By Travis Johnson
SBS has released their 2018 programming slate today, revealing for the first time their plans for shows across SBS, SBS VICELAND, NITV, The Food Network and SBS On Demand.
Among their announcements are five commissioned Australian drama series, reflecting a diverse palette of stories reflective of modern Australia.
SBS Managing Director, Michael Ebeid, said, “SBS is delivering its strongest year yet, with differentiated programs and services that set it apart in an increasingly homogenous and competitive media market.
“Through a defined strategic direction, an innovative approach to scheduling and acceleration of our digital services, and as our nation becomes more culturally complex, we’re proud that SBS is engaging more Australians with our important programming across more platforms than ever before.”
The five series are:
Safe Harbour, a psychological thriller filmed in and set in Brisbane starring Joel Jackson and Ewen Leslie, in which a group of friends on a boating holiday come across a fishing boat overloaded with asylum seekers.
Dead Lucky, a crime drama starring Rachel Griffiths and Yoson An as two feuding detectives who must track a fugitive killer across Sydney.
The Family Law, the third and apparently final series of Benjamin Law’s acclaimed show.
Grace Beside Me, a children’s series adapted from the novel of the same name by Sue McPherson, and NITV’s first scripted drama.
Homecoming Queens, the first local commission for SBS On Demand, decribed as “a semi-autobiographical ‘sad-com’ from an all-female creative team following twenty-something best friends as they reinvent themselves after chronic illnesses.”
Director of TV and Online Content, Marshall Heald, said: “At SBS, we want to play a constructive role in helping Australians understand who we are. We want to encourage Australians to seek out different perspectives, to feel a sense of connection, belonging and empowerment. We want to tell stories that make people think, stories that make people feel, stories that challenge us, stories that inspire us.
“For more than 40 years, promoting diversity has been at the heart of SBS. We want to tell stories with underlying thematics that help Australians understand that this country’s greatest asset is the diversity of our people. Our differences make us strong.”
