Entertaining, eye-opening, heart-warming or heroic: SBS On Demands covers it all. Here’s a look at some of the , , and that viewers loved this year.
Best TV shows of 2023
Blue Lights & Kin (and more)
It seems we can’t get enough of Irish crime: five and a half (stick with us, we’ll explain) such titles were among the most-watched TV shows at SBS On Demand in 2023, and for good reason. Irish crime TV is really hitting its straps these past few years, and Blue Lights and Kin are leading the way. They’re very different shows. Kin sees Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Aiden Gillan (Game of Thrones – ) lead a cracker of a cast in this story of a tight-night Dublin crime family at odds with a powerful drug cartel. On the other side of the law, Belfast cop show Blue Lights follows three new recruits to the PSNI (Police Service of Northern Ireland). This is not your standard police procedural; one of the new recruits is in her mid-40s, for starters, and the day-to-day cases and troublemakers they deal with are part of a much bigger picture. Will they all make it through their six-month probationary period – and by the end, will they want to? Dive into season one of both shows, and look out for season two of both coming to SBS next year. The other Irish crime dramas viewers loved? James Nesbitt as veteran detective Tom Brannick in ; Charlene McKenna as a housewife whose hidden past catches up with her in ; The Belgium-Ireland crossover (that’s the ‘half’); and an old favourite, , with all five seasons streaming.
Blue Lights is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Blue Lights
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
Kin is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Erotic Stories
This anthology includes eight steamy stories exploring lust, desire, relationships and emotional connection. They’re all stand-along tales, so you can watch one at a time, or settle in for several of these honest, funny, intimate stories that explore everything from BDSM boundaries to the challenges of a long-distance relationship. Look out for great performances from a star-studded cast that includes Frances O’Connor, Mark Coles Smith, Kate Box, Tim Draxl, Danielle Cormack, Alex FitzAlan, Rärriwuy Hick and Catherine McClements.
All eight stories in the Erotic Stories anthology are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Erotic Stories
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Rogue Heroes
A rollicking drama with an all-star cast, Rogue Heroes is a dramatised account of how the world’s greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of WWII. From the creator of Peaky Blinders, and based on Ben Macintyre’s best-selling book, the six-part series follows a crew of renegades who decide to do things their way in order to get the job done. The cast includes Connor Swindells (Barbie, Sex Education, and – another of the most-watched shows of 2023), Jack O’Connell (Lady Chatterley’s Lover, ) and Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), and they and the rest of the rebels bring pace, wit and plenty of action. You won’t fall asleep in this one! And good news for fans – the rogue regiment is back for season 2, coming to SBS in 2024.
Rogue Heroes is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Rogue Heroes
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Dark Winds
This is a totally different step back in time. It’s 1971 in America, and on a corner of the Navajo Nation Lt Joe Leaphorn (Zhan McClarnon) of the Tribal Police is investigating a series of crimes, but just as things turn out to be more connected that they first seem, so too does his own past have a role to play in the events that unfold. It’s great seeing McClarnon, whose long CV includes Westworld, Reservation Dogs, Longmire and Fargo, taking the leading role here. He’s also an executive producer on the series, which employed a strong roster of Native writers, producers, crew and other actors, including Kiowa Gordon (The Twilight Saga) as Leaphorn’s new deputy Jim Chee, and Jessica Matten (Tribal, Frontier) as Sgt Bernadette Manuelito.
Two seasons of Dark Winds are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Dark Winds
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
The Sandhamn Murders
An enduring favourite, this one. Based on the popular crime novels by Swedish author Viveca Sten, the series debuted in 2010, and is still pulling us in to the happenings on this scenic Scandi island. Lawyer Nora Linde (Alexandra Rapaport) owns a summer house on the island, and gets drawn into a series of murders – a long series of murders and other mysteries, given the most recent season came out earlier this year. One of the joys of this series is that each season is short, just 3 or 4 episodes, making it easy to dip in and out whenever you need sunny, scenic Nordic island crime, with a little romance and relationships rounding things out. The most recent seasons season saw Nicolai Cleve Broch (Beforeigners) join the cast.
All seasons of The Sandhamn Murders are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Sandhamn Murders
series • Crime drama • Swedish
MA15+
series • Crime drama • Swedish
MA15+
The Responder
Would this gritty police drama work if it didn’t have Martin Freeman in the lead role? We’ll never know, but it’s hard to image anyone else as beleaguered Liverpool cop Chris Carson, because Freeman totally owns this role (and for it, too). The series, , an ex-Merseyside police officer, sees Carson dealing with both the harsh realities of street crime and a fairly heavy burden of personal problems, too. This is British crime drama at it’s very best, and luckily there's more of it coming our way next year. A very different Brit police drama, Wolf, also draw keen audiences this year: Based on the acclaimed novels by Mo Hayder, this features Ukweli Roach (Blindspot) as DI Jack Caffery, a policeman on a mission to track down the killer of his ten-year-old brother in the 1990s. Meanwhile Sacha Dhawan and Iwan Rheon play two dodgy (and in Dhawan’s case, unhinged!) coppers who quickly set alarm bells ringing.
The Responder is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Responder
series • Crime drama
MA15+
series • Crime drama
MA15+
Wolf is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Best Documentaries of 2023
Alone Australia
Australian audiences have loved the wild (literally and often figuratively) drama of the , from the original series that sent 10 survival experts into the wilds of Vancouver Island in Canada to the eight regular seasons that followed and multiple special editions, along with international versions in Norway, Sewed, Denmark and most recently the UK. So it is no surprise that we embraced the Australian version too, when it debuted in March this year. The six-episode series, which saw 10 survivalists dropped into a remote part of Western Tasmania, became SBS’s most-watched original series. Season two will be coming in 2024 – this time in the South Island of New Zealand (Te Waipounamu, Aotearoa) but while you’re waiting, Alone: The Skills Challenge has just landed at SBS On Demand. In each episode, former participants go head-to-head on bushcraft challenges, from making a working wilderness oven to an elevated shelter that’s safe from predators.
Alone Australia is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Alone Australia
series • action
M
series • action
M
Alone: The Skills Challenge is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Alone: The Skills Challenge
series • adventure
PG
series • adventure
PG
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
There’s something about Stanley Tucci’s familiar face, distinctive voice and witty delivery that makes him the perfect companion for a tour through the tastes and experiences of Italy. But this Emmy-award winning series isn’t just another food-focussed travel show. Tucci, who grew up in America and now lives in London, has Italian heritage through both his mother and his father, and in this six-part series, there’s some lovely personal notes to his experiences. On the island of Ischia, he revisits one of his favourite restaurants; in Tuscany, he’s joined by his parents; for another meal, his wife flies in to join him. For most of it, it’s just Tucci, meeting locals who show him where they eat and drink, or chefs who cook for him. He tackles it all with . If you want more in the same vein, try Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico. Tucci served as executive producer on the series, which sees the award-winning actress-activist-producer explore the country she calls her second home.
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
series • cooking
M
series • cooking
M
Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico
series • cooking
M
series • cooking
M
Nothing Compares
Sinéad O'Connor was a trailblazer, with a voice and a style that helped define an era. This multi-award-winning documentary charts her rise to fame and her exile from the pop mainstream. She said what she wanted to say, and not everyone liked it – but looking back, . Featuring interviews with contemporary artists and musicians, music videos and concert performances of some of her emblematic hits, and an interview with the artist herself, this absorbing documentary from director Kathryn Ferguson showcases not only her fierce defiance of expectation, but also, of course, that amazing and incomparable voice.
Nothing Compares is streaming at SBS On Demand until February 2024.
Best Movies of 2023
The Quiet Girl
Irish crime noir might be winning fans but as this beautiful film shows, there’s more to Irish screen creativity. Based on Irish author Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novella Foster, The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin in the original gaeilge) follows a young girl who’s sent to stay with family relatives on a farm. There’s much to love about this film, which garnered a Best International Film Oscar nomination, including powerful performances from newcomer Catherine Cline as young Cáit, and Carrie Crowly and Andrew Bennett as the couple who welcome her into their home. It is also a rarity in for much of the film. This quietly affecting and wonderful film isn’t the only award-winner among 2023’s most popular films at SBS On Demand – 2020 Oscar winner remained a viewing favourite too.
The Quiet Girl is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Boiling Point
Plenty of you have been saying ‘Yes Chef!’ to this fast-moving film, which takes is into the pressure cooker environment of a restaurant kitchen on one of the busiest days of the year. Head chef Andy Jones (Stephen Graham) and his team are under fierce pressure – but so was the production team, because this movie was filmed in a single take. It could have been a gimmick but as Observer film critic Mark Kermode notes, it’s brilliant. Well, what he actually was “it’s utterly immersive, conjuring the raw experience of an inexorably accelerating panic attack” and he's bang on (go read the review, it’s a good one).
Boiling Point is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Boiling Point
drama • thriller • 2021
drama • thriller • 2021
Limbo
Limbo (not to be confused with the Swedish drama series, or the Australian film of the same name released earlier this year) tells the story of Omar (Amir El-Masry), a young Syrian musician, and a group of other young men waiting on a remote and rugged Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides for an answer to their request for asylum. The stark landscapes and howling winds of where they are living are striking but this film is layered with gentle meaning, and plenty of comedic moments too. The film garnered a string of award nominations, and plenty of praise for both El-Masry and filmmaker Ben Sharrock.
Hidden Gems of 2023
The Change
Being funny on stage doesn’t always translate to being funny on screen but in this quirky British series, comedian Bridget Christie has most certainly done it. She’s both the creator and the star of the series, playing taken-for-granted and recently menopausal (hence the dual-meaning title) mother of two Linda, who decides, after a disappointing 50th birthday party, to take some time out. Dusting off her old motorbike, she heads off on a road trip to find a time capsule she hid in the Forest of Dean as a child. She’s soon being welcomed by an eccentric lot of locals, and then finds herself joining a fight to save the forest from the threat of development. There’s a lot of laughs, a quirky local festival and some great friendships made. (Read an interview with Christie about the series, and why it’s never too late to make a change, ).
The Change is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
The Change
series • comedy
MA15+
series • comedy
MA15+
Rurangi
This beautifully nuanced story started as a web series, became a film (the first season had a cinema release, with the five episodes combined into a feature film). Set in New Zealand (Aotearoa), the story starts with activist and youth work Caz Davis (Alz Carrad), a proud trans man, returning to his hometown, the dairy-farming community of Rurangi, where his estranged father still lives. There are many layers to the appeal of both seasons, from strong acting to the use of traditional Māori instruments in the soundtrack and the genuine representation of trans, LGBTQIA+ and Māori people in the cast and crew. (Read more in with showrunners Max Currie and Briar Grace Smith.)
Rurangi is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Rurangi
series • drama • Maori
M
series • drama • Maori
M
Golden Boy
Talent is not always enough, as young footballer Denis ‘Denjo’ Marković (Denis Murić) discovers in this . He’s got what it takes on the field, but off it he’s a loose cannon, and soon he’s given the boot by his club. Denjo thinks he’ll quickly get picked up by another team, but then the Belgrade equivalent of the mafia gets involved, and Denjo finds himself handed over by his manager to two brothers, underworld big-wigs, to settle a debt. Now he’s alone and isolated, as the pair put him under the watchful and threatening eye of a new trainer. The golden boy may be developing into a better person, but can he disentangle himself from the dangerous situation he finds himself in?
Golden Boy is streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Golden Boy
