Top new series in January 2023

We kick off with a quiz, then dive right into the best of new and returning international drama, with a few comedies thrown in for good measure. Happy 2023!

(L–R) ‘Cleaning Up’, ‘Somewhere Boy’, ‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’, ‘Vienna Blood’ season 3. Source: SBS On Demand

The Big Fat Quiz of the Year 2022

Join host Jimmy Carr for this popular annual quiz show. Three teams, made up of comedians Stephen Merchant, Katherine Ryan, Richard Ayoade, Maisie Adam, Jonathan Ross and Rose Matafeo (attempt to) answer Jimmy’s questions like, “What was Harry Styles accused of doing to Chris Pine? Why was everyone singing about a chippy? What nickname was given to the Platinum Jubilee celebrations.. It’s a good laff, perfect to kick off the new year!

Stream The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 2022 now at SBS On Demand.

Somewhere Boy

‘Somewhere Boy’. Source: Distributor

When Danny’s mother was killed, his father convinced the young boy the world was full of monsters, and confined him to life in their cabin in the woods. But at 18, Danny (Lewis Gribben, T2 Trainspotting) has cause to live with his Aunt Sue and withdrawn teenage cousin Aaron (Samuel Bottomley, Am I Being Unreasonable? which also premieres this month). Aaron challenges Danny’s beliefs about the world and the pair venture forth as bravely as they can; Danny has the added motivation of finding the real monster who killed his mum.

From the makers of The End of the F***ing World, Independent called Somewhere Boy a “charming paean to the indomitable human spirit, anchored by a star-making turn”.

Somewhere Boy premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Vienna Blood – season 3

‘Vienna Blood’. Source: Distributor

This popular Austrian crime drama returns, transporting us to 1900s Vienna. Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard, The Imitation Game), as a student of one Sigmund Freud, helps Detective Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) investigate murders taking place in the opera and grand café district of the lavish city. As with the first two seasons, acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Doctor Who) gives the duo two episodes to solve one case.  

Vienna Blood season 3 premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand. Season 1 and season 2 episodes are also streaming. Dive into season 3:

Or start from the beginning:

Desperate Measures

‘Desperate Measures’. Source: Distributor

From the UK comes this intense four-parter starring Amanda Abbington (Wolfe, Mr Selfridge) as Rowan, a diligent bank clerk who’s raising her teenage son Finn in a lawless estate. Rowan has enough on her plate, but when Finn is coerced into a botched drug deal, her son’s life is suddenly threatened, and the gang leader’s breathing down her neck for the money lost. Desperate, she agrees to take part in a dangerous heist in the bank where she works.

Jesse Cescatti-McFarlane stars as Finn in his first role while Warren Brown (The Responder) plays Patrick, Rowan’s ex and Sunetra Sarker (Casualty, Cold Feet) is Varisha, Rowan’s best friend and workmate.

Desperate Measures premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Am I Being Unreasonable?

‘Am I Being Unreasonable?’ Source: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Boffola Pictures

Nic, mum to the darling young Ollie, is harbouring a secret grief and is unhappy in her marriage. Jen, new in town, lights up Nic’s life with much-needed laughter and fun, extracting her dark secret, taking this comedy down a twisty path indeed. Written and created by friends Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, who also star as Nic and Jen, this fun and frantic caper is executive produced by one of TV’s most exciting talents, Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials).

Am I Being Unreasonable? premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Enemy of the People

‘Enemy of the People’. Source: Distributor

This thrilling Finnish drama sees journalist Katja Salonen (Kreeta Salminen) become enemy number 1 after her article revealed some dark truths about the biggest celebrity in town. A modern-day witch hunt ensues, her credibility dismantled then crushed at every turn, with the holders of power taking any means necessary to silence her. Katja continues her investigation, putting not just her reputation but her very life at risk, determined to unmask the true criminals. Mikko Kuparinen (Man in Room 301) also stars.

Enemy of the People premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Sandhamn Murders – season 8

‘Sandhamn Murders’. Source: Distributor

We welcome new episodes of this sun-drenched Swedish crime drama set in the stunning archipelago off the coast of Stockholm. It’s where lawyer Nora Linde (Alexandra Rapaport) owns a summer house and helps Detective Alexander Forsman (Nicolai Cleve Broch, who took over from Jakob Cedergren as Detective Thomas Andreasson in seasons 1–6) solve murders in and around the area. The pair don their lightest cotton shirts and get to work catching crims as well as rays.

Jonas Malmsjö (as Nora’s ex), Anki Lidén (as police chief) and Ping Mon H. Wallén (as Nora’s daughter Anna) also star in this adaptation of Viveca Sten’s popular novels.

Season 8 of Sandhamn Murders premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand. (Seasons 1–7 are also now streaming.) Dive into season 8:

Or see what all the fuss is about and start from the beginning:

Educators – season 3

‘Educators’. Source: Distributor

We love the New Zealand sense of humour, and this improvised sitcom provides it in spades. Starring Jonny Brugh and The Breaker Upperers’ Jackie van Beek, the titular educators are a hopeless bunch of stressed out mediocrities. Their maturity levels are also well below their ages would have us assume. Comedy fans will recognise many of the faces of the ensemble cast in this quirky six-parter.

Season 3 of Educators premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand. (Season 1 and season 2 are also streaming.) Dive into season 3:

Or start at the beginning:

Cleaning Up

‘Cleaning Up’. Source: Distributor

This South Korean version of the 2019 British series of the same punny name follows three cleaners: Eo Yong-Mi (Yum Jung-Ah), Ahn In-Kyung (Jeon So-Min) and Maeng Soo-Ja (Kim Jae-Hwa). After overhearing a tasty morsel of financial information at their corporate workplace, the trio take the bait and resort to insider trading to feed their family and fulfil their dreams. What could go wrong? This is one good caper.

Cleaning Up premieres exclusively in Australia with a double episode at SBS On Demand on Thursday 19 January. Single episodes will drop weekly from 26 January.

The US and the Holocaust

‘The US and the Holocaust’. Source: Library of Congress

Ken Burns has done it again. The eminent documentary filmmaker has brought us biographies on such figures as Muhammad Ali and Ernest Hemingway and deep-dives into the Vietnam and American Civil wars among many other topics over the years. His focus is squarely on his home country, and this three-part series is no different. While his topics are oft-told stories, with his signature thorough research, Burns manages to tell them as if for the first time. Another must-watch from the master.

Three-part documentary The U.S. and the Holocaust premieres on SBS and SBS On Demand on Tuesday 24 January, airing weekly. Here is episode 1:

Fenris

‘Fenris’. Source: Distributor

From sunshine we step into a nearby forest, inhabited by wolves, near Norway’s border with Sweden. There, Emma’s father works as a wolf researcher, but he seems to have gone missing soon after the disappearance of a local boy, rumoured to have been taken by wolves. Emma (Ida Elise Broch) travels to the small town of Østbygda to figure out what’s going on. This is a broody Norwegian mystery.

Fenris premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

All Those Things We Never Said

Beautifully shot in Paris, Bruges, Berlin and Madrid, this father–daughter relationship drama from France brings a fantasy bent. Julia (Alexandra Maria Lara, The Reader) learns just days before her wedding that her dad – with whom she’s had a difficult relationship – has died. The day after his funeral, she is presented with “Michel” (the legendary Jean Reno), an android of her father who claims to possess his memory. There’s a catch: he is set to shut down in 7 days. The pair end up on a quest to find Julia’s first love, Tomas, a journalist, who she thought was killed on assignment. Just when you thought you’d heard it all.

All Those Things We Never Said premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.

Blackport

‘Blackport’. Source: Distributor

Exploring how power and wealth can corrupt, this award-winning Icelandic series follows Harpa (Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir) and Grimur (Björn Hlynur Haraldsson) who, with their childhood friends, have built a small fishing empire. But its success has transformed the couple, resulting in feuds fuelled by jealousy, greed and betrayal. Expect deadpan humour, too, in this intriguing offering set in the 1980s.

Blackport premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming at SBS On Demand.