Fun fact: We at SBS On Demand are as obsessed with streaming as you are! Whenever we ask each other what we're watching, someone is constantly mid-way through a big box set binge, or hanging out for the latest episode of an express release series. We're watching , heading straight to the page for a deep cut deep dive, staying riveted by a , or working our way through a language collection to find a hidden gem, or beloved classic.
Right now we're counting down the days until everyone's favourite dystopian drama, The Handmaid's Tale, makes its long-awaited return with Season Five. The new season premieres on Thursday 15 September (at the time of writing, that's 28 days away. We told you were were counting).
We've been teased by . We've kept up to date with episodes of our Handmaid's Tale companion podcast, . And we've kept ourselves busy with a variety of shows as we work up to the big season premiere. We asked the entire team (our curators, our engineers, our product owners, our digital marketing experts, our customer service managers, our analysts) one question: "What have you been watching?"
Here's a sample of the TV that's been on our own watchlists of late. You can find these and more in our What We've Been Watching...(As We Wait For Handmaid's Tale) Collection, at SBS On Demand:
The Handmaid's Tale Season 5 Teaser
Yes, we already mentioned that we watched it, but we've watched it at least 325 times. (Each time we try to glean a few more insights into what Season 5 has in store. Don't pretend you haven't done the same...)
Creamerie
Let's call this one "Handmaid's-adjacent", for its worldview of a dystopian society obsessed with fertility. The English-language 2021 sci-fi dramedy Creamerie follows the lives of three dairy farm workers in a New Zealand community eight years after a virus seemingly wiped out every man on the planet.
The community is ruled by the Wellness organisation, which also coordinates repopulation through a lottery system and using sperm saved from before the pandemic. Rebellious Alex (Ally Xue), grieving widow Jaime (JJ Fong) and naive Pip (Perlina Lau) are shocked one night when they discover Bobby (Jay Ryan), a man, still very much alive, on the farm. His arrival makes them question their loyalties and whether they should hand Bobby over to Wellness or protect him.
Atlanta
Multi-hyphenate Donald Glover rewrote the genre rule book with this series. He stars as Earn Marks, who is languishing at a job he’s over-qualified for yet no good at, when he discovers his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) is up-and-coming rap star, Paper Boi. Earn is determined to better his life through managing Alfred’s career. Every step of the way, though, such issues as race, poverty and status, and navigating relationships and parenthood, face and challenge the men. Glover’s creation is one of a kind.
Seasons 1-3 of Atlanta are all now streaming in a current box set . (There's another season coming soon, too!)
Start here:
Off Country
It's moving, it's challenging and it's brilliant. In Off Country, we follow seven Indigenous teens over the course of a year, studying at Geelong Grammar, thousands of kilometres away from their homes. Their families are determined to give them the best education, but their separation from home takes its toll. “Sometimes you need to think, are we doing the best thing?” With great courage, these kids allow us to take part in their journey, sharing the highs and lows of their life-changing experience.
All episodes of Off Country are streaming at SBS On Demand, including versions with subtitles in , , , and . Watch episode 1 now:
Pagan Peak
As per The Bridge, German series Pagan Peak kicked off with a mangled body found positioned on either side of the border with Austria. The investigators, one from each country, hunted down the killer in the end. But crime never sleeps, so our odd coupling of dedicated professional, German officer Ellie Stocker (Julia Jentsch) and scruffy gruff Austrian inspector Gedeon Winter (Nicholas Ofczarek) are back. There’s a new kid in police town, learning from Ellie, and another serial killer to be brought to justice.
Halt and Catch Fire
It’s all about computer love and computer games. as ‘the best show that nobody watched’ to be ‘filed next to Mad Men’, Halt and Catch Fire takes us to 1980s Texas at the dawn of the personal computing boom. Joe, Gordon and Cameron are a visionary, a computer engineer and a prodigy respectively whose innovations threaten the corporate behemoths of the time. Greed and ego won’t be the only challenges to their undertaking as they walk down risky but enticing new paths. Also featuring green type on black computer screens and a ripper soundtrack, add this to your watchlist. It's on ours!
Travel Man
Richard Ayoade is the deadpan and yet engaging original host of this offbeat travel show, and he handed his suitcase over to fellow wit Joe Lycett, at the start of season 10. Throughout the seasons the wordsmiths spend 48 hours in a (usually European) city with a celebrity guest. The dynamics between the travellers can oscillate wildly, which is part of the adventure. Guests include , , , and . So join Ayoade and then Lycett (and their various companions) as they make travel more efficient, and take a ruthless approach to getting the maximum out of a mini break.
Mr. Mercedes
Based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel and adapted by David E. Kelley, Mr Mercedes stars Brendan Gleeson as retired police detective Bill Hodges. Two years after retiring Hodges is still haunted by his last case, a massacre that left 16 people dead. The killer was dubbed Mr. Mercedes. When Hodges begins to receive a series of lurid letters and emails, from the supposed killer taunting him, he is forced to undertake a private and potentially felonious crusade to bring the killer to justice before he strikes again. Brendan Gleeson + Stephen King = a winning cat-and-mouse thriller that audiences haven’t been able to get enough of. And neither have we!
How Mad Are You?
If you had to diagnose someone with a history of mental illness, would you get it right? This two-part SBS Original series probes our misconceptions around mental ill health. Three experts – clinical nurse Jan MacIntire and Professors Jayashri Kulkarni and Tim Carey – rely on observation alone to diagnose which five out of ten participants in the documentary have a history of mental illness. Along the way, several myths about mental illness are challenged. It's a thought-provoking factual series that's well worth your time.
The two-part series is streaming at SBS On Demand - but be quick!
Feels Good Man
Imagine you're an laidback animator who creates cute little stoner frog character for the world's enjoyment. Now imagine watching on, powerless to stop, as your joyful creation becomes co-opted by the unsavoury forces of the dark web, and a poster child of hatred, racism and general bigotry of the alt-right. So is the true story of Matt Furie, and his ongoing effort to rescue his Pepe The Frog character from his bad reputation. It's a wild story that probably won't restore your faith in humanity but you watch Handmaid's so we know you can take it.
The feature documentary is now streaming at SBS On Demand
Insight: Reputation Rebuild
We can't confirm that the same staff member who nominated Pepe The Frog subsequently went on to watch this episode of Insight, but they really do make for a good double. This recept episode of the excellent weekly current affairs program examines whether it's possible to reclaim a reputation once lost: As social beings we’re hardwired to care what others think. Good reputation takes time to build but can be destroyed by just one misstep or allegation. For many, the online world turns reputational damage into inescapable trauma. Insight asks when reputation takes a hit, can it be restored?
Watch this episode at SBS On Demand
And sample the deep catalogue of . Some seasons available with , , , and subtitles.
This Life
This British drama from the '90s groups together five rookie lawyers in a share house, launching their careers while also enjoying their first taste of independence. Refreshingly, there is no moralising here. Drinking too much or having casual sex can happen without dire consequences. As one of its stars, , “it was real life. [I thought] ‘I have to be in this. I don’t care how. I just have to be in it.’” Creator Amy Jenkins, herself a former lawyer, vowed not to enter a courtroom, but focus on the conversations and relationships, and it’s all the better for it. The soundtrack kills, too.
House of Maxwell
UK media mogul Robert Maxwell and his family are forever linked with scandal. This comprehensive yet concise BBC documentary spans five decades, exploring the exponential rise and dramatic downfall of the Maxwell dynasty. Covering such scandals as mysterious deaths and criminal trials, up to the recent conviction of sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell, the three-parter tells the staggering story of this notorious family, and reflects on society’s shifting attitudes to money, sex and power.
All episodes of House of Maxwell are now available.
Lost For Words
A staggering 43% of Australian adults are missing the literacy skills needed for everyday life. Hosted by Jay Laga’aia, this wonderfully warm and empathetic three-part series brings together eight Australians hoping to overcome their struggle to read, write and spell, and thereby transform their lives. Shining a light on our nation’s shamefully low literacy rates, the program shows how easy it is for people to fall through the cracks. Our courageous adults do everything they can to lift themselves out.
Lost For Words is now streaming (also available with , , , and subtitles).
L’Opéra
Within the of the Paris Opera Ballet, housed in the beautiful Palais Garnier, also known as L’Opéra, are our three protagonists: 35-year-old principal dancer Zoé (Ariane Labed, Trigonometry), up-and-coming 19-year-old Flora (Suzy Bemba) and relatively young (at 38) new Director of Dance, Sébastien (Raphaël Personnaz). Zoe’s fast lifestyle has caught up with her as she fights to maintain her place in the company, while Black dancer Flora is desperate to confirm her spot. Sébastien is keen to throw off the coat of tradition and take the Paris Opera Ballet to the top of modern international ballet.
With showrunner Cecile Ducrocq of The Bureau and Call My Agent pedigree, put this drama at the top of your watch-list.
Head to for even more recommendations (including movies. We haven't even mentioned the movies we've been watching!) and get busy watching. Enjoy our What We're Watching...(While We Wait For Handmaid's Tale) Collection, and September 15 will be here before you know it.
