SBS On Demand: new shows streaming August 2024

From Rebus to Chorus Girls – your guide to the best new shows to stream on SBS On Demand in August 2024.
Rebus. Image: SBS On Demand.

1 August

Rebus

Series. Based on the bestselling books by Ian Rankin, Rebus reimagines the iconic character John Rebus as a younger Detective Sergeant, drawn into a violent criminal conflict that turns personal when his brother Michael, a former soldier, crosses the line. Haunted by an incident one year ago, where he almost killed Edinburgh gangster Ger Cafferty, Detective Sergeant John Rebus finds himself at a psychological crossroads. At odds with a job increasingly driven by corporate technocrats, involved in a toxic affair he knows he needs to end, and all but supplanted in his daughter’s life by his ex-wife’s wealthy new husband, Rebus begins to wonder if he still has a role to play – either as a family man or a police officer. Starring Richard Rankin and Lucie Shorthouse.

The Beach Hotel – Seasons 2-4

Series. Seasons 2-4 of take place as the rival families encounter new obstacles, blending shocking secrets, intricate murders and forbidden romance. We delve deeper into the gripping murder mystery from Season 1 while both hotels face dire financial circumstances. Then, the discovery of yet another body amplifies the mounting tension among everyone involved. Starring Filip Wolfe and Anna Fahlstedt.

Doc – Season 3

Series. Once again wearing his white coat, Doc faces his first day as head physician. He battles new responsibilities, all the while treating his patients and facing pressure from the Administrative Director, who threatens to close the department. Doc must rely on his team, but Julia has not set aside the idea of leaving and Richard is challenged by the new residents. Starring Luca Agentero and Sara Lazzaro.

8 August

The Red King

The Red King. Image: SBS On Demand.
The Red King. Image: SBS On Demand.

Series. Smart, capable, by-the-book Sergeant Grace Narayan is flying high in her inner-city police station – until her rigid principles cause her to be ostracised by every officer in her precinct. Grace has no choice but to take a punishment posting on the remote Welsh island of St Jory, a rural community with an eerie, hidden religion known as the True Way. Grace is determined to implement order on people who have long ‘policed themselves’ but the year-old cold case of a missing teenage boy threatens to unearth the community’s well-buried secrets. Starring Angli Mohindra and James Bamford.

15 August

Chorus Girls

Series. A darkly comedic tale about eight young dancers trying to survive in a sexist workplace in the mid-70s. This summer they team up and find the strength to resist. Chorus Girls is set in a time when women took to the streets, burning their bras and demanding equal pay, while others were dancing on stage in bikinis. It’s a story of love, violence, repressed sexuality, loneliness, loyalty, and ambition. But most of all, it’s story of community. Starring Marie Bach Hansen and Marie Reuther.

22 August

Devils – Season 2

Series. London, 2016. Massimo Ruggero is now CEO and, with his new Head of Trading Wu Zhi, has earned huge profits for NYL’s Chinese shareholders. But faulty polling data on the Brexit referendum threatens total disaster: taking advantage of the situation, Dominic Morgan returns and asks Massimo to join him in a new global war, between China and the West, for control of global data. Starring Pia Mechler and Alessandro Borghi.

Face to Face – Season 3

Series. Holger Lang, CEO of the successful billion-dollar company Lang Enterprise, receives a call from a trusted employee telling him about a video recording he must see. In horror, Holger then watches as his protégé and successor Christina is brutally murdered by John Ryt. This poses more questions than answers. Who commissioned John to kill Christina – and why? Starring Trine Dyrholm and Alma Ekehed Thomsen.

Ammo

Ammo. Image: SBS On Demand.

Series. After a state corruption scandal, Bjørn Urdal has become damaged goods. Under financial and family pressure, he’s about to give up when AGR (Ammunition Group of Rånåsfoss) approaches him and offers him a job. Bjørn cannot believe his luck. AGR has developed a LAW drone (lethal autonomous weapon) which can make decisions and act without any human impact. If used, no soldiers are needed, and a French colonel is ready to buy it. The only problem is that the weapon is illegal. Starring Nicolai Cleve Broch and Mariann Hole.

Paul Dalgarno is author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020); the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015); and the creative non-fiction book Prudish Nation (2023). He was formerly Deputy Editor of The Conversation and joined ScreenHub as Managing Editor in 2022. X: @pauldalgarno. Insta: @dalgarnowrites