Top new series in September 2022

This month we welcome back favourite dramas including ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, and farewell ‘The Good Fight’ and ‘Atlanta’. Plus, there’s a touch of Paris. Springtime, here we come.

(L–R) ‘Operation Black Tide’, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ S5, ‘Alone’ S8, ‘The Australian Wars’. Source: SBS

Alone – season 8

This much-adapted survival show is back, and this time, higher than ever before. We’re 3800 feet (1158m) above sea level, where 10 participants attempt to survive along the shores of British Columbia’s Tŝilhqox Biny (pronounced Tsyle-koh Bee aka Chilko Lake), making it the show’s first alpine location. As per its original format, the last participant standing walks away with half a million dollars. But this time they have a new danger to worry about.

Season 8 of Alone premiered at SBS On Demand on Thursday 1 September. Episodes also air at 8.30pm Tuesday nights from 6 September on SBS VICELAND. 
Seasons 1–8 are now streaming at SBS On Demand. Here is season 8 episode 1: 

Faking Hitler

Inspired by the German-language podcast of the same name, Faking Hitler dramatises the real-life 1983 publication of diaries purported to have been written by Adolf Hitler. Turns out, they were forged. The six-part series centres on journalist Gerd Heidemann (Lars Erdinger), who was rewarded handsomely for their publication. Also scoring big was the forger himself, Konrad Kujau (Moritz Bleibtreu). Young journalist Elisabeth Stöckel (Singe Irslinger) smelled a rat but she was ignored, while the diaries, declared authentic by experts at the time, hit the shelves.

Showrunner Tommy Wosch had interviewed Kujau himself decades ago for another project, and trawled through Heidemann’s archives in researching the story, which he describes as “a veritable series of the bizarre and unbelievable”. We love a good caper.

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

Illegals

We also love a good spy thriller. Here, Konrad Wolski (Grzegorz Damiecki, also starring in The Six, now streaming at SBS On Demand), head of an elite unit of Polish Intelligence, learns of a terrorist attack planned for Sweden. He immediately activates Travis, a sleeper agent in the KGB’s Minsk division, to attempt to foil the plan. Trouble is, Travis has been compromised by a Belorussian KGB officer, leading Sara (Sylwia Juszczak) to be tasked with exfiltrating him, asap. The gripping series is based on the novels of former intelligence officer turned writer, Vincent V. Severski.

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

A Beginner’s Guide to Grief

Harriet (Harry) Wylde’s world collapses when both her terminally ill parents die in the same week. As parting gifts, she receives an unexpected dying wish from her dad, and cassette tapes to guide her through grieving from her mum. When she stumbles upon her former foster sister, Daisy, fresh out of prison and camping in the cemetery, Harry discovers that when it comes to grieving, all the rules are thrown out the window.

This SBS Digital Originals series is based on the experiences of South Australian writer and creator, Anna Lindner, who plays Harry. Cassandra Sorrell brings Daisy to energetic life, leading a cracking ensemble cast including Carlo Ritchie and Georgina Naidu. A must-watch hour of television.

A Beginner’s Guide to Grief is now streaming at SBS On Demand. It is available with subtitles in Arabic, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese. 

Operation Black Tide

Based on “one of the more unlikely criminal voyages of all time”, this Spanish series dramatises the journey from Brazil to Europe in which three men ferry 3 tonnes of cocaine across the Atlantic via submarine. The “wildly improbable but true saga” is brought to vivid, claustrophobic life, sweeping from the Amazon into the deep seas and squashing us into the sub where tensions can’t help but run high; things go very wrong indeed. Jorge López, Xosé Barato and Manuel Manquiña star.

Operation Black Tide premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Interns – seasons 1 and 2

When a teaching hospital’s Internal Medicine doctors are exposed to contagious meningitis, they’re forced to quarantine, leaving the interns to run the department. Medical students Chloé (Louise Bourgoin), Hugo (Zacharie Chasseriaud) and Alyson (Alice Belaïdi) who bring varying levels of inexperience, call on forensic doctor Arben Bascha (Karim Leklou) to help. Balancing the high-stakes everyday life of the hospital, we find welcome relief in the cafeteria scenes. If you love good-quality medical drama, Interns is for you.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Interns premiere exclusively in Australia and are now streaming at SBS On Demand.

The Good Fight – season 6

The arrival of season 6 of Robert and Michelle King’s bitingly on-point legal drama is bittersweet, for it’s also the show’s last. Diane (Christine Baranski) faces an uneasy sense of déjà vu, with everything from Roe v Wade, to voting rights, to Cold War aggressions returning this season. Meanwhile, the lawyers of Reddick & Associates worry whether the violence all around them points to an impending civil war. Talk about dream scripts and casting. We will miss The Good Fight.

Fast-tracked from the US, season 6 of The Good Fight premieres exclusively in Australia at 8.30pm, Saturday 10 September on SBS VICELAND, airing weekly. Stream episodes at SBS On Demand after they go to air.

The Handmaid’s Tale – season 5

** Warning: contains spoilers from previous seasons **

In this brand-new season, fresh from the US, June may face consequences for killing Commander Waterford, Serena is relishing her role as the grieving widow, Commander Lawrence works with Nick and Aunt Lydia to reform Gilead, and June, Luke and Moira fight it from a distance as their mission continues to save and reunite with Hannah.

Fast-tracked from the US, season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale premieres with a double episode at 8.30pm, Thursday 15 September on SBS and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly after that at 9.30pm. SBS VICELAND will play encore episodes on Saturdays at 9.30pm from 17 September.

Atlanta – season 4

Keep the tissues handy as we farewell another much loved series. Starring Donald Glover as Earn, who manages the career of his cousin and rapper Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry), Atlanta quickly found a place in our hearts. It strikes that perfect balance of comedy and tragedy that’s succeeded since time immemorial. Season 4 is much anticipated.

Fast-tracked from the US, season 4 of Atlanta premieres with a double episode at 9.20pm, Friday 16 September on SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand. Episodes continue weekly after that. Seasons 1–3 are also streaming. Dive into season 4 now:

The Australian Wars

‘The Australian Wars’. Source: Blackfella Films

Most Australian towns feature a memorial to the war dead: there are 10,000 across the country. But what of the bloody battles fought on this land, in our longest running war that established the Australian nation? In this landmark three-part documentary series, filmmaker Rachel Perkins journeys across the country, to give voice to the story of The Australian Wars. Once given voice, it will change the narrative of our nation. 

The Australian Wars premieres exclusively in Australia at 7.30pm, Wednesday 21 September on SBS and SBS On Demand. Episodes air weekly. 

The Congregation

‘The Congregation’. Source: Distributor

Adapted from the Jonas Bonnier novel Knutby: The Day of the Lord, The Congregation centres on the notorious real-life Swedish cult murder in the small village of Knutby that shook the nation in 2004. Soul-searching Anna (Alba August) begins a new life in the village’s tight-knit Pentecostal community whose leaders are convinced the Second Coming of Christ will occur there. Slowly, the community’s idyllic façade begins to disintegrate, revealing a sex cult and sinister web of intrigue, in which a deeply rooted and dangerous devotion to faith drives Anna well away from her peaceful dream life.

The Congregation is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Guillaume’s Paris

‘Guillaume’s Paris’. Source: SBS

Let’s wander the streets of Paris with chef and restaurateur Guillaume Brahimi. Returning to his birthplace and where his career began, Guillaume guides us to his favourite places in Paris, and shares the history, culture and culinary delights each arrondissement has to offer. Inspired by the produce and chefs he meets, Guillaume will get cooking as well in this unique and charming tour of Paris that leaves no cobblestone unturned.

Guillaume’s Paris premieres exclusively in Australia with a double episode at 7.30pm, Thursday 22 September on SBS and SBS On Demand. Episodes continue weekly. Catch up at 7pm Sundays on SBS Food. 

Rebecca

Anne Marivin (Little White Lies) is Rebecca. Six years after quitting the Paris police force and abandoning the hunt for a serial killer, Rebecca is back on the job. As she investigates a spate of brutal murders that all carry the same signature, she becomes convinced the killer has resurfaced. Obsessed with the case, betrayed by her husband, and hampered by both depression and crippling blackouts, she throws herself into work to avoid falling apart. A French crime drama to add to our strong selection.

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