•  
Home NEWS

SBS reveals their new and returning shows for 2019

From international premium dramas to intriguing homegrown docos, the network has a lot in store for viewers
Profile picture of Gavin Scott
xx

The four other free-to-air networks have had their upfronts, and earlier this week it was SBS’s turn to unveil their programming highlights for 2019. These are the shows to get excited about …

RETURNING FAVOURITES

  • Praise be, the third season of The Handmaid’s Tale will be fast-tracked to SBS, as will the third season of legal drama The Good Fight. Historical dramas Vikings and Knightfall will also be back with new seasons.
  • On the local front, The Family Law‘s third and final season will air, while new instalments of Who Do You Think You Are?, Struggle Street, Secrets of Our Cities, Marry Me, Marry My Family and the Untold Australia series of documentaries will all screen.
  • Eurovision will be back, and in 2019, Australia will have a say in who represents us at the song contest. SBS will also once again broadcast the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
  • Following on the success of The Ghan, four more slow TV events are planned for January, including The Indian Pacific: Australia’s Longest Train Journey and boat journey The Kimberley Cruise: Australia’s Last Great Wilderness.

NEW SERIES

  • 2019 will see the debut of brand new Australian drama series The Hunt, which deals with cyber bullying, and supernatural thriller Hungry Ghosts.
  • Upcoming international drama series include The New Pope, a sequel to The Young Pope that will star Sharon Stone, John Malkovich and Jude Law; a new retelling of The Name of the Rose with John Tuturro and Rupert Everett; crime series McMafia and Butterfly starring Anna Friel.
  • New local documentaries include Christians Like Us, Medicine or Myth?, Australia in Colour and a series presented by Noni Hazlehurst with the working title My Family Secret.
  • Michael Portillo is headed our way with Great Australian Railway Journeys, which will follow the format of his previous hit series.
  • A local version of classic quiz Mastermind will air weeknightly at 6pm.
  • The 7 Up series returns with its next offering, 63 Up, following the same group of people who have been filmed for decades.
Profile picture of Gavin Scott
Gavin Scott

After cutting his teeth on teen titles Smash Hits and TV Hits (remember them?) in the 2000s, Gavin moved into weekly magazines, working for TV Week for many years and continuing to contribute to that title to this day, and writing for Who, Woman’s Day, New Idea and OK over the past decade or so. He’s also worked for digital outlets, writing and editing for SBS, Pedestrian and Who.com.au, and has hosted and produced TV and music podcasts. Entertainment in all its forms has been Gavin’s focus, whether that be interviewing the latest eliminated contestant from Survivor; reviewing the newest films, TV series and albums; writing opinion pieces about streaming platforms and their offerings; or talking to Australian pop stars past and present about their musical journey. As a long-time freelancer, Gavin goes where the work takes him, with one hand on the remote and the other scrolling through his phone for entertainment updates.

Related stories