Top new series in October 2021

A highly anticipated new Australian drama, crime and political thrillers, a stylish French drama, celebrity quiz show and a smattering of the undead. October has something for everyone.

What's new in October 2021

(L–R) ‘New Gold Mountain’, ‘Departure’ season 2, ‘Back To Life’ season 2, ‘Day of the Dead’ Source: SBS

Back To Life

Fans of Daisy Haggard’s “near-perfect TV” show (The Guardian) will be thrilled to welcome season 2. We pick up a few weeks on from where season 1 left us as Miri (Haggard) re-enters life after 18 years in prison. Her probation officer Janice has got her a trial shift at the supermarket and she’s been spending more time with her neighbour, Billy, but things are icy between her and her mother, after she found out something rather shocking about Caroline (played by the ever watchable Geraldine James). From the producers of Fleabag, Back to Life is poignant, memorable and funny. 

Season 2 of Back To Life premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

Thin Blue Line

What is being a modern-day cop all about? Swedish crime drama Thin Blue Line follows six diverse protagonists as they deal with the daily threat of danger while attempting to build a fulfilling personal life at the same time. Focused on a police unit in the vibrant multicultural city of Malmö, the officers are ever striving for a balance between public and private, but the line is determined to blur. This engaging intelligent drama takes us right to the heart of this challenging job, never a simple 9 to 5 setup.

Thin Blue Line premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

Celebrity Letters and Numbers

Back by popular demand and in a new guise, comedian Michael Hing hosts Celebrity Letters and Numbers, with beloved wordsmith David Astle and numbers expert Lily Serna keeping us all honest. Each episode introduces three celebrity guests who will try their best to make it through the rounds, with a special guest joining David in Dictionary Corner. Tune in to catch Matt Okine, Hamish Blake, Jennifer Wong, Aaron Chen, Susie Youssef and others, as they take up the challenge.

Celebrity Letters and Numbers airs weekly on Saturdays at 7.30pm on SBS and .  

Dead Mountain: The Dyatlov Pass Incident

Bringing Soviet Russia’s most famous unsolved mystery to the screen, this Russian drama recalls an incident from January 1959 in which nine students never returned from a trek through the icy Ural Mountains. Their bodies were discovered a month later, strewn around their tent, which had been cut open from the inside. Tasked with investigating this strictly confidential case is Oleg, a WWII veteran and KGB major, assisted by medical examiner, Katya. Oleg, troubled by his recent past, brings his sixth sense to his determination to find out the truth. But even if he does, will he ever share it? This is a most compelling drama.

Dead Mountain: The Dyatlov Pass Incident premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

Adam and Poh’s Malaysia in Australia

On screen together for the first time, co-hosts Adam Liaw and Poh Ling Yeow travel round Australia to cook delicious food from their shared Malaysian heritage using the best of Australian produce. The friends ensure we have plenty of fun and laughs along the way, sharing personal stories and exploring what makes the two nations such good mates; they discover, while much of the relationship is based on food, it is also about more than laksas and lattes.

Adam and Poh’s Malaysia in Australia world premieres exclusively on SBS Food and SBS On Demand at 8.30pm on Thursday 7 October, continuing weekly. Catch up where you will find episodes subtitled in , , and .

Departure

Canadian thriller Departure is back for season 2. This time, Kendra (Archie Panjabi) is working alongside the FBI to find out what caused the crash of a high-speed train in rural Michigan. With several leads to follow – the tech mogul inventor of the train’s software, a mysterious member of a Mexican drug cartel, a disgruntled employee resisting the train’s automated technology – Kendra has her work cut out for her. We love Panjabi in this role.

Season 2 of Departure was the last for co-star Christopher Plummer, who died in February, aged 91. The legendary Canadian actor filmed all his scenes, from his own home due to the pandemic, before he died.
Season 2 of Departure premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming . (Season 1 episodes are also available for catch-up.)

New Gold Mountain

We are incredibly excited to present this new four-part Australian drama, commissioned by SBS. Told from the perspective of the Chinese miners, New Gold Mountain takes us back to gold rush Australia. Inspired by real life, a murder mystery brings together an ensemble cast of compelling characters. Stars Yoson An (Dead Lucky, Mulan), Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings), Christopher James Baker (True Detective), Dan Spielman (The Code) and Mabel Li ().
New Gold Mountain premieres exclusively in Australia on SBS and SBS On Demand at 9.30pm, Wednesday 13 October. See the four-part series on Wednesday and Thursday nights over two big weeks, screening 13 October, 14 October then 20 October and 21 October.

Episodes  are also available with subtitles in , , , and . Start here:

Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley

Backed by the latest science, renowned science journalist Dr Michael Mosley and local sports physiologist-turned-diabetes warrior Ray Kelly set out to revolutionise the nation’s health and reverse the rampage of type 2 diabetes. 

Australia’s Health Revolution with Dr Michael Mosley world premieres exclusively in Australia on SBS and SBS On Demand at 7.30pm from Wednesday 13 October, airing over three weeks.

Episodes  are also available with subtitles in , , , and . Start here:

Labyrinth of Peace

Set in 1945 Switzerland, this family drama follows brothers Johann and Egon after their very different war-time experiences. Johann, who avoided military service, is keen to take over the successful textile business of his fiancée Klara’s father; Klara is caring for displaced young Holocaust survivors. Egon has returned from service and in a new law enforcement role, is tasked with hunting down escaped Nazis. As we follow the family in the freshness of peace, the war lingers over them: Johann’s ambition brings him into contact with those who committed war crimes, Egon is caught in a system that turns a blind eye to Nazi criminals for the sake of profit and Klara’s relationship is put at risk as she grows closer to Herschel, a survivor. From creator Petra Volpe, this absorbing drama focuses on an oft-overlooked time and place in history.

Labyrinth of Peace premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

L’Opéra

If you’re missing Paris as much as we are, this stylish and relatable French drama will fit the bill. Within the of the Paris Opera Ballet, housed in the beautiful Palais Garnier, also known as L’Opéra, are our three protagonists: 35-year-old principal dancer Zoé (Ariane Labed, Trigonometry), up-and-coming 19-year-old Flora (Suzy Bemba) and relatively young (at 38) new Director of Dance, Sébastien (Raphaël Personnaz). Zoe’s fast lifestyle has caught up with her as she fights to maintain her place in the company, while Black dancer Flora is desperate to confirm her spot. Sébastien is keen to throw off the coat of tradition and take the Paris Opera Ballet to the top of modern international ballet.

With showrunner Cecile Ducrocq of The Bureau and Call My Agent pedigree, put this drama at the top of your watch-list.

L’Opéra premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

Red Election

We’re in London where Danish secret service agent Katrine Poulson (Victoria Carmen Sonne) and British spy Beatrice Ogilvy (Lydia Leonard) are thrown together in a race against time. As a terrorist plot against the British PM unfolds, Poulson and Ogilvy are tangled up in a web of lies, murder and power struggles; they can’t trust anyone, and they soon realise the deadly conspiracy could be part of a far-reaching geopolitical masterplan. This English-language political thriller also stars Game of Thrones’ Stephen Dillane and Homeland’s James D’Arcy.

Red Election premieres exclusively in Australia with a double episode on Thursday 28 October at 8:30pm on SBS, continuing weekly. Episodes stream  the same day they go to air.

Algiers Confidential

Set in modern-day Algeria, this French-language German production is a thrilling spy drama. When two of his countrymen – arms dealers – are kidnapped, a German police investigator is sent to Algiers in search of them. Beginning a steamy affair with an Algerian prosecutor investigating the case for her country probably wasn’t the best idea, but as the pair go deeper, they uncover a corruption scandal testing their loyalty to their nations and to each other. There are plenty of subplots and mysteries to unravel to keep you hooked.

Algiers Confidential premieres exclusively in Australia and is now streaming .

Temple

Mark Strong. Carice Van Houten. If you need more information than that, Strong plays Daniel, a surgeon who runs a literal underground surgery for folks unable or unwilling to access aboveground medical treatment, in the tunnels beneath London’s Temple tube station. Season 2 picks up from where season 1 left off, with Daniel determined to stay ahead of his own lies. His wife Beth has awoken from her coma, and Eve makes a startling discovery. Lee is swept up in a fanatical cause while life for Anna, who lures patients down to the clinic, gets more and more intense. Watch it. Trust us.

Season 2 of Temple premieres exclusively in Australia from Friday 29 October, fast-tracked from the UK. Catch up with season 1 episodes.

Day of the Dead

Inspired by George A. Romero’s 1985 masterpiece, this is one fun romp of a take on the hugely popular horror franchise. When six strangers face the first 24 hours after an invasion of the undead, they band together (unlike most zombie tales where crisis brings out the worst in each other). Together, they embark on ass-kicking adventures and discover how their differences are strengths that benefit the whole.

Day of the Dead premieres exclusively in Australia at SBS On Demand with a triple episode drop on Saturday 30 October. Episodes will land weekly on Saturdays after that, fast-tracked from the US. (Look out for Day of the Dead on SBS VICELAND in coming months.)
Day of the Dead - Season 1
‘Day of the Dead’ Source: SBS
 

 


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10 min read
Published 27 September 2021 4:23pm
Updated 28 October 2021 12:56pm
By SBS Guide
Source: SBS


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