shooting. Which one of them will hit their breaking point and be responsible for a shocking act of violence? With each of the episodes focusing on one individual and their experience, this is an up close and personal look at the events that precede such a crime, the tragedy of the crime itself, and its life-altering impact.
Breaking Point is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Breaking Point
series • drama • German
MA15+
series • drama • German
MA15+
The Walk-In
Politics and power go hand in hand, and where there is the potential for a grab at power, the potential for crime is never far away. Set in the midst of the Brexit referendum and recent terrorist attacks, five-part British political drama The Walk-In sees activist and Hope Not Hate group member Matthew Collins (Stephen Graham) tasked with infiltrating far right group National Action, an extremist organisation with suspected involvement in the murder of a prominent local MP. It’s an assignment not without risk, however, and as Matthew tries to prevent further killings from being carried out and keep valuable insider relationships afloat, he is forced to put himself, and those he loves, in danger.
The Walk-In is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Walk-In
series • crime
M
series • crime
M
On Death Row: The Pablo Ibar Story
It used to be said – at least before AI-generated footage came onto the scene – that the camera never lives. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be accused of doing so and what is seen may not always be the full picture, as four-part Spanish language series On Death Row: The Pablo Ibar Story shows. When the lifeless bodies of a man and two women are found in a house in Miami, finding the perpetrator is a top priority for police. The discovery of a video recording of moments from the incident? Priceless. What at first sounds like a clear-cut case turns out to be as murky as they get and, sitting on death row, convicted murderer Pablo Ibar is determined to make it out alive. Based on the events surrounding the 1994 crime that rocked a community in southern Florida, it is Ibar’s unwavering assertion of his innocence that puts even the most solid evidence on shaky ground.
On Death Row: The Pablo Ibar Story is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
On Death Row: The Pablo Ibar Story
series • crime • European Spanish
M
series • crime • European Spanish
M
Litvinenko
The 2006 poisoning of former Russian Federal Security Service officer Alexander Litvinenko shocked the world on a number of fronts. For starters, there was the lacing of his green tea with deadly polonium, making Litvinenko the first victim of this type of lethal radiation poisoning. Then, there was the fact that the spiking of his drink took place during a meeting with two Russian intelligence officers at a London hotel bar. And finally, there was the decade long battle headed up by Litvinenko’s wife Marina to identify and name those responsible. Four-part British miniseries Litvinenko revisits not only this complex and calculated crime, but every harrowing detail of the case that followed. With David Tennant and Margarita Levieva starring as Alexander and Marina, it’s a raw and vivid dramatisation of a very real crime that, in many ways, changed the world forever.
Litvinenko is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Litvinenko
