Top new series in March 2023

March is all about women, new Australian and international docu-series and internationally acclaimed drama. Calling all aboard.

(L–R) ‘Vigil’, ‘Mayflies’, ‘Alone Australia’ and ‘The Swap’. Source: SBS

Vigil

‘Vigil’. Source: ©BBC / World Productions

When a crew member is found dead on the Royal Navy’s HMS Vigil nuclear submarine, DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is brought on board to investigate. The crew fob her off, telling her it was an overdose, but she suspects foul play; the crew close ranks. Meanwhile, Silva’s colleague Det. Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) investigates on dry land where another death convinces them of a coordinated attack. A further discovery enlivens grave threats to Vigil and her crew. Featuring an ensemble cast of familiar faces from the UK, this series is a thrilling watch.

Six-part series Vigil is now streaming at SBS On Demand. Episodes will also air at 9.30pm Wednesdays on SBS from 9 March.

The Swap

‘The Swap’. Source: SBS

In this trailblazing television first, three-part Australian series The Swap throws twelve Brisbane students into each other’s schooling worlds. They’re from very different cultures, backgrounds and religions. Can a swap like this help break down social barriers, and build greater acceptance, respect and understanding between diverse cultural communities? Six Muslim families, four Catholic families and two atheist families take on the challenge to find out.

The Swap premieres on Wednesday 8 March at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand. The three-part series continues weekly, on 15 and 22 March. Each episode will be available to stream at SBS On Demand with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. All three episodes will also be available with audio description. Watch episode 1 now:

Reframed: Marilyn Monroe

‘Reframed: Marilyn Monroe’. Source: SBS

“This woman is so comfortable in her own skin.” Interviewing women, including Ellen Burstyn, Molly Haskell, Bonnie Greer, Jeanine Basinger and Mira Sorvino, about one of the most recognisable and arguably misunderstood women, and narrated by actor Jessica Chastain, this four-part docu-series takes us behind the face we know, and shares a story we don’t. For instance, only a few years after her first audition, Monroe co-wrote an article exposing the poor behaviour of studio executives and warning other women about “wolves” in the industry. In Monroe’s own words, “It’s hard to know where to start if you don’t start with the truth.” Let’s find out.

Four-part series Reframed: Marilyn Monroe premieres exclusively in Australia at SBS On Demand and is now streaming:

Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema

‘Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema’. Source: SBS

“Women make great movies and have done so since the birth of cinema.” We hit the road with 14 different women filmmakers on an hour-long road trip each as writer/director Mark Cousins delves into the history of women’s films. After all, “for thirteen decades and on all six continents, thousands of women have been directing films.” We hear from such brilliant women as Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda, Thandie Newton, Kerry Fox, Sharmila Tagor and Debra Winger as we join this 14-part road trip like no other. 

Women Make Film: A New Road Movie Through Cinema premieres exclusively in Australia at SBS On Demand on Wednesday 8 March, and is now streaming:

 

Mayflies

‘Mayflies’. Source: Synchronicity Films

Tully and Jimmy form their friendship as young lads in small-town Scotland. Thirty years on from their last catch-up as teenagers, Tully calls Jimmy with news of his cancer diagnosis and asks him for help: he wants to die by assisted suicide. With scenes from their youth interspersed with present-day unfoldings, the men’s friendship is the focus here. This two-parter is really special. Be sure to catch it. (You’ll recognise many of the cast members.)

Mayflies premieres exclusively in Australia at 9.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand, Wednesday 15 and 22 March. 

Cobra – season 2

Season 2 of ‘Cobra’. Source: SBS

In times of national emergency, Britain’s leading experts, crisis contingency planners and most senior politicians assemble under the name COBRA to coordinate a response. In season 2, an assassination sets off a chain of events leading to the rise of, as the producers call it, “an apparently invisible global enemy”. The personal lives of those around the table provide a rich contrast to their hectic work lives.

Returning cast members include Robert Carlyle as British Prime Minister Robert Sutherland, Victoria Hamilton as Sutherland’s Chief of Staff, Anna Marshall and David Haig. Haig played Home Secretary Archie Glover-Morgan in season 1, but is now Foreign Secretary. Richard Pepple (Bridgerton) joins the cast as Joseph Obasi, new Home Secretary.

Season 2 of Cobra premieres at SBS On Demand, Thursday 16 March. (Season 1 is also streaming.) Dive into season 2 here:

La Fossa

‘La Fossa’. Source: SBS

David has a macabre secret. He exhumes an uncatalogued Civil War mass grave in his village where he suspects members of his family have ended up. (That’s what his grandfather always told him.) When he’s murdered on the cusp of revealing his findings, Andrea Carmona (Nausicaa Bonnín, Foodie Love) investigates. It’s not only David’s demise she ends up dealing with, but past crimes pop up for resolution as well. A chewy four-parter from Spain.

La Fossa premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Outlander – season 6

Season 6 of ‘Outlander’. Source: SBS

Continuing the story of Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe), we are in North Carolina in this Colonial America-set season. Based on the sixth book of Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling Outlander series, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, Claire knows too well that a revolution is imminent. For now, threats are closer to home at Fraser’s Ridge as conflict increases among their own family and community. As satisfyingly watchable as ever. With only 14 days of catch-up available at SBS On Demand, be quick.

Season 6 of Outlander premieres at SBS On Demand on Saturday 18 March. Be quick to watch – each episode will only be available for 14 days.

The Shelter

‘The Shelter’. Source: SBS

From Oscar-winning producers Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín (A Fantastic Woman, La Jauría) this gripping six-part Chilean sci-fi thriller sees mother-of-three Victoria at her ex-husband Damián’s farm to pick up her children. Meanwhile, wild claims are exploding about a strange phenomenon known as ‘The Hum’. Paranormal sightings, bizarre sounds and rumours of a possible alien invasion dominate the news, quickly escalating the situation. Before Victoria and the children can return to the city, scores of people descend on the farm desperate for shelter, and the family must make brutal choices to protect the ones they love.

The Shelter premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Unknowns

‘Unknowns’. Source: SBS

Making the kind of thriller he himself is drawn to, creator of nine-part Israeli drama Unknowns, Tawfik Abu-Wael, has focused on the relationship dynamics between at-risk young men. When a girl is raped, the youths become the main suspects, throwing their already wobbly lives into further imbalance. Variety called the result “a menagerie of deep and complex characters emotionally entangled in a whodunnit thriller which inevitably taps into the social and political ambience… as the conflict between Israel and Palestine escalates.” Abu-Wael said it was important to him to “insert poetic moments that create intimacy with the characters”. We don’t get a lot of drama from Israel, so take a look at this one. It won’t disappoint.

Unknowns premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Alone Australia

‘Alone Australia’. Source: SBS / Narelle Portanier

This survivalist series has taken the world by storm, and now, ten Australians set off into the Tasmanian wilderness to see how long they can survive out there. The elements are tough, and weather changes swiftly. Over eleven episodes, we follow their gruelling adventure.

Alone Australia premieres exclusively with a double episode at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand, Wednesday 29 March. Episodes will continue weekly, till the double episode finale on 24 May. Start watching now:

Exterior Night

‘Exterior Night’. Source: SBS

This six-part drama follows the true story of the kidnapping and subsequent murder of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro in 1978, by far-left militants, the Red Brigades. He was nabbed en route to parliament, and all five of his bodyguards killed. At the time, the Red Brigades were tearing Italy apart with shootouts, acts of sabotage, bank robberies and murders. Moro, the leader of the popular Christian Democrats, had formed a radical alliance with the Communist Party. The government refused to negotiate for Moro’s release, so his captivity dragged on. Moro’s dear friend Pope Paul XI (played by the acclaimed Toni Servillo) even offered himself in exchange for Moro, but that was denied.

Marco Bellocchio, who made a documentary about Moro, 1995’s Broken Dreams, is at the helm here too, as a co-writer as well as director. Fabrizio Gifuni (My Brilliant Friend) stars as Moro, with Margherita Buy (Made In Italy) playing his wife Eleonora.

Exterior Night premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.