Australian drama producers are looking closely at popular books for inspiration if this year’s most anticipated drama series are anything to go by. From Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix, based on the ‘true-ish’ story of wellness influencer Belle Gibson as recounted by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano, to Prime’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North adapted from Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning love story, the strength of the story has already been proven.
Over on Stan, Invisible Boys is adapted of Holden Sheppard’s popular Geraldton-set coming-of-age novel, and on the ABC, bestselling novelist Sally Hepworth’s The Family Next Door becomes a domestic mystery starring Teresa Howard. For something completely different, and not adapted from a book, we’re looking forward to Jub Clerc’s short and sweet series Warm Props on SBS and NITV.
Here are five of our most anticipated Australian dramas for 2025, and one bonus from New Zealand. None of these have firm screening dates announced at the time of writing.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar (Netflix)
Apple Cider Vinegar is billed as ‘a true-ish story based on a lie’ inspired by the book The Woman Who Fooled the World by journalists Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano.
This six-episode Australian drama series, produced by See-Saw Films and created by award-winning Australian writer Samantha Strauss (Nine Perfect Strangers, The End, Dance Academy) follows the rise of wellness guru Belle Gibson who claims to have cured her brain cancer with health and wellness but is ultimately exposed as a fraud.
Apple Cider Vinegar stars Kaitlyn Dever in a cast that includes Alycia Debnam-Carey, Aisha Dee, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Ashley Zukerman, Mark Coles Smith, Susie Porter, Matt Nable and Essie Davis. Rumour has it we’ll see Apple Cider Vinegar in February.
The hook that has us hooked: The true Belle Gibson story is fascinating and makes us question the gullibility, desperation and greed around influencer culture.
ScreenHub: First look at Netflix’s ‘Belle Gibson’ series
2. Invisible Boys (Stan)
Based on Holden Sheppard’s multi-award winning LGBTQIA+ novel, this 10-part drama series is set against the backdrop of the 2017 same-sex marriage plebiscite.
The story explores the challenges faced by a group of gay teens in the remote coastal town of Geraldton, Western Australia after one of them is outed on social media following an encounter with a married man. As they form a tight-knit friendship, the boys find solace and support in one another, exploring their desires and identities in a world that often renders them invisible.
Created and directed by the Logie and AACTA award-winning Nicholas Verso, Invisible Boys stars Joseph Zada, Aydan Calafiore, Zach Blampied, Joe Klocek, Pia Miranda and David Lyons.
The hook that has us hooked: Holden Sheppard’s queer characters are distinctive, complicated and raw. Also, we’re also looking forward to seeing WA’s Geraldton represented on screen.
ScreenHub: Invisible Boys – first look and cast announcements
3. The Family Next Door (ABC)
Based on bestselling Australian author Sally Hepworth’s novel, The Family Next Door is a six part mystery drama about a young woman, Isabelle (Teresa Palmer), who moves to a quiet Victorian beachside cul-de-sac where she unearths a mystery and inadvertently casts suspicion on four neighbouring families.
The series is created for TV by Sarah Scheller (Strife, The Letdown), who wrote with Pip Karmel (Total Control) Julia Moriarty (Total Control) and Andrew Anastasios (Troppo). The Family Next Door is directed by the prolific and award-winning Emma Freeman (The Newsreader, Love Me) and the cast includes Bella Heathcote, Catherine McClements, Daniel Henshall, Ming Zhu Hii, Jane Harber, Bob Morley and Maria Angelico.
The hook that has us hooked: The pedigree of the writers, director and the supporting cast. We’re big fans especially of director Emma Freeman and of the ABC shows The Newsreader and Total Control.
4. Warm Props (NITV, SBS on Demand and Viceland)
This short comedy drama SBS Digital Originals series (6 x 10 mins) was filmed in Broome, WA, and created by award-winning First Nations director Jub Clerc (Sweet As), co-written with Kimberley Benjamin.
It’s based on Clerc’s own personal experiences as an Extras Casting Director, writer, director and actor.
Described as ‘upbeat and biting’ Warm Props follows Charlie Flogim, caught between set life and home life, thrust back to her remote hometown of Broome where she’s forced to deal with a chaotic film shoot and face the one person she vowed never to see again.
Will her narcissistic boss convince her that her career is more important than family? Or will she see what truly matters and fight for what’s right?
The hook that hooked us: This statement from Clerc: ‘Warm Props is inspired by the often hilarious, infuriating, emotional, cathartic yarns that resonated throughout my career with other First Nations creatives. It is our ‘tongue in cheek’ look into the role we play in how we navigate authenticity, cultural safety, community and most importantly … the tide times.’Â
5. The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Prime)
This five-part Australian drama series, based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize winning novel, has been adapted by writer Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown, Nitram).
Set against the shadows of World War II, it tells an epic story of Lieutenant-Colonel Dorrigo Evans (Jacob Elordi) and how his all-too-brief love affair with Amy Mulvaney (Odessa Young) shaped his life. The story is told over multiple time periods, from Evans’ childhood to his experience as a prisoner-of-war on the Thailand-Burma Railway as a young man, and later in life, as a respected surgeon and Australian war hero.Â
Described as ‘a love story to sustain audiences through the darkest of times’, the cast also includes Ciarán Hinds, Olivia DeJonge, Simon Baker and Thomas Weatherall.
The hook that hooked us: Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize winning story, and also the casting of stellar young Australian actor Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, Euphoria) in the lead role.
Bonus: Madam (Nine)
Okay, this one is actually from New Zealand, but it stars Rachel Griffiths (with an American accent) as a woman who is faced with a philandering husband and a mountain of debt. She starts up an ‘ethical feminist’ brothel in small town New Zealand to provide for her family.
Created by Shoshana McCallum (Inside, Head High) and Harry McNaughton (The Pact, Under the Vines), Madam has 10 episodes and a cast that includes Martin Henderson, Danielle Cormack, Rima Te Wiata and Ariana Osborne.
The hook that hooked us: ‘Ethical feminist brothel’ in small town New Zealand.
Other Australian (or Australian-connected) dramas to look out for in 2025
- Top End Bub (Prime)
- All Her Fault (Binge/Foxtel)
- Moonbird (SBS on Demand/NITV)
- Good Cop/Bad Cop (Stan)
- Watching You (Stan)
- The Assassin (Stan)
- Sunny Nights (Stan)
- The Last Anniversary (Binge/Foxtel)
