Ready to be carried away with a glorious cavalcade of period dramas, full of fascinating details, intrigue, romance, war, murder, mysteries and life-changing moments? From the impressively detailed costumes of Versailles and Miss S to the family drama in Vikings and Medici, step into the past with these series, all streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Vikings
The final episodes of this epic saga are finally with us! The sixth and final season of Vikings teased us by appearing in two parts; after the adventures of Season 6A unfurled in 2019/2020, everyone has been waiting for Season 6B, the final 10 episodes, now screening on SBS and at SBS On Demand. The final instalment begins as Ubbe (Jordan Patrick Smith, Lovecraft Country, Neighbours) learns the truth about Kjetill. Meanwhile, back in Norway, the battle against the Rus has had grave consequences. Reinforcements are on the horizon, and Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig, The Hunger Games) has an idea that may yet turn the tide.
Episodes are airing weekly on Wednesdays at 9:30PM on SBS and are available at after broadcast.
State Of Happiness
It’s the summer of 1969 in the small Northern European coastal town of Stavanger. International oil companies have been test drilling for years, but nothing has been found and they are in the process of leaving. Stavanger lives off fish, and the North Sea is emptying out. Something has to happen. The town is in crisis. The night before Christmas 1969, the gas flare at the Ocean Viking is lit. Phillips Petroleum has found the largest sub sea oil basin in history, and everything is about to change. We follow four young protagonists from just before the first major oil find in Norway, and through the wild growth that follows: American lawyer Jonathan (Bart Edwards); Anna (Anne Regine Ellingsæter), a secretary at the mayor’s office; Christian (Amund Harboe), a north sea diver from a wealthy family; and Toril (Malene Wadel), a fish canning factory worker from a religious background.
In Norwegian with English subtitles. An exclusive, all 8 episodes of State of Happiness are now streaming.
Medici
Are you ready for more Medici machinations? This intrigue-filled Renaissance drama is back for season three. After season one (quick recap: this season was Medici: Masters of Florence. It's 1429. Banker Giovanni de Medici (Dustin Hoffman) drops dead, his son Cosimo (Richard Madden) is pushed reluctantly to the head of the family dynasty. Cosimo and his brother Lorenzo (Stuart Martin) suspect their father was murdered by an arch-rival), the family tale jumped two decades for Season two (Medici: The Magnificent, which sees drama unfold for Cosimo’s grandson, Lorenzo (Daniel Sharman), including challenges from Jacopo Pazzi (Sean Bean), the head of the rival bank). And now here we are for Medici: The Magnificent Part II, aka Season 3. The Pazzi Conspiracy of season two has wrought havoc within the family. A family member has been brutally murdered, and Lorenzo is seeking revenge. Among those in his sights is Pope Sisto IV, who is still doing his best to destroy the Medici. To make things harder, Lorenzo also has to face the growing discontent of Florence’s citizens, who find their inspiration in the religious leader Girolamo Savonarola.
In English and Italian with English subtitles. Seasons 1, 2 and 3 of Medici are now streaming at .
World On Fire
It's 1939, and the threat of the Nazi regime looms large over Europe. Starring Sean Bean and Helen Hunt, World On Fire tells the story of World War II through the lives of ordinary people from all sides of the global conflict. Among them, there's Douglass Bennett (Bean), a bus conductor, pacifist and shell-chocked veteran of the Battle of the Somme; his daughter Lois (Julia Brown); Vernon Hunter (Arthur Darvill), an RAF fighter pilot; and Nancy Campbell (Hunt), an American journalist working in Berlin. Moving between France, Britain, Poland and Germany, the seven-part series journeys into a pivotal time in world history.
Episodes are airing weekly on Thursdays at 9:30PM on SBS and are available at after broadcast.
Versailles
This steamy period drama tells the the story of young Louis XIV (George Blagden). The power-hungry young monarch created the famous Palace of Versailles, epicentre of political power and stage for endless romps, romances, deceptions and daring deeds. With detailed costuming and , it's a glorious historical drama - and there's plenty of it to enjoy, with the complete box set of Versaillles now streaming at SBS on Demand.
Vienna Blood
Step into 1900s Vienna, a hot bed of philosophy, science and art, where a clash of cultures and ideas collide in the city’s grand cafes and opera houses. Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) is a brilliant young English student of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. When Max comes into contact with Oskar Rheinhardt, a Detective Inspector struggling with a strange case, he agrees to help him investigate a series of unusual and disturbing murders. Max’s extraordinary skills of perception and forensics, and his deep understanding of human behaviour and deviance, lead them to solving some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases.
Hernan
This series, shot on location in Spain and Mexico, charts a pivotal moment of history: The Spanish 'Conquistador' Hernan Cortes arrives in the shores of what today is Mexico and faces challenges from both the locals and some who've sailed with him. The big-budget drama shows the impact of his arrival by portraying events from the viewpoint of a different character in each episode; they include the warrior prince Xicotencatl, the religious Moctezuma and Cortes's youngest captain, the impetuous Gonzalo de Sandoval.
Das Boot
You may be ready to continue with season 2 of Das Boot (which has now berthed at SBS On Demand) or start from the very beginning, with all 16 episodes ahead of you. In season one, it's autumn of 1942 in occupied France, and the submarine U-612 is now ready for its maiden voyage, preparing to head into the increasingly brutal warfare with its young crewmen, including the new captain, Klaus Hoffmann. As the 40 men take on their first mission, they struggle with the cramped and claustrophobic conditions of life underwater. Meanwhile, at the port of La Rochelle, Simone Strasser, sister of one of the crew, is engulfed in a dangerous liaison. And in season two of the critically acclaimed drama, it's December, and U-boat ace Johannes von Reinhartz (Clemens Schick) is handed a new secret mission to transport three saboteurs to the US East Coast on board U-822. When his loyalty is questioned, U-612 is sent in pursuit.
In French, German, and English with English subtitles. Seasons 1 and 2 are .
The Longest Day in Chang’an
Set in 744 AD, the 48 episodes of this quick-moving, visually impressive drama follows one very stressful day in the cosmopolitan heart of the Tang dynasty, Chang’an. On the day of the Lantern festival, when the city will be filled with revellers, attackers are planning to destroy it. The young leader of the intelligence bureau must scramble to stop the planned attack, which would devastate not only the city, but the court itself. To head up the investigation, he retrieves a former army officer from his tortured life on death row and teams him up with an eager young investigator.
Taboo
Tom Hardy stars as James Delaney, an adventurer who returns to 1814 London after 10 years in Africa to claim a mysterious legacy left to him by his father. But with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex problems to avoid his own death sentence.
The Plague
Five years after the decimation of the last Black Death epidemic, the Spanish city of Seville, the thriving gateway to the New World, has managed to recover. But in the city and further afield, there's still plenty of danger lurking in this 16th-century noir thriller.
Miss S
Following the global success of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, SBS on Demand welcomes Miss S, the exciting new Chinese adaptation. Miss Su Wen Li (Ma Yili) returns to Shanghai having been invited to a dinner party by her boss. However, when her boss’ husband goes missing and is discovered dead, Miss Su Wen Li launches her investigation into his death.
In Mandarin with English subtitles. All 30 episodes of Miss S will be available to stream at SBS On Demand from Thursday 28 January. 
Looking for more period drama? Take a look at these now streaming on SBS On Demand.
Miss S (Ma Yili) Source: SBS
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