Riviera
Dive right into the heart of luxe on the French Riviera’s Côte d’Azur, the setting of this thrilling series starring Julia Stiles as Georgina Clios. When her billionaire banker husband Constantino (Anthony LaPaglia) is mysteriously killed, Georgina is determined to find out what happened. But the deeper she looks into how Constantino died, the darker things get. The drama and conspiracies continue in the second and third seasons of Riviera, as do the stunning costumes and locations. The third season takes Georgina and the viewer to the picturesque canals of Venice, Italy and the romance of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Foodie Love
Food, travel and romance in one series? This Spanish series has all the ingredients for the perfect escape. When a mobile dating app that finds foodie singletons connects two thirty-somethings, Él (Guillermo Pfening) and Ella (Laia Costa). They embark on getting to know each other through the mediums of jamón, ramen and fine dining. But both are held back by insecurities and doubts fuelled by the scars of their previous relationships. They’ll have to discover if their common devotion to Japanese yuzu or shared distaste for foodie pretension will be enough to let them taste true love. Created and directed by Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (director of , now streaming at SBS On Demand), Foodie Love is her first TV series.
Why Women Kill
This dark comedy from Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives is led by Ginnifer Goodwin, Lucy Liu and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. They play three women across three different decades, who all live in the same house in Pasadena, California. We meet Beth Ann Stanton (Ginnifer Goodwin) in 1963, Simone Grove (Lucy Liu), onto her third marriage in 1984, and Taylor Harding (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), who’s in an open marriage in 2019. Each era is represented with exceptional colour, design and style, there are twists and turns aplenty and wonderful performances from the cast. But the main question is, do they get away with murder?
Made in Italy
Prepare yourself for fashion envy in Made in Italy, set against the backdrop of 1970s Milan and the revolution of Italian fashion. At its core this is a coming-of-age story at a time when the country was going through social change, protests, feminism and a burst of creativity. We see this world through the eyes of budding journalist Irene Mastrangelo (Greta Ferro) who unexpectedly lands a job at the fashion magazine ‘Appeal’. Each episode focuses on a giant of Italian fashion design, so you’ll see some familiar names like Missoni, Armani, Prada, Versace, Fiorucci and with a sneaky trip to Rome, Valentino. This show is a love letter to the pioneers of Italian fashion and the city of Milan.
Agatha Christie’s Criminal Games
Agatha Christie’s world-famous mysteries are delightfully adapted in this seductive and witty French series. Set in 1950s France you can be sure the costumes and locations could not look any cooler; added to that, this show is just plain fun. The usual Christie sleuths have been swapped for Chief Inspector Laurence, a man of class and refined taste, and the young ambitious journalist Alice Avril along with Laurence’s ever-loyal secretary, Marlene. All characters have great banter and chemistry, and the mysteries of Christie remain iconic. This show ticks all the boxes for perfect escapist TV.
Team Chocolate
If you are after some heart-warming escapism, then this Belgian drama is for you. Jasper Vloemans, a young man with Down Syndrome, falls in love with Tina Dibrani, one of his colleagues at the small chocolate factory where they work. When Tina is deported to Kosovo, Jasper and his neurodiverse co-workers embark on a road trip to find her. Meanwhile they have no idea that the boss is fighting to prevent the company being overtaken by rich foreign investors. Friendship, family and falling in love form the heart of this deliciously unique series with wonderful performances.
Versailles
Liberté, égalité, nudité! Vikings’ George Blagden plays Louis XIV in this historical drama full of sex, spying and political intrigue. When we first meet him, Louis is 28 and commissioning the construction of Versailles, his ploy to keep the nobles out of Paris and permanently impose his absolute power. Haunted by a traumatic childhood, he’s nevertheless an outstanding political strategist, manipulator and Machiavellian. We watch his transformation into the Sun King and meet a range of figures from history along the way, from the most well-known courtier to the most humble villager, all guiding us through this world of betrayal and intimate secrets, political manoeuvres and declarations of war, revealing Versailles in all its glory and brutality.
The Orville
Can escapist TV be any more escape-y than a comedy set in outer space? Seth MacFarlane is the creator, writer and star of popular futuristic comedy, The Orville. The very short summary is Star Trek meets office comedy meets, well, actually we’re not sure. Because while The Orville is funny, it’s not just a screwball comedy. Set 400 years into the future it follows the challenges faced by the human and alien crew of the USS Orville. It’s built a loyal following both here and in the US since first appearing on screens, also inspiring SBS’s own podcast.
Twin
If it’s a stunning Scandi location you want to escape to, Twin is set in one of the most beautiful locations in the world – Norway’s Lofoten Islands. Kristofer Hivju (who you may recognise as Tormund Giantsbane from Game of Thrones) stars in and is one of the creators of this intriguing modern folk-tale/crime drama. Erik and Adam (both played by Hivju) are identical twins, living completely different lives. Erik is a broke surfer bum, Adam is a successful family and businessman. When Erik seeks out his brother for the first time in 15 years, a quarrel ends with Adam’s wife, Ingrid, accidentally killing Adam. To avoid Ingrid being arrested for murder and to save his brother’s family, Erik takes over Adam’s identity. It soon turns out that the biggest challenge is not avoiding getting caught – it’s pretending to be someone you’re not.
Alone
Alone is escapist TV turned up to the max. Ten hardcore survivalists alone in remote locations like the Patagonian wilderness – no camera crew, no teams, no producers – are on a single mission to stay alive. At stake is $500,000 awarded to the person who can last the longest. However, unlike genre progenitor Survivor, whose DNA is all through this thing, these participants are really, as the title indicates, alone; each is in their own patch of wilderness and self-recording their efforts to live in the wild (everyone has a satellite phone they can use to call for evacuation). It’s a tough gig; competitors regularly lose around 30 per cent of their body mass due to low caloric intake, and medical evacuations are common.
The Pier
Fancy a trip to Spain with some thrills, lies and mystery? Alejandra is a high-profile architect who is shattered by her husband’s suicide. After discovering that he led a double life with another woman for years, Alejandra tries to appease the pain by approaching her under another identity to discover why her husband lived a lie – and what really happened on the night he died. Starring Álvaro Morte (a.k.a The Professor from the hit series Money Heist) and created by Álex Pina (who created Money Heist) you won’t want to miss this addictive Spanish thriller.
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