Briarpatch
A stylish modern noir thriller based on Ross Thomas’ award-winning novel, Briarpatch follows investigator Allegra ‘Pick’ Dill (Rosario Dawson) who returns to her hometown determined to track down her sister’s killer. Pitting herself against corruption and powerful enemies, nothing will stop Pick from uncovering the truth. Dawson leads this pulp fiction drama with aplomb. Check it out.
Fargo
Chris Rock stars in the fourth season of Fargo playing the head of a crime syndicate made up of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow South. They’re locked in a contentious relationship with the Kansas City branch of the Italian mafia. While the location has moved to Missouri from Minnesota, viewers can expect the same quirky, violent and deadly funny tone this season. Jason Schwartzman, Ben Wishaw, Timothy Olyphant and Jessie Buckley also star.
Season 4 of Fargo premieres on SBS at 8.30pm Thursday 8 October. Episodes air weekly and stream at SBS On Demand on the same day they go to air. Seasons 1–3 are also now streaming .
Watch season 4 episode 1 now:
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Who’s who in the all-new ‘Fargo’
Transplant
After a truck plows into a busy street café, Dr Bashir Hamed (Hamza Haq) steps in. ‘Bash’, along with his sister Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus), is a newly arrived Syrian refugee navigating the next chapter in his life away from a war zone. He’s earned a coveted residency in the Emergency department of Toronto’s York Memorial hospital where he faces challenges of a different nature alongside his colleagues. Oh Canada, there’s nothing like a good strong medical drama.
Spooks
Missing The Bureau? Then British spy drama Spooks is for you. Led by Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) follow the team of counterterrorism agents at MI-5, both from The Grid, their top-level secure office in London, and in field-work missions all over the world. First airing in 2002, all 10 seasons of this brilliant drama series return for our viewing pleasure.
Australia Come Fly With Me
Over three weeks, host Justine Clarke will guide us through 100 years of Australia’s aviation history – timely, considering the industry is facing its biggest challenge ever. Turbulence hasn’t just been in the air – the history of flight is filled with danger and glamour, social injustice and opportunity, revealing cracks in our society over the decades. Welcome aboard. This is a fascinating ride.
Australia Come Fly With Me airs weekly on SBS at 8.30pm from Wednesday 14 October. Episodes are available the same day they go to air. Episodes also stream in and .
Riviera
Julia Stiles is riveting as Georgina Clios in Riviera. In her effort to maintain her place at the top of the art-dealing world, Georgina journeys to an assortment of new locations this season. Meanwhile, her enemies are keen to unravel the tangle of secrets and lies surrounding her husband, Constantine (Anthony LaPaglia), who met his demise in a yacht explosion in season 1. Adrian Lester returns as art dealer Robert Carver in this ever so watchable drama.
Season 3 episodes of Riviera land weekly at from Friday 16 October at 3PM. Seasons 1 and 2 are also streaming for catch-up. Here is season 3 episode 1:
Vagrant Queen
Cannibalistic aliens, dangerous planets, shootouts, karaoke and parking tickets. Oh, and a galactic empire once ruled by child queen Elida, who’s now in hiding from the unhinged Commander Lazaro after he killed her mother. If that sounds like a recipe for a camp, flashy, fun sci-fi series, this one’s for you. While Lazaro is hunting Elida, she is on a rescue mission for her mother, who sources tell her is still alive. One reviewer referred to this show as what would’ve come about “if Star Wars was directed by the Coen brothers”. What’s not to love?
Gomorrah
Based on Robert Saviano’s bestselling tell-all book, this TV series (as opposed to the film also titled Gomorrah and streaming till 18 November 2020) is the inside story of the fierce and brutal Neapolitan crime syndicate, the Camorra, built on a fortune of cocaine, corruption and chemical waste, and dealing in power, blood and money. For those who try to fight their way out of the system, they are quickly reminded who’s boss. Saviano has been living under protection since he courageously exposed the Camorra’s activities.
Apnea
Women call the shots in this powerful and sensual murder mystery from France. Set on a small island in the Mediterranean, a series of suspicious deaths and a sudden lack of fish coincide with the arrival of mysterious stranger, Théa (Laetitia Casta) who enthrals the young Chloé (Noée Abita). This thrilling supernatural series is inspired by the myth of the mermaid and will lure you in. The writing by creators Gaia Guasti and Aurélien Molas and their international cast will make it easy, too.
Trickster
Continuing in a supernatural vein is Trickster from Canada, based on bestselling novel Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson. Newcomer Joel Oulette stars as Jared, an Indigenous teen struggling to keep his dysfunctional family afloat via an after-school job and drug-dealing. There’s his mum Maggie, who parties and self-medicates to placate an undiagnosed mental illness, and his unemployable dad Phil and his new girlfriend. When Jared starts seeing talking ravens, doppelgängers and skin monsters, among other strange things, his already chaotic young life tumbles anew.
With roots in Indigenous gothic mythology, this show is unlike anything you’ve seen before. From creators award-winning indigenous filmmaker Michelle Latimer (RISE) and Tony Elliott (Orphan Black).
Episodes of Trickster air weekly at 8.30pm on NITV from Tuesday 27 October. Episodes are available the same day as broadcast. Here is episode 1:
The Killing
This innovative Danish thriller from creator Søren Sveistrup, and which first aired back in 2007 sparking a little thing we now call Nordic Noir, is back!
Homicide detective Sarah Lund (Sofie Gråbøl) has called it quits on her career, ready to up sticks for Sweden when a horrific murder draws her back into the fold. With fellow detective Jan Meyer (Søren Malling), Lund must solve this case. As winter rolls into Copenhagen, the grief of the parents of the murdered young woman seems ever more impenetrable. This gripping series is a must-watch for fans of crime drama.
Season 1 of The Killing airs from 11.30pm on SBS from Monday 19 to Saturday 24 October. Season 2 airs from Sunday 25 to Tuesday 27 October.
Season 3 airs from Tuesday 27 to Friday 30 October.
Each season will be at SBS On Demand after its first episode airs. The full box set of seasons 1–3 of The Killing will stream from Wednesday 28 October. Start here with season 1 episode 1:
Petra
From Italy, this brand-new character-driven crime drama is based on the bestselling novels of Alicia Giménez Bartlett and comes from the production company behind and Gomorrah, also coming to SBS this month (see above).
Petra (Paola Cortellesi) is a twice-divorced detective who’s shifted from her boring desk job onto the front line of Genoa’s criminal investigation squad. She’s partnered with Antonio (Andrea Pennacchi), old-fashioned and close to retirement. While the pair couldn’t be more different, they form a surprisingly successful team, united in their pursuit of truth, notwithstanding their frequent disagreements. The series also delves into explorations of the meaning of life, the possibility of happiness and the fragility of the human condition. We mentioned it’s an Italian series, right?
