Dead Lucky

SBS has been a champion for four part drama mini series of late. Earlier this year the Special Broadcasting Service gave us Safe Harbour, a third and final season of comedy series The Family Law is in production and last year we had the brilliant Sunshine.

Dead Lucky is set in Sydney, Central Park (so close to my TV watching house) features and a very multicultural cast is alongside Rachel Griffiths.

With a strong cast and a criminal on the run, this crime mystery is a much needed Aussie drama showcasing local talent and modern multicultural Australia. Particularly Sydney, it's like damn if I see another Aussie drama with an all white cast I will scream. Unless it's filmed in far North Queensland or Pauline Hanson's mind, this is not the Australia I know and live in.

Other than the brilliant Wentworth (which may need saving!) Australian TV is in dire shape. And with Channel Nine buying Fairfax today, times may get even more troubling.

Nine has struggled to showcase Aussie drama of late with the cancellations of Love Child and House Husbands, only Doctor Doctor and the new series (yet to air) Bite Club to air later this year. It looks a little shit however with a strong cast and again focusing on crime, it could be a winner. And my word do Nine need a winner. Australian Ninja Warrior (a show I actually enjoyed last year) saw the show reach almost 2 million viewers an episode, now it's lucky to get close to 1 million. The episode order has expanded but viewers are tuning out, fast.

So back to SBS and Dead Lucky, with this current landscape SBS has a chance to showcase it's fine dramas. IT grew an audience thanks to Optus stuffing up the World Cup, they now have sports fans watching the Tour de France, so turn these viewers into commercial deserters. Commercial TV is in a dire situation and nothing seems to be working, streaming is booming and even the Logies are rewarding everyone but the big three networks.

Dead Lucky is nothing new, but it's casting is bold and whilst being the regular crime game, it covers some important social issues along the way.

I will return to SBS on Demand for the final three episodes and give SBS on Demand more time even with The Handmaid's Tale done for 2018.