Why it will be crime time (all the time) on Australian screens next year

If you could pick a trend coming to local TV screens next year, it’s easily summed up with one word: crime. Country crime, city crime, true crime, funny crime, crime adapted from a podcast and crime ripped from the headlines.

Everything from the first scripted drama about Erin Patterson and the infamous mushroom murders, to small-town crimes and a clutch of true-crime documentaries examining the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001 to Sydney’s Hilton Hotel bombing in 1978.

Crime was the dominant genre at the recent upfronts, where broadcasters unveil their slates for the year ahead. The ABC led, with all six of its new scripted dramas being crime stories, while SBS, Nine and Ten also unveiled true-crime documentaries (Seven was the outlier, unveiling no new scripted dramas or documentaries).

It’s no secret crime pays for streamers and broadcasters. Crime dramas, true crime and investigative series have been a huge audience driver for Stan, for instance, with established series Scrublands and Travis Fimmel’s Black Snow leading the way, particularly with women aged over 40.

It’s a similar story at the ABC, with Anna Torv’s thriller Dustfall, which followed the investigation into the drugging and rape of a teenager, garnering a total audience of just under 1.5 million to date and claiming the title of No.1 adult show on ABC iview.

Speaking ahead of Paramount and Network Ten’s upfronts last week, where the streamer announced the Erin Patterson drama, Paramount’s vice president of content in Australia Tamara Simoneau said the appetite for crime was surging globally.

“Some really big docs on some of the streaming services that have just caught fire around the world, and people become intrigued. It’s one of those things people talk about, and then it just keeps getting life after that.”

So what’s the appeal? Simoneau believes the answer is simple.“There’s been a wrongdoing, and maybe that’s the attraction to it,” she says. “It seems macabre, but it’s justice. You’re watching in the hope justice will be served.”

New Australian crime coming in 2027

City crime

Fortitude Valley (ABC): The inner-city Brisbane suburb has long had a shady history, and this contemporary drama aims to tap into that. Hunter Page-Lochard, who is also one of the creators and writers of the show, stars as a detective investigating human remains found at a building site. Kat Stewart and Wayne Blair are in support, while Brit actor Rupert Everett brings international star power.

John Bailey: The Enemy Within (ABC): Adapted from former ABC journalist Tim Ayliffe’s long-running series of novels, the political thriller stars David Lyons as (what else?) an intrepid journalist, with Homeland’s David Harewood, Anthony LaPaglia and Yael Stone in support.

Help Me! (ABC): Kate Box plays a journalist who returns to Sydney from New York to see her estranged mother, played by Sarah Peirse, when they are drawn into a plot to bump off wealthy old ladies. Can the sleuthing mother and daughter put aside their differences to help the vulnerable victims? Created by Sarah Lambert, the six-part series is directed by Fadia Abboud, and also stars Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Jai Courtney.

Who the Hell is Hamish? (Paramount+): Inspired by the hit podcast of the same name about real-life fraudster Hamish McLaren, the six-episode drama written by Adam Zwar and directed by Jeffrey Walker, stars Mama Mia’s Dominic Cooper as the cad who targets wealthy divorcee Bec (Claire van der Boom). It all seems rosy, until she notices gaps in his stories.

Country crime

Mushroom Murders (Paramount+): It was only a matter of time before the Erin Patterson case made it to the small screen. Yellowjackets’ Melanie Lynskey will star as the convicted triple murderer, in this six-part drama that covers the 97 days between Patterson’s infamous beef wellington lunch in Leongatha and her arrest. Created by Anya Beyersdorf, Daina Reid and Deb Balderstone. Filming will take place in Victoria.

Pilli Sisters P.I. (ABC): Tasma Walton, who created and wrote the series, and Ursula Yovich play Marlee and May, a pair of Indigenous private investigators in Fremantle, who use “ancestor-given talents” to crack crime. Unfortunately, there is one case they haven’t been able to crack – that of their missing brother.

Rural Crime Unit (ABC): Filmed around Adelaide, the comedy-drama by Adam Zwar (who also wrote Who the Hell is Hamish?) and Darren Ashton follows local police officer Rita (The White Lotus′ Morgana O’Reilly) and city transplant officer Nick (Philip Lynch) as they tackle small-town shenanigans, with an assist from Rebecca Gibney and Cameron Daddo.

Two Birds (Stan): Set in Kalgoorlie, it stars UK actor Sheridan Smith as a police officer looking for a fresh start, but who is drawn into a web of intrigue. Jacki Weaver and Stephen Peacocke also feature, with the series written by Helen FitzGerald and Megan Palinkas, and directed by James Griffiths and Corrie Chen.

Crime, with extras

The Great White (ABC): Hugo Weaving stars as a disgraced barrister trying to stage a comeback by defending a dog. Set in Sydney’s eastern suburbs (above a panel beater’s shop, not the fancy part), the dramedy is created by playwright and screenwriter Ange Betzien, and comes from See-Saw films, home of Slow Horses.

Slander (Stan): Created by Rachel Griffiths and Marieke Hardy, this legal drama follows Griffiths, who plays Adelaide Craig, a defamation lawyer who returns to her hometown of Melbourne, where she assembles a crack women-led defamation chambers. Supporting cast includes Jessica De Gouw, Lincoln Younes, Roxie Mohebbi and Doris Younane.

Wentworth: Halfway Home (Binge): This sequel to the enduring hit prison drama Wentworth looks at what happens when the women have been released from prison. Katrina Milosevic returns as Boomer, who turns up at Sal’s Halfway House keen to get custody of her daughter. Unfortunately, a body turns up and staying on the straight and narrow outside is a lot harder than life inside.

True crime

Hedley Thomas Investigates (Paramount+): The journalist behind the award-winning Teacher’s Pet podcast, which helped bring down murderer Chris Dawson, takes his crime-cracking skills to the small screen in this six-part series. In it, he will investigate six cases, and promises to challenge assumed truths and go beyond the headlines.

The Hunt for Hamish and The Falconio Witness (Ten): 10News+ presenter Denham Hitchcock enters the true-crime arena, with two documentaries focusing on serial fraudster Hamish McLaren (see also Who the Hell is Hamish?) and the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio in 2001.

Meeting a Murderer (SBS): Marc Fennell revisits the 1978 Hilton Bombing in Sydney, in this investigative docuseries in which he interviews the man responsible Evan Pederick.

Police (Nine): A six-part observational series that will follow frontline officers in Western Australia.

*Stan is owned by Nine, the publisher of this masthead.

Want more TV? We’ve got you.

• Newsletter: Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.
• November streaming picks: A guide to the best new shows this month.
• Hamish Blake: The beloved but “useless” comedian takes us inside his new series.
• The year’s best rom com? Why this episode of Nobody Wants This really stands out.
• The One About Matthew Perry review: This celebrity doco plays it far too safe.
• First Bluey, now Allen? The studio behind Bluey has made its first feature film.
• Watch (below): Deputy TV editor Meg Watson recommends the best new shows to start this week.