SBS has revealed its 2020 line-up, with a slate of original and impactful programs Australians won’t see anywhere else. As Australia’s most distinctive network, SBS will continue to tell stories that entertain, inspire and champion an inclusive Australia – diverse, multilingual, complex, compelling and rich.
- SBS puts the spotlight on immigration, identity, homelessness, addiction and domestic violence with a powerful slate of new Australian commissioned documentaries
- Two bold new Australian commissioned dramas on SBS and SBS On Demand
- Rising First Nations artist Mitch Tambo and multi award winning singer-songwriter and actor iOTA revealed as next two artists to take the stage at Eurovision – Australia Decides 2020
- Lisa Wilkinson, Bert Newton and Troy Cassar-Daley first names confirmed for Who Do You Think You Are?
- SBS is the free-to-air home of basketball in Australia, bringing free coverage of the NBL, WNBL, NBA and WNBA
- The best new and returning international drama series exclusive to SBS including War of the Worlds, Dublin Murders, The New Pope, Brooklyn 99, The Good Fight and The Handmaid’s Tale
Here's what you can lok forward to across our channels (SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS Food, NITV and SBS On Demand) in 2020:
ORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN DRAMA
New Gold Mountain
Directed by Ana Kokkinos (The Hunting), SBS’s epic revisionist Western is the as-yet untold true story of the Australian gold rush from the perspective of Chinese miners who risked everything for a chance at unlikely wealth in a strange land.
Hungry Ghosts
Produced by Matchbox Pictures (Safe Harbour, The Family Law). When a tomb in Vietnam is accidentally opened on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival, a vengeful spirit is unleashed, bringing the dead with him. As these spirits wreak havoc across the Vietnamese Australian community in Melbourne, reclaiming lost loves and exacting revenge, May Le, a young woman who has never taken responsibility for who she is, must finally accept her destiny and help bring balance to a community still traumatised by war. The supernatural thriller features a diverse ensemble cast including Catherine Văn-Davies, Bryan Brown, Clare Bowen, Ferdinand Hoang, Gareth Yuen, Justine Clarke, Ryan Corr, Jillian Nguyen and Suzy Wrong.
FIRST NATIONS CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
Little J and Big Cuz
Thalu
Storytelling is a powerful vehicle to drive inclusion and in 2020, NITV will continue to tell positive First Nations children’s stories with the return of the award-winning Little J and Big Cuz in January and live-action comedy Thalu later in the year.
DIVERSITY BEHIND THE CAMERA
SBS is not only passionate about diversity on screen, but also behind the camera. In 2019, a number of initiatives were announced to develop the next generation of diverse voices - the Diversity Talent Escalator; the SBS ON DEMAND short film festival, and R.I.D.E, a landmark feature film initiative. In 2020, SBS will continue to support new and underrepresented voices in the screen industry.
EXCLUSIVE INTERNATIONAL DRAMA SERIES - NEW AND RETURNING
War of the Worlds (Premiere)
Dublin Murders (Permiere)
Zero Zero Zero (Premiere)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Returning)
The Good Fight (Returning)
The Handmaid's Tale (Returning)
SBS is also home to the world’s best drama and has built a reputation for scouring the globe to bring audiences exclusive international series that broaden their worldview. The network continues this tradition in 2020 with the best new and returning international drama series exclusive to SBS including new series War of the Worlds, Dublin Murders and Zero Zero Zero and the highly-anticipated return of The New Pope, Brooklyn 99, The Good Fight and The Handmaid’s Tale.
SBS On Demand is Australia’s most distinctive streaming service and a curator of high-quality content from right around the globe that audiences trust. The catalogue platform features the best in world movies, food, news & current affairs, sport and distinctive local and global drama and documentaries.
ORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARIES
SBS is also a leader in original documentaries that inform, entertain and capture the national conversation around issues central to its Charter; exploring ideas that no other network could or would pursue. Next year, SBS will explore immigration, aviation, identity, homelessness, addiction and domestic violence with a powerful slate of new and returning Australian commissioned documentaries.
See What You Made Me Do
It’s a shocking statistic that on average, one woman is killed by a man she knows every week*. Announced today, See What You Made Me Do is a ground-breaking new documentary series presented by Jess Hill, the author of the critically acclaimed book by the same name, which will trace how a love story can end in murder and which will seek out solutions in Australia and from across the globe to see how we can tackle this epidemic.
Who Gets to Stay in Australia
Also announced today, Who Gets to Stay in Australia? is an emotive and provocative four-part series that follows stories of people whose lives hinge on one crucial decision. Australia’s immigration laws are among the toughest in the world, so who gets to call Australia home and who’s forced to leave?
Addicted
The new three-part series Addicted will provide access to a group of 12 Australians as they confront their addictions head-on in a unique treatment program.
Come Fly With Me
Presented by Justine Clarke, Come Fly With Me will uncover how the fight for equality in the skies helped transform our society in the air and on the ground.
RETURNING AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Marry Me Marry My Family
Every Family Has a Secret
Family Rules
Where Are You Really From?
Who Do You Think You Are?
Filthy Rich & Homeless
While most other free-to-air TV serves up wall-to-wall reality, SBS will continue to keep it real with the best local and international documentaries across SBS, SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND.
The network will welcome back some of its most successful commissioned and acquired documentary titles with new seasons of Marry Me Marry My Family, Every Family Has a Secret, NITV’s Family Rules, Where Are You Really From?, Who Do You Think You Are? and Filthy Rich & Homeless returning in 2020. Revealed today, medical expert and TV personality Dr Andrew Rochford will swap privilege for homelessness in the third season of Filthy Rich & Homelessness, while TV presenter Lisa Wilkinson, broadcasting legend Bert Newton, and country music star Troy Cassar-Daley are among the well-loved faces joining Who Do You Think You Are? in 2020.
Watch 'Who Do You think You Are' at SBS On Demand
BASKETBALL
National Basketball League (NBL)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Women's National Basketball League (WNBL)
SBS is not only the home of original, impactful dramas and documentaries, but also the free-to-air home of basketball in Australia, bringing audiences every game of the National Basketball League (NBL), free coverage of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and highlights of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). Basketball is a sport loved and played by many across Australia and continues to grow in participation. These partnerships represent the beginning of an exciting new era for sport on SBS.
ENTERTAINMENT
Eurovision - Australia Decides
In entertainment off the court, Joel Creasey and Myf Warhurst return to host Eurovision – Australia Decides in February 2020 and the Eurovision Song Contest in May 2020, live from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Eurovision – Australia Decides will again give Australians the chance to vote for the artist and song to represents Australia at the world’s biggest live music event. Today, SBS revealed two more artists vying for the top spot. Rising First Nations artist Mitch Tambo and multi award winning singer-songwriter and actor iOTA will join previously announced artists Casey Donovan and Vanessa Amorosi and six more acts yet to be announced.
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
SBS Eurovisionary Joel Creasey will also return to host the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras with comedian Zoe Coombs Marr, Network 10 Presenter Narelda Jacobs and, for the first time, Australia’s famous drag queen, singer and actor Courtney Act. In another Australian first, next year’s broadcast will be broadcast live
Mastermind and Celebrity Mastermind
Mastermind will return for a second season with host Jennifer Byrne at the helm and in 2020, SBS will introduce Celebrity Mastermind to the entertainment slate.
FOOD
Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam
Asia Unplated with Diana Chan
Cook like an Italian with Silvia Colloca
The Beach
SBS has had a long, delicious history with food programming. In 2020, SBS Food remains the go-to destination for 24/7 access to cooking and travel programs from around the world. Luke Nguyen returns to reveal Vietnam’s history and culinary delights via train in Luke Nguyen’s Railway Vietnam. Audiences can re-imagine and recreate traditional dishes from Pan Asian cuisines with Asia Unplated with Diana Chan and learn to Cook like an Italian with Silvia Colloca. SBS Food is less reality food and more real food cooked and presented by our global and local food faces that Australian audiences love including Adam Liaw, Anthony Bourdain, Rachel Khoo, Maggie Beer, Nigella Lawson, Donna Hay, Maeve O’Meara and many more.
Through a fusion of Indigenous food and connection to country, NITV’s Food offering inspires audiences to embrace the richness of community and Aboriginal knowledge. The Beach is a deeply moving and beautiful new series from award winning film director and screenwriter Warwick Thornton about the healing power of country.
NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
NITV news and current affairs remains committed to securing greater awareness of Indigenous affairs for all Australians with NITV News, The Point and Living Black all returning in 2020. On SBS, Tuesday’s remain our current affairs showcase with Australia's leading forum for ideas and powerful first-person stories Insight and international documentary and current affairs series Dateline. Announced today, SBS VICELAND’S multi Walkley Award-winning The Feed will join the line-up in 2020.
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