Alone
Ten hardcore survivalists alone in the wilderness – no camera crew, no teams, no producers – on a single mission to stay alive. At stake is $500,000 for the person who can last the longest. However, unlike genre progenitor Survivor, whose DNA is all through this thing, these folks really are alone; each contestant is in their own patch of wilderness and self-recording their efforts to live in the wild (everyone has a satellite phone for emergency use). 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. Season 7 ups the stakes – the prize is now $1 million cash, and to win, you must last the full 100 days. We couldn’t do it, but we sure love watching the contestants try.
Pagan Peak
Reminiscent of , when a body is discovered on the border between Germany and Austria, a joint investigation is launched. Pitted together are the confident, optimistic German detective Ellie Stocker (Julia Jentsch) and her Austrian counterpart, the nihilistic cynic, police inspector Gedeon Winter. The killer has arranged the body in a way that indicates some kind of pagan ritual took place. As more such bodies are found, the pair discover long forgotten pagan customs of this region in their hunt for the very twisted killer. Keep the blankets around for this one. The Alpine peaks are laden with snow.
Pagan Peak season 1 is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
The Beach
Let’s warm things up a little as we head to a remote beach in Western Australia. Filmmaker Warwick Thornton’s international success has come at a personal cost. He has reached a crossroads in his life and something has to change. He has chosen to give up life in the fast lane for a while, to go it alone on an isolated beach in one of the most beautiful yet brutal environments in the world. Can he transform and heal his life? This six-part series joins Thornton in his tiny hut by the water in Jilirr, on the Dampier Peninsula in remote north-western WA. Will the isolation give him a chance to see a different future?
Aruanas
On to the Amazon of Brazil in the thrilling drama Aruanas. Three women friends set up NGO Aruana and chase leads investigating the activities of a mining company operating in the Amazon rainforest. Soon enough, they come up with plenty of evidence revealing environmental crimes, tangling them up in a dangerous web of secrets and cover-ups. Strange events occur not infrequently in their harsh reality. On top of all this, they have their own personal dramas to contend with. With intrigue and action, you’ll get swept up in the mission of these fierce heroic women.
Planet Expedition
Join BAFTA-winning British explorer, naturalist, presenter and writer Steve Backshall as he undertakes a series of expeditions through challenging and unexplored regions. The expedition begins in the Arctic at the most volatile and dangerous time of year, the spring melt. It’s an undertaking so challenging it has never been attempted before. The Arctic is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. Steve and his team want to understand how the rising temperatures here are affecting the environment, wildlife and the local people. He then explores Mexico, Suriname, Bhutan, the Oman desert and Borneo.
Wild Republic
An edge-of-your-seat thriller set within the German Alps this is Lord of the Flies for a new generation. Eight-part German series Wild Republic puts young people at the front and centre, but this group are serious offenders. Left to their own devices to undergo an experiential education program in a harsh environment, one of the youths dies a violent death. What happened is a mystery, leaving them to face a difficult decision – do they wait for authorities to arrive or escape and take their fate into their own hands?
Abandoned
As time goes on, the look of cities changes as businesses, schools and other establishments move or shut down, leaving behind empty structures, which can go abandoned for years in some cases. In this series, legendary skateboarder Rick McCrank explores some of these abandoned places, travelling around America to see the current state of the modern-day ruins years after the lights went out. Along the way, McCrank takes a look at an empty mall, NASCAR track, amusement park and even an emptied town. A visit to the famous Route 66 and a glimpse at how Detroit is trying to make its way back from its depressed state are also on the docket.
Earthworks
Artists often draw inspiration for their works from the world around them. This series brings musicians to locations around the world, allowing them the opportunity to immerse themselves in key parts of the ecosystem and let the experience inspire their music and performances. The series heads to the Amazon, where Animal Collective collects new sounds for a live album; avocado and butterfly farms in Mexico, where Miguel investigates his family tree; and the Colorado River where Southern California band Local Natives learns about complicated issues associated with water use in the Southwest.
Jungletown
In the depths of the Panamanian jungle an American entrepreneur and hundreds of young people are building the ‘world’s most sustainable modern town’. At first, Jungletown seems like it’s going to be an uplifting Nat Geo–style documentary about idealistic young people coming together to prove they can change the world for the better. But after a few days in Kalu Yala – where the staff is paid, but the interns pony up $5,000 for the privilege of learning and working for 10 weeks while sleeping on inflatable mattresses under tin roofs – reality starts to assert itself.
Bamay
It’s time to slow things down. From the Torres Strait to Tasmania and everywhere in between, Bamay is a slow TV showcase of Australia’s most stunning landscapes from the air. The word Bamay means land in the Bundjalung language from northern New South Wales. NITV pays tribute to that which gives us life: Country.
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Kids rule with these children’s series streaming for free at SBS On Demand
