Best new shows – quick links
Saturday Night Live UK – 23 March (HBO Max)
Series. The highly anticipated premiere of Saturday Night Live UK – a bold British reimagining of the long-running US comedy institution – will be streaming exclusively on HBO Max Australia.
Filmed live each week in London, the six‑episode series follows the high-energy, topical, unpredictable format of the original NBC series, featuring a brand-new ensemble of 11 of the UK’s most exciting and fast-emerging comedic voices.
Like its American counterpart, SNL UK will feature a weekly celebrity guest host, a musical performer, live sketches written and staged within the same week, and a London-flavoured take on ‘Weekend Update’.
Tina Fey, celebrated for her era-defining years as head writer and cast member on the US version, will host the launch episode of SNL UK, joined by a chart-topping indie sensation Wet Leg as the musical guest. The second episode will be hosted by Jamie Dornan with musical guest Wolf Alice, while Riz Ahmed hosts Episode 3, joined by musical guest Kasabian.
The Comeback Season 3 – 23 March (HBO Max)
Series. Two decades after it first debuted in 2005 – and 10 years after its second chapter – The Comeback is returning for a third and final season.
Created by Michael Patrick King (And Just Like That…) and Lisa Kudrow, the cult comedy once again revisits the hilariously resilient Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) as she navigates the ever-shifting landscape of Hollywood fame. Episodes drop weekly, same day as the US.
Heartbreak High Season 3 – 25 March (Netflix)
Series. Game on, moles. One of Australia’s most culturally resonant modern series is back for its third and final season.
A prank gone wrong. The return of an old flame. Amerie’s final year of high school gets off to a chaotic start, and she can’t seem to catch a break. Join the graduating class of Hartley High as they say goodbye to school and hello to adulthood. Set and filmed in Sydney, the final chapter is one last wild ride.
Bait – 25 March (Prime Video)
Series. This new comedy series written by and starring Oscar and Emmy-winner Riz Ahmed centres on a struggling London actor, Shah Latif, who is in the midst of an existential crisis.
Shah’s last chance to hit it big comes in the form of an audition of a lifetime. We follow him over the course of four wild days as his life spirals out of control and his family, ex-lover and the entire world weigh in on whether he is the right man for the job.
Bait stars Riz Ahmed, Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Aasiya Shah, Weruche Opia and Ritu Arya.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – 26 March (Netflix)
Series. If we know something bad is going to happen, why do we feel so damn excited about it? This atmospheric new limited horror series follows a bride and groom in the week leading up to their ill-fated wedding. That’s not a spoiler – just read the title.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is created by Haley Z Boston for Netflix and executive produced by The Duffer Brothers.
For All Mankind Season 5 – 27 March (Apple TV)
Series. The new season of For All Mankind picks up in the years since the Goldilocks asteroid heist. Happy Valley has grown into a thriving colony with thousands of residents and a base for new missions that will take us even further into the solar system. But with the nations of Earth now demanding law and order on the Red Planet, friction continues to build between the people who live on Mars and their former home. Watch the trailer.
Homebodies – 28 March (SBS On Demand)
Series. A world premiere, this heartfelt new Australian drama stars Claudia Karvan, Luke Wiltshire, Jazi Dall and Roxie Mohebbi. When trans man Darcy reluctantly returns to his regional hometown to care for his estranged mother, Nora, he’s shocked to discover that she has secretly been living with Dee – the ghost of his pre-transition self – who manifested two years earlier.
Nora hopes Darcy’s arrival might help them all move forward. Trapped in the house with her mum, Dee is a powder keg of teen emotions, which manifest in flickering lights and electrical short circuits. But Darcy and Dee clash, competing for their mother’s attention. Through a misguided exorcism, Darcy unwittingly unlocks Dee’s ability to leave the property, and when he finally tracks her down, he is horrified to discover that she can now be seen by others. This ghost is becoming more and more real, but he is slowly losing his own reflection. Is Darcy at risk of fading altogether? Watch the trailer.
