EXPERIENCE THE END OF AN ERA
The final season of Vikings arrives exclusively to SBS and SBS On Demand this January. Vikings S6B joins 15 new drama series and two festival collections coming to SBS On Demand next month
With over 11,000 hours of free content across every genre already available to stream on the platform, SBS On Demand will introduce another sixteen new series to Australian audiences in January. From thrillers and historical dramas to mysteries and comedies, ring in the new year with something different.
Created by Michael Hirst (The Tudors), the final season of epic saga Vikings will premiere with a double episode on SBS and SBS On Demand at 8:30pm on Wednesday 6 January. First premiering in 2013 and inspired by the tales of the Norsemen of early medieval Scandinavia, Vikings fans have been waiting over a year to find out how this iconic series concludes. 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.
Set in 1900s Vienna and starring Australian actress Jessica De Gouw (The Secrets She Keeps, The Hunting) and Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game), Vienna Blood drops on New Year’s Day. Max Liebermann is a brilliant young English doctor and student of famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. When Max encounters 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 psychology and Oskar’s forceful tenacity lead them to solve some of Vienna’s most mysterious and deadly cases. Praised by The Guardian as “enjoyably absurd”, Vienna Blood has since been renewed for a second season.
World on Fire and the third season of Medici will arrive on the platform on Thursday 7 January. Set in 1939 and 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. The series draws viewers into the creeping horror of the outbreak of the war. Tracing the intertwining fates of people from Britain, Poland, France, Germany and the United States, World on Fire explores the human stories hidden within one of the most seismic moments in history. Season three of Medici resumes after the Pazzi Conspiracy, an event that wrought havoc within the Medici family. Lorenzo seeks revenge and must also face the growing discontent of Florence’s citizens, who find their inspiration in religious leader Girolamo Savonarola. Catch up on the first two seasons of Medici, available now on SBS On Demand.
Espionage thriller La Unidad and Norwegian crime drama For Life will drop on Thursday 14 January. Based on the real experiences of counterterrorism professionals, La Unidad follows the members of a police unit – led by commissioner Carla Torres (Nathalie Poza) – and their fight against jihadist terrorism. When the most wanted terrorist leader is captured in Spain, it turns the country into a target. For Carla and her team, they face the insurmountable task of stopping an impending attack, while also trying to resolve conflicts in their personal lives that their job has, in part, stolen from them. Procedural crime series For Life centres around Victoria Woll, a hardened National Crime Service investigator. The story follows her across two different timelines: in the present, where it’s her job to solve cases and put criminals behind bars, and in the future, where she is locked up in prison. Each episode follows a present-day, standalone case, whilst intermittently revealing new pieces to the continuing puzzle about Victoria and why she is fighting for her freedom.
Available from Thursday 21 January, science fiction fans will devour The White Wall, a thrilling tale about a mysterious white wall found deep underground, at the mining site of the world’s largest nuclear waste depository. Project director Lars Rapp wants the wall to be kept a secret, but rumours spread quickly. The depository is years behind schedule and Lars has no intention of postponing the approaching opening ceremony. However, Lars and his team soon realise that the wall is not made of any material known to man.
French drama No Man’s Land and Chinese crime series Miss S will both be available from Thursday 28 January. A fast-paced and high-intensity thriller, No Man’s Land explores the lengths that people are willing to go to save the ones they love. Antoine, a young French man, uproots his life in search of his long gone, presumed-to-be-dead sister, only to find himself plunged into one of the most dangerous places in the world – Syria. While unravelling the mystery, dark secrets emerge and threaten to ruin his family. Miss S is the Chinese adaptation of the critically acclaimed Australian drama series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.Set in the 1930s, Miss S follows detectives Su Wen Li and Luo Qiu Heng as they solve unsettled cases.
Joining these premium titles are seasons one-two of comedy series Atlanta (1 January), seasons one-three of period drama Versailles (1 January), season one of Danish thriller Cry Wolf (7 January), season one of Swedish crime series We Got This (7 January), season one of Norwegian family drama State of Happiness(14 January), season one of French thriller Possessions (21 January), and season one of Swedish political drama Inner Circle (28 January).
This January, SBS On Demand will partner with two leading festivals to bring Australian audiences an additional suite of content from around the globe.
Sydney Festival Artistic Director Wesley Enoch has curated a collection of 10 television titles that explore Australian culture. From Benjamin Law’s The Family Law to landmark series First Contact, the Australian Made collection will include a diverse range of documentaries, children’s programming, comedies and game show series. Audiences can binge the Australian Made collection from 6 – 26 January 2021.
January 2021 marks 30 years of Flickerfest, Australia’s leading Academy® Qualifying Short Film festival. SBS On Demand has partnered with Flickerfest to present 49 short films that celebrate the very best of Flickerfest. The collection includes 42 much-loved Australian and International films, as well as seven short films that celebrate the LGBTQI+ experience. Films include Academy Award nominees Butter Lamp and The Eleven O’Clock starring Josh Lawson, and Ralph, written and directed by Deborah Mailman. Audiences can experience the 30 Years of Flickerfest collection from 1 January 2021 on SBS On Demand. The Flickerfest festival will take place in Bondi from the 22 – 31 January 2021.
