SBS On Demand: quick view
SBS On Demand: new in November
1 Nov
Homeland – Seasons 1–8
Series. Carrie Mathison, a CIA operations officer, conducts an unauthorised operation in Iraq and is reassigned to the CIA’s Counterterrorism Centre in Langley, Virginia. Nicholas Brody, a U.S. Marine Sergeant who had been reported as missing in action since 2003, is rescued from a compound belonging to terrorist Abu Nazir. Brody is heralded as a war hero, but Carrie comes to suspect that he is planning a terrorist attack against the United States. This multi-Emmy award-winning series stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin.
3 Nov
Tokyo Vice – Season 2
Series. Filmed on location and loosely inspired by American journalist Jake Adelstein’s firsthand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat, this crime drama series follows Adelstein as he descends into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in 2000.
After being hired as prestigious newspaper Meicho Shimbun’s first American crime reporter, Jake quickly embeds himself alongside Detective Hiroto Katagiri. As he’s thrust deeply into the city’s criminal underworld, Adelstein comes to realise that his life, and the lives of those close to him, are in terrible danger. Starring Ansel Elgort and Ken Watanabe. Watch the trailer.
5 Nov
The Zelensky Story
Series. With unique access to Volodymyr Zelensky, Olena Zelenska and their inner circle, this is the extraordinary journey of a comedian who played the president in a hit TV show and then became the real president of his country. When fiction becomes reality, Zelensky undergoes a brutal initiation into the world of power-politics during meetings with Trump and Putin.
As the drumbeat of war grows louder, Zelensky faces questions about how prepared Ukraine is for war. The former entertainer then leads his country during a full-scale invasion, as he and his wife open up about living through it. Three episodes, weekly.
6 Nov
The Jury: Death on a Staircase
What would you do if someone’s life was in your hands? In an Australian first, SBS Original The Jury: Death on the Staircase takes inspiration from a smash-hit format from Channel 4 in the UK to provide insight and analysis on how juries work. Trial by jury has been described as one of the most ‘venerated and venerable’ aspects of our justice system, but is it?
Over five unmissable episodes, the series re-enacts a real manslaughter trial with actors reciting real court transcripts word-for-word. But just as in a real court, the new jury is made up of 12 everyday Australians. The jurors reflect contemporary Australian society – a diverse range of ages, cultures, and life experiences.
Will they conclude the accused is an innocent man, or determine he is guilty? Will the new jury arrive at the same decision as the original trial? Weekly episodes.
14 Nov
My Brilliant Friend – Season 4
Series. This fourth season delves into the adult lives of Elena and Lila. They find themselves entangled in the turmoil of Italy in the late 80s, nearing the end of decades of political violence and social unrest. Elena is preoccupied by the painful separation from Pietro, the success of her novel, and her tumultuous relationship with Nino.
She yearns to reclaim lost time with her daughters, who now seem more obedient to Pietro’s parents. Amid motherhood and career demands, betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters, Elena and Lila once again reside in the same neighbourhood. They must now navigate new and formidable challenges – clashing, confronting, and supporting each other along the way.
21 Nov
The Steeltown Murders
Series. Based on real life events. Set in both 1973 and the early 2000s, The Steeltown Murders centres on the hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area and the remarkable story of how – in the first case of its kind – the mystery was solved almost thirty years later using pioneering DNA evidence.
Contrasting the policing methods of two different time periods, the series is a portrait of a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades on and asks if justice can ever truly be found. Starring Phil Glenister and Steffan Rhodri.
Spy/Master
Series. Set during the height of the Cold War, Spy/Master covers a week in the life of fictional character Victor Godeanu,, the right-hand man and closest advisor to Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. But Godeanu is also a secret agent for the KGB and must escape Romania and Ceaușescu before his cover is blown.
With only one shot at staying alive, he uses a diplomatic trip to Germany as a springboard to the United States. Helped by an undercover Stasi agent and former flame, and an up-and-coming CIA agent, Godeanu must elude the KGB and his own country’s spooks, fully aware that his defection is putting his family back home in mortal danger. Starring Alec Secăreanu, Svenja Jung and Parker Sawyers.
