Today at the Sydney Opera House, Australian streaming service Stan announced a showcase of 25 new and returning Originals, including 17 scripted, seven documentaries and one entertainment series.
Presenting the Showcase, Stan CEO Martin Kugeler, also said that this year, for the first time, Stan would stream the Olympic and Paralympic Games live and on-demand.
Critical Incident
The biggest Australian drama highlight was the first announcement of fresh commission Critical Incident, a six-part psychological crime series created by Sarah Bassiuoni (The Secrets She Keeps) and produced by Matchbox Pictures which is part of Universal International Studios, with major investment from Screen Australia.
Described as ‘a raw series depicting life in the Western suburbs of Sydney, Critical Incident is filmed in Blacktown, Granville, Parramatta and Greenacre. The series ‘delves into the complex world of policing and the consequences on those most vulnerable’ with a cast that includes Akshay Khanna (Polite Society), Zoë Boe (The Tree), Hunter Page-Lochard, Jai Waetford, Jackson Heywood, Zindzi Okenyo Simone Kessell and Erik Thomson.
Good Cop / Bad Cop
Procedural comedic drama Good Cop / Bad Cop, to be filmed in Queensland, is a global collaboration for Stan, co-commissioned with The CW and Roku, produced by Jungle Entertainment and Future Shack Entertainment.
Starring Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Clancy Brown (Billions), the eight-part series from Will & Grace writer John Quaintance ‘follows Lou (Meester) and Henry, a sister and brother detective team in a small Pacific Northwest police force who must contend with colourful residents, a serious lack of resources, and their very complicated dynamic with each other and their police chief, Big Hank (Brown) – who happens to be their father.’
Read: Black Snow on Stan burns brightly – review
Other newly announced Stan Originals include darkly-comedic series Sunny Nights (from Jungle Entertainment, following two siblings who get caught up in the criminal underworld while navigating the beauty cosmetics industry), thriller drama series Watching You (based on the novel The Last Guests by Australian writer J.P Pomare) and the annual festive Stan Original Film, Nugget.
The slate also sees the return of Black Snow (with Travis Fimmel), the fifth season of Bump, Poker Face (with Natasha Lyonne), Ten Pound Poms and Scrublands.
Read: Ten Pound Poms review: too many plots spoil the broth
Cast reveals for Exposure and Invisible Boys
Alice Englert, Essie Davis and Thomas Weatherill will star in Exposure, a Stan Original series described as ‘a raw psychological thriller that follows a photographer who returns to her hometown after the death of her friend.’
Read: Invisible Boys, Stan: first look
Read: Scrublands, Stan review: it delivers the goods
Read: Exposure: cast announcement
Invisible Boys, the LGBTQIA+ Stan Original Series, based on the bestselling novel by Holden Sheppard and currently filming in Western Australia, will see emerging Australian actors Joseph Zada, Aydan Calafiore, Zach Blampied and Joe Klocek starring alongside Pia Miranda and David Lyons.
Documentary
Four new Stan Original Documentaries were announced, including Trailblazers, ‘the transformational journey of Australian women’s football’, and three documentaries from Stan’s investigatory Revealed slate – a collaboration with journalists from Nine’s 60 Minutes, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald:
- Revealed: Bribe, Inc., uncovering global corruption in the oil industry
- Revealed: KillJoy, the story of a family homicide
- Revealed: Malka Leifer, a harrowing abuse scandal in Melbourne.
Other announcements
- Drag Race Down Under returns with new host, global icon Michelle Visage
- New acquisitions, including action-packed thriller series Nightsleeper, Joan starring Sophie Turner, the return of global smash hit Spartacus: House of Ashur, high-octane thriller Red Eye, and suspense thriller Hunting Wives
- Returning licensed series, including Hacks Twisted Metal and the final instalment of Yellowstone.
Drag Race Down Under. Image: Stan.
Read: Drag Race Down Under: Michelle Visage named as new host
Stan Originals to premiere soon
Read: The Surfer: Nicolas Gage film wraps in WA
The Showcase event also highlighted the existing suite of Stan Originals soon to premiere, including: comedy crime thriller Population 11 (all episodes premiering 14 March); family feature film Windcatcher starring Jessica Mauboy (28 March); and The Tattooist of Auschwitz, starring Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey (2 May).
Read: Population 11 on Stan – streaming preview
Also premiering on Stan will be psychological thriller The Surfer led by Nicolas Cage, and road-trip series Thou Shalt Not Steal from director and co-creator Dylan River.
