In a world of personalised algorithms, viral moments and 17,000 streaming services (OK, maybe not that many), one can’t be blamed for not having watched every single TV show or movie that’s come out this year.
Staying on top of all the quality TV shows and films that need to be watched is almost impossible on an average day, but on a streaming service like SBS On Demand, where dramas and documentaries from around the world meet where you otherwise might never see them, there’s even more to be intrigued by.
In fact, it’s something that can even be a little daunting, but that’s where we come in! If you're looking for things to add to your summer viewing list and you want to get across some of SBS’s most underrated series and documentaries, look no further than the Best Hidden Gems of 2025 collection.
Here are some highlights:
Daddy Issues
Aimee Lou Wood (White Lotus, Sex Education) is brilliant in this poignant sitcom about a young woman who accidentally gets pregnant and then has to move in with her sweet but foolish father in order to keep a roof over her head. While this comedy is raunchy and hilarious, it doesn’t shy away from the terror and frustration of being a woman trapped by circumstance and surrounded by disappointment. Its exploration of weaponised incompetence and casual misogyny is bleak, thrumming with a rage that hardens the laughs emitted while watching.
Daddy Issues season 1 is streaming at SBS On Demand. Season 2 premieres Thursday 1 January.
Stream free On Demand
Daddy Issues
series • Comedy
M
series • Comedy
M
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
Named after the 1978 film in which Shields played an 11-year-old prostitute who had nude scenes and shared several kiss scenes with then 29-year-old Kevin Carradine, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is a harrowing celebrity documentary exploring the sexualisation of children that led to Shields’ fame and trauma as a child star.
Even as a teenager, Shields was both despised and desired by the public, her sexuality belonging to everyone but herself. A horrifying yet hopeful watch, this is the story of how Brooke Shields clawed back her agency and escaped the exploitation that shaped so much of her life.
Two-part series Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is streaming at SBS On Demand until 31 December.
Stream free On Demand
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields
series • Documentary
MA15+
series • Documentary
MA15+
Black Daisies
This Polish crime thriller follows geologist Lena (Karolina Kominek), who, while on her way to Antarctica, is informed that her estranged teenage daughter Ada (rising star Alicja Wieniawa-Narkiewiczhas) has gone missing from their hometown along with several preschool children. As Lena returns to the city of Wałbrzych and begins investigating the disappearances herself, it becomes clear that not everyone believes her daughter is innocent and, in fact, she may be a suspect herself.
This noir thriller is no ordinary mystery, with strange symbols and underground tunnels complicating the narrative and suggesting something supernatural might be at play.
Black Daisies is a great watch for fans of Stranger Things who are looking for something a little darker and more mature.
Black Daisies is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Black Daisies
series • Thriller • Polish
MA15+
series • Thriller • Polish
MA15+
Great Australian Road Trips
This upbeat travel series starring duos of Australian stars is a balm for the soul amidst the chaos that has characterised 2025 (and it’s also great inspo for your next domestic holiday).
Nazeem Hussein and Melissa Leong are the perfect pair to explore the raw beauty of Tasmania, Queensland, Alice Springs and Darwin, while Claudia Karvan and Steph Tisdell tackle The Great Barrier Reef Drive, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and the south coast of NSW.
Come for the scenic views and stay for the deep chats that can only take place on a long drive with your mates.
Great Australian Road Trips is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Great Australian Road Trips
series • Documentary
PG
series • Documentary
PG
Am I Being Unreasonable?
Named after the website that is essentially the mum version of the infamous AITA Reddit forum, Am I Being Unreasonable? is a hallucinatory comedy-thriller about a woman secretly grieving the death of her lover while still being married to her unsatisfactory husband and taking care of their child.
The show blurs the boundaries between real and imagined, playing with the concept of the unreliable narrator while keeping main character Nic (Daisy May Cooper) sympathetic, raw and vulnerable. Like the best comedies, it has a real depth too, navigating the loneliness of motherhood.
Both seasons of Am I Being Unreasonable? are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Am I Being Unreasonable?
series • Comedy
MA15+
series • Comedy
MA15+
Blinded
Economics journalist Bea (Julia Ragnarsson) finds herself compromised when she gets a tip-off that her new lover, charming bank manager Peder (Matias Varela), may be hiding something. As she investigates potential corruption and wrestles with her own conflicted feelings, the conspiracy only gets deeper — what is she to do?
This juicy Swedish thriller draws from real news stories of financial scams (who knew banks were such fertile ground for drama?) and makes things even more compelling with the star-crossed romance between its two leads. Forget enemies-to-lovers, this is more like lovers-to-enemies-to-maybe-lovers-again-but-also-what-about-journalism-ethics?
Three seasons of Blinded are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Blinded
series • Drama • Swedish
MA15+
series • Drama • Swedish
MA15+
Helsinki Syndrome
Helsinki syndrome doesn’t exist — it’s a misnomer that usually refers to Stockholm syndrome, a (largely contested) psychological condition where a hostage bonds with their captor and then refuses to testify against them to police. It’s also the name of this Finnish thriller series about a man who takes a team of journalists hostage and makes them investigate a financial crisis from the ‘90s that led to the death of his father.
At first it appears he is conspiracy theorist, but the journalists realise their captor Elias (Peter Franzén) may actually be onto something, which complicates things for the cops outside who are determined to arrest him and put a stop to the whole ordeal.
Based on real events, this drama was initially going to be a documentary before it morphed into a two-season fictionalised thriller.
Both seasons of Helsinki Syndrome are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Helsinki Syndrome
series • Drama • Finnish
M
series • Drama • Finnish
M
Safe Harbor
From the mind of Ozark creator Mark Williams, Safe Harbor is a Irish-Nordic crime thriller about various criminal factions warring over Holland’s busiest shipping port.
At the centre of the story are hackers and best friends Marco (Martijn Lakemeier) and Tobias (Alfie Allen), who are desperate for money and become caught up in a dangerous job for the Irish mob, led by siblings Sloane and Farrell. If the hackers succeed, they might finally get what they need. If they don’t, well, you can guess what could happen. And then there’s the fact that if either party simply betrays their ally, they might come out on top. Is kinship worth more than riches and power?
Safe Harbor has been compared to Game of Thrones due to its multiple perspectives of morally grey leads whose conflicting agendas are all sympathetic to us as the audience. It also helps that two of Thrones’ biggest actors, the aforementioned Allen (who played Theon Greyjoy) and Jack Gleeson (who played the much-despised Joffrey Baratheon), also star here. If you’re looking for something akin to a political thriller but with fewer players and higher stakes, check this series out.
Safe Harbor is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Safe Harbor
series • Thriller • Dutch
MA15+
series • Thriller • Dutch
MA15+
Find more great shows you might have missed in the BEST HIDDEN GEMS OF 2025 COLLECTION at SBS On Demand. You can also discover the year's most popular films, TV show and documentaries in the BEST OF 2025 HUB.
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