19 Best TV Shows On SBS On-Demand To Devour In 2023

Starring: Jimmy Carr, Rachel Riley
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2012
Seasons: 24

For something a little more light-hearted, British show 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown takes the popular 8 Out Of 10 Cats panel show, hosted by Jimmy Carr, and mashes it up with the longstanding letters and numbers daytime show, Countdown.

With Jimmy Carr taking on hosting duties, Countdown’s long-serving lexicographer Susie Dent and regular captains Jon Richardson and the late Sean Lock, expect a laugh a minute in this easy-watching gameshow.

Starring: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2016
Seasons: 4

An absolute must-watch, Atlanta is an award-winning comedy-drama TV series created by comedian Donald Glover (who you may know from his musical alias, Childish Gambino.)

Atlanta follows Glover’s character Earnest “Earn” Marks and his friend and rapper Paper Boi, played by Brian Tyree Henry, as they make their way through the rap scene in Atlanta. The series touches on poignant topics such as racism, white privilege, African-American culture, and existentialism. Put simply, Atlanta is easily one of the best TV shows on SBS On Demand right now.

Starring: James Nesbitt, Lorcan Cranitch
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 2021
Seasons: 2

Bloodlands is a Northern Irish crime thriller that stars the always solid James Nesbitt as DCI Tom Brannick. When he is assigned to investigate a murder case, Brannick believes it is the work of a legendary assassin known as ‘Goliath’, the very same man who killed Brannick’s wife 20 years earlier.

A gritty police procedural that features much in the way of twists and turns, Bloodlands plays out in the shadow of The Troubles with a crime mystery story that is well written and performed, especially by Nesbitt who delivers one of his best performances.

Starring: Mathieu Kassovitz, Sara Giraudeau
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: 2015
Seasons: 5

Thecritically acclaimed French political thriller The Bureau is based on real-life accounts of former spies and agents of the General Directorate of External Security (DGSE), France’s foreign intelligence agency. Agents that form this squad spend years working undercover and assuming false identities in order to scope out intelligence sources.

The Bureau focuses on one officer who has to readjust to normal life having spent six years in Damascus. If you like Homeland, you’ll love this.

Starring: Sofia Helin, Kim Bodnia
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 2011
Seasons: 4

The Bridge is a Scandi noir, but not as you know it. It follows the autistic but brilliant Swedish detective Saga Norén, who is forced to work together with detectives from Denmark following the discovery of a dead body directly in the centre of the Øresund Bridge which connects the two countries.

Darkly funny, well-written and with consistently rave reviews and several remakes, The Bridge a series you want to miss. This one’s a personal favourite.

Starring: Edoarado Pesce, Claudio Santamaria
Genre: Crime, Fantasy
Released: 2022
Seasons: 1

This 2022 Italian drama follows a man named Christian, a man who serves as a henchman for the mob and who lives on the outskirts of Rome. Christian’s life completely changes after he discovers he has the power to cure people with his hands.

There’s only one season of Christian so far, but it has already received rave reviews, with many praising it for putting a modern spin on Christian mythology.

Starring: Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2016
Seasons: 11

Long-running Canadian comedy Letterkenny stars series creator Jared Keeso as Wayne, a farmer who regards himself as the toughest guy in his small Ontario town, and often finds himself in conflict with the various cliques that are a part of his community.

Filled with sharp, witty writing, Letterkenny features memorable characters who provide ever-quotable dialogue in a comedy series that delivers with every episode.

Starring: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi
Genre: Drama, History
Released: 2016
Seasons: 3

Medici is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an Italian TV series that premiered in 2016. The political drama follows The House of Medici, a real-life banking family – and banker for the Pope – that became notorious in the early 15th century in Florence, Italy. Medici follows that family, with each season focusing on a different yet specific event.

The opening season of Medici follows the story of the head of the family dying and his son, Cosimo de Medici, succeeding him. In real life, Cosimo was the family member responsible for overseeing the first stages of the family’s rise to prominence. Raunchy, violent and well-written, it’s like Downton Abbey meets Game of Thrones.

Starring: Connor Swindells, Jack O’Connell
Genre: Action, War
Released: 2022
Seasons: 1

Inspired by true events, Rogue Heroes portrays the origins of the British Army Secret Air Service during World War II. Set in Cairo, the series follows British Army officer David Stirling (Connor Swindells) who, after a training exercise gone wrong, comes up with a plan to create a special commando unit.

Created by Steven Knight (the man behind Peaky Blinders), Rogue Heroes suitably takes artistic license with historical events to create an entertaining adventure war story that features an excellent cast in fine form.

Starring: Richard Ayoade, Joe Lycett
Genre: Comedy, Documentary
Released: 2015
Seasons: 11

Richard Ayoade, British comedian, master of the deadpan and star of British sitcoms such as The I.T. Crowd, presents this quirky travel documentary series which puts an eclectic and comedic spin on the typical travelogue.

Each episode of Travel Man sees him accompanied by a celebrity guest whom Richard acts as a tour guide for, and, being comedic in nature, you can expect plenty of laughs. Light-hearted and fun, Travel Man remains one of the best shows on SBS On Demand.

Starring: Stephen Graham, Andrew Ellis
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 2022
Seasons: 1

The Walk-In tells the story of former National Front member turned anti-fascist activist Matthew Collins (Stephen Graham), who through his activist group Hope not Hate foiled a plot to murder a Labour Party MP.

Based on remarkable true events, The Walk-In takes on confronting, topical subjects and creates a gripping crime thriller that stars the aways fantastic Stephen Graham at his best.

Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Lea Drucker
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
Released: 2019
Seasons: 3

The new War of the Worlds series is a bold new take on H.G. Wells’s classic novel about Earth coming to terms in the wake of a sudden Martian invasion.

Arguably the best post-apocalyptic thriller since The Walking Dead, this Anglo-French co-production is more cerebral, action-packed, and unique than any other sci-fi show out there at the moment. War of the Worlds offers a gripping look at how people react to a crisis, what it means to be human, and how power and circumstance can warp human morality.

Starring: Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Released: 2013
Seasons: 3

The Fall is a gripping Irish crime drama that follows the intense cat-and-mouse game between Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) and a serial killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), exploring the psychology of both the detective and the murderer as they engage in a complex and chilling battle of wits.

Starring: Greg Davies, Alex Horne
Genre: Comedy, Gameshow
Released: 2012
Seasons: 3

Taskmaster is a British comedy panel game show where a group of comedians compete against each other through a series of bizarre and humorous tasks, set by the inexorable Taskmaster (Greg Davies) and his faithful side-kick (Alex Horne).

It’s been so successful that Tom Gleeson hosts the Australian remake on 10.

Starring: Jack Whitehall, Matthew Horne, Sarah Solemani
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2012
Seasons: 3

One of Jack Whitehall’s breakout roles, the British comedian stars as Alfie an out-of-touch educator who has no idea how to run a classroom filled with an array of personalities. Bad Education was lauded as one of the best British comedies of the last decade, and with Gavin & Stacey favourite Matthew Horne as the jovial headmaster, expect the classic irreverent humour that has become synonymous with Whitehall’s comedy.

Starring: Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon Jessica Matten, Rainn Wilson. 
Genre: Crime Drama, Thriller, Western
Released: 2022
Seasons: 2

Missing Yellowstone? Us too. That’s why Dark Winds needs to be your next modern-day Western drama series to get satisfy the cowboy-core itch.

Centred around Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and his new deputy Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police in 1971, Dark Winds explores a litany of crimes affecting the indigenous Navajo population on the Reserve.

Starring: Charlie Cox, Clare Dunne, Aidan Gillen and Emmett Scanlan
Genre: Drama
Released: 2021
Seasons: 1

Boasting an all-star cast of Charlie Cox (Daredevil) and Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones), Kin explores the lengths people will go to avenge the ones they love – especially when one of their young family members is brutally killed. The Kinsellas must embark on an international gangland war with an international cartel to seek revenge, testing their familial bonds as they’re pushed to their limits.

Starring: Martin Freeman, Adelayo Adedayo, Warren Brown, MyAnna Buring
Genre: Crime Drama
Released: 2022
Seasons: 1

Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, The Office) stars as police response officer Chris, whose professional beat is the unpredictable night shifts in Liverpool, UK. Chris is tasked with maintaining the peace while trying to keep his head above water personally and professionally.

Starring: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Jodie Whittaker
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Released: 2013
Seasons: 3

Widely considered to be one of the best British crime dramas of all time, Broadchurch delves into the murder investigation of an 11-year-old boy in the small coastal town of Broadchurch. David Tennant (Doctor Who) and Olivia Colman (Peep Show, The Crown) star as the lead detectives assigned to the case, uncovering lies and betrayal within this small tight-knight community.