While you're waiting for your next escape to the Tasmanian wilderness in episodes of the new season of hit survival show Alone Australia, we’ve hand-picked some of the best series from around the world that you can stream from the comfort of your couch on SBS On Demand.
This will definitely come in handy when Alone Australia takes a pause on May 28 for the State of Origin.
Rogue Heroes
From creator Steven Knight, who seemingly possesses television’s Midas touch with hits including Peaky Blinders, Taboo and This Town (also streaming at SBS On Demand) to his name, Rogue Heroes is the kind of rag tag romp that harks back to classic films like The Dirty Dozen and more recently Inglorious Basterds.
Tackling the true(ish) origins of the infamous Special Air Service of the British Army and featuring standout performances from BAFTA winner Jack O’Connell and the versatile Connor Swindells, Rogue Heroes is the perfect show for World War II buffs who like a bit of hijinks to go along with their history.
Both seasons of Rogue Heroes are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Couples Therapy
TV doesn’t get much rawer than this, as real-life couples brave the couch to tackle their various issues with forensic detail, in this fascinating reality series which has become somewhat of a sleeper hit over the course of its four-season run. Dr Orna Guralnik makes for an utterly compelling host to guide us through the choppy waters of monogamy, steering us through the drama as tears are shed and truths are told. Couples Therapy is the kind of show that should be compulsory viewing for anyone in a long-term relationship, just maybe don’t co-watch on the couch together.
All four seasons of Couples Therapy are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Scrubs
Before the likes of The Office and Parks and Recreation would turn the workplace comedy into a winning format, Scrubs was in many ways the true boundary pushing show of its day. Created by Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso, Shrinking) and featuring a star making turn from Zach Braff, Scrubs managed to reinvent the “hospital show” format and forge its own unique path on primetime TV, jettisoning the canned laughter and cleverly subverting genre tropes to become something utterly original: a zany half hour comedy that was both laugh out loud funny and emotionally poignant.
All nine seasons of Scrubs are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Shaun Micallef's Origin Odyssey
If you take Travel Man, add a dash of Who Do You think You Are? and mix it with the irreverent humour of Shaun Micallef, then you should have a pretty good idea of what sort of antics are in store throughout this highly entertaining travel series that takes some well-loved Australian comedians on a road trip across Europe to trace their family history.
From Aaron Chen reconnecting with relatives in China, to discovering Lizzy Hoo’s surprising origins in Ireland, the brilliance of the series is the way it peels back new layers to these much-loved public personalities in a way that only someone with the wit and intelligence of Micallef can.
Shaun Micallef's Origin Odyssey is streaming at SBS On Demand.
Letterkenny
Running for eight seasons after originally starting out as a YouTube series, this cult comedy is like Canada’s answer to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, such is the unorthodox nature of this offbeat tale of life in a small fictional town situated in rural Ontario.
The brainchild of creator, writer and star Jared Keeso, describing Letterkenny’s plot is almost unnecessary, as the real pleasure of watching the show comes from the brilliantly deranged dialogue, with Wayne (Keeso) and his buddies slinging one masterfully crafted insult after another at the colourful array of quirky townsfolk and their various social cliques. The series was so successful during its initial run that a spinoff series centred around the character Shoresy would later become a hit in its own right.
All 12 seasons of Letterkenny are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Four seasons of Shoresy are also streaming at SBS On Demand.
Homeland
Kicking off the second phase of Claire Danes’ career and featuring an Emmy-winning performance from Damian Lewis, Homeland was and remains one of the most compelling portrayals of trauma ever depicted on the small screen.
The twisty-turny plot of this post-9/11 thriller, involving a U.S. Marine Sergeant returning home after being taken prisoner by al-Qaeda, is engineered with the precision of a Swiss watch. To this day Homeland remains hugely influential on the now crowded espionage genre, which has only grown more popular in the intervening years.
All eight seasons of Homeland are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Blue Lights
A true pressure cooker of a police procedural that features top notch performances and the kind of gritty storytelling we’ve come to expect from hard hitting dramas out of Northern Ireland. Following three probationary officers on the streets of Belfast, Blue Lights doesn’t shy away from the moral complexities and challenges of policing in a modern metropolitan city, with a new threat seemingly around every corner. As we watch our three central characters slowly grow into their roles and the show jumps forward in time, we see the true toll the occupation takes on their personal lives, and the strength of character required to persevere.
Two seasons of Blue Lights are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Wisting
Swapping the streets of Northern Ireland for the stark landscapes of Norway, this Nordic Noir is based on a successful series of books and follows senior detective Wisting (Sven Nording) and his crime journalist daughter (Thea Green Lundbergon) as their lives become entangled whilst on the hunt for a serial killer. The series also features a rare television performance from Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), whose FBI Agent lends the series some added dramatic weight across its first two seasons, as Wisting and Moss’ character must bridge the gap between their many contrasting methods.
Three seasons of Wisting are streaming at SBS On Demand.
Alone Australia seasons 1-3 are streaming free at SBS On Demand.
Need more Alone in your life? Stream all global series of Alone with the Alone, Together collection.
