Public Holiday Fest Streaming 26' is the new TV series right up until the new financial year on July 1st.
Now I live in NSW. We have very limited public holidays. However, over the next three months we got:
Good Friday - Today
Easter Monday - Next week
Anzac Day make up day - Monday 27 April
Kings Birthday - Monday 8 June
So it doesn't seem like a lot but July - September, there are none. When I lived in British Columbia, Canada, we had like one a month! So April is exciting AF!
So this allowed me to catch up on some Amazon series (like back in Fiji). Cross (which concluded last month) was first up!
Based on the Alex Cross novel series written by James Patterson, starring Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, & Juanita Jennings.
The second season was released back in mid-February, airing episodes weekly. Unlike most Amazon series which of late however been a binge affair.
Last month, the series was renewed for a third season. Upon the second season renewal announcement, Jeanine Mason. Along with Wes Chatham, Matthew Lillard & Michelle C. Bonilla.
Amazon does these Jack Ryan, Reacher, male lead crime/action series well. Cross has a few more twists, with less action sequences. However its still damn fine TV.
Aldis Hodge is hot AF! He fits into every outfit like a glove. Then when he has his shirt off. LORDY!
Season one was a big hit on the service. This is the third incarnation of Alex Cross in films or on television. Season two expands on that and gets deeper than season one did.
Season two gets more in-depth on Cross (Hodge), Kayla Craig (Alona Tal), and John Sampson (Mustafa).
Each of the three main characters in season two have their own agendas and storylines that they’re involved in. As always, each season of the show is based on an original that was inspired by the book series.
This season is based on another original story. Pieced together with story elements from season one. This serialised season is broken up to focus on all of the main characters. Each of their stories are very effective in helping to develop their characters and move them forward.
The main story featuring Alex Cross is about a corrupt businessman named Lance Durand (Lillard), the CEO of Crestview Industries. He has a seed that can grow anywhere so he can help people in any country grow food to help starvation and low income families in poor areas of the world. The problem is that he’s using child labor to do his work in his factories around the country.
To get such a lofty lifestyle, he had to leave some collateral damage in his wake. Which in turn, caused some people to want to seek revenge for that collateral damage. It’s an investigation he’s working on with Kayla Craig from the FBI once again. This is a far-reaching investigation that goes to Chicago, the Texas/Mexico border, and Sunrise, Florida. It’s the kind of story that I’ve loved regarding this character.
Two supporting stories revolve around Tal’s character and Simpson’s characters. One deals with something from her path that has creeped up through the cracks and could threaten her career. The other is about a family member who has come back into his life after thought gone for years. The problem is this thought gone family member was arrested for murder and her relative has to investigate said murder to try to prove her innocent, but that doesn’t change their relationship at all. Which is very complicated at best.
The two subplots support the main story very well. They all intertwine together to give the show a well layered experience. Throw in a third with Hodges’ character and the series ups the antenna from season one.
If you like crime thrillers, Cross is 100% for you!
See you for another Amazon series Bait real soon. Bye for now and drive safe, stay safe, this glorious long weekend!
Hows that humidity? Along with nearly 30 degree days everyday. So much for autumn in March. I'm happy with my Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 assessment for the last three months in TV.
Aussie content wise, the first three months of the new year have been big, with Sunny Nights and Dear Life on Stan, Goolagong and Dog Park on ABC & Run on Binge.
Q2 is looking big too, with catch ups on the final season of Heartbreak High, Bad Company and Urzila Carlson's sketch series both landing on ABC soon.
This quarter (helped along by Fiji streaming) was even bigger than part one of summer streamin'. 46 series this quarter! SHIT! Some catch ups but a lot of content dropping and smashing this summer.
Amazon has continued its dominance. Scoring another number one, with local series Deadloch's second NT based season. I am halfway through Cross and Bait, with a catch up lined up for Scarpetta and The Boys final season kicking off soon. Plus the Legally Blonde. Elle series incoming!
Australian titles from Stan, ABC, SBS and Binge did well making the top 20 this season. Apple TV, gave some of the best (Down Cemetery Road) and worst (Palm Royale) of TV these past few months. With the latter getting served a cancellation. It should have always been the proposed OG miniseries idea if you asked me.
Either way, here is my full list of this steamy, humid, nasty ass summer streaming below.
So until those series debut, here is a look at the past three months. Before that, go waste your time with my previous quarterly RATED's!
1. Deadloch - Season Two (AU) 2. Landman - Season Two 3. Dear Life - Miniseries (AU) 4. Down Cemetery Road - Season One 5. Dog Park - Season One (AU) 6. The Madison - Season One 7. The Beauty - Season One 8. Steal - Miniseries 9. Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette 10. Industry - Season Four 11. Black Bird - Miniseries 12. Blue Murder Motel - Season One (NZ) 13. Spartacus: House of Ashur - Season One 14. Homebodies - Miniseries (AU) 15. Paradise - Season Two 16. Fallout - Season Two 17. The Better Sister - Miniseries 18. Goolagong - Miniseries (AU) 19. 9-1-1 - Season Eight 20. Run - Miniseries (AU) 21. Sunny Nights - Season One (AU) 22. Dept. Q - Season One 23. The Copenhagen Test - Season One 24. It's Florida, Man - Season Two 25. Squid Game 오징어 게임 - Season Three/Series Finale 26. Hostage - Miniseries 27. The Night Manager - Season Two 28. The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Miniseries (AU) 29. The 'Burbs - Season One 30. ted Season Two/Series Finale 31. Long Bright River - Miniseries 32. His & Hers - Miniseries 33. Power Book IV: Force - Season Three/Series Finale 34. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms - Season One 35. The Imposter - Miniseries (AU) 36. Happiness - Season One (NZ) 37. Agatha Christie's Seven Dials - Miniseries 38. The Nowhere Man - Season One 39. Red Eye - Season Two 40. Tell Me Lies - Season Three/Series Finale 41. Monster: The Ed Gein Story 42. School Spirits - Season Three 43. Wonder Man - Season One/Renewed for Season Two, not a Miniseries 44. Girl Taken - Miniseries 45. Palm Royale - Season Two/Series Finale 46. 56 Days - Season One
Paradise just concluded its second run starring Sterling K. Brown, Julianne Nicholson, & guest James Marsden.
The post-apocalyptic political thriller has received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its premise, writing, and performances (particularly those of Brown, Nicholson, and Marsden). At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series and acting nominations for Brown, Nicholson, and Marsden.
Earlier this month, the series was renewed for a third season.
Season two was never just about the bunker! Xavier searches for Teri out in the world and learns how people survived the three years since ‘The Day’. Back in Paradise, the social fabric frays and new secrets are uncovered about the city's origins.
I did love the first season. The second season was highly enjoyable, with a third season potentially planned as the finale. These shows with bir premises seem to have a short life span. Also unlike a lot of streaming series, this one was back after less than a year.
This is rare in this day and age. So how'd the big finale go down? Doom scroll below for more. Be warned! Season two also saw, Shailene Woodley, Thomas Doherty, Michael McGrady, Timothy Omundson, Ryan Michelle Bathe & Patrick Fischler joined the cast.
Before the disaster, Dylan presents Miller with an AI quantum supercomputer, which Redmond helps to develop. However, the AI, named after Miller’s ill wife Alex, begins to manipulate time and Miller requests for the project to be shut down.
In the present, Redmond learns that Alex has started to make correct predictions about events, with the next predicted event being her own death. With Redmond gone and the militia approaching, Torabi orders the doors to be opened in order to stabilise the reactors. However, the cooling systems explode, killing Anders and injuring Robinson, and Torabi is forced to order the bunker’s evacuation.
The militia enters and aids the evacuation, and Collins and Teri reunite with James. Dylan helps Redmond and Collins in rescuing their daughters, Geiger dies trying to fix the cooling system, and the militia rescues Robinson and Jeremy.
Dylan and Collins experience nosebleeds after seeing each other, and Collins persuades Dylan to abandon Alex after revealing that his and Annie’s daughter is with them. Redmond tells Dylan that she is his mother, and she asks Collins to head to a second bunker containing Alex, before sacrificing herself to contain the reactors’ explosion inside the bunker doors.
Collins narrowly avoids the doors closing and reunites with his family, while Dylan meets his daughter for the first time.
Bring on season three. Let's hope it continues the release flow and lands early 2027. Can you believe we are talking about 2027 already! Shit! That concludes the Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 series.
Homebodies is a bold, surprising and heartfelt Australian family drama that explores the courage it takes to accept the ghosts of our past.
Starring Bump favourite, Claudia Karvan, Luke Wiltshire & Jazi Hall.
Following Darcy (Wiltshire), a trans man who reluctantly returns to his regional hometown to care for his estranged mother Nora (Karvan). But home isn’t as he left it. Nora has been living with a secret housemate: Dee (Hall), the teenage ghost of Darcy’s pre-transition self.
Homebodies is another one of those short and sharp miniseries on SBS On Demand .
This six × 10 minute series was recently selected for the prestigious Series Mania festival in France. So being that short (compared to recent local series, Deadloch) this was a one night and done affair.
Lead, Luke Wiltshire is terrific, whilst Claudia Karvan brings a name to this SBS original. She will also soon star in The Airport Chaplin. This also takes us back to a shirt lived series on Foxtel, Sprited. Which also starred Karvan.
This felt, original, bold and eye opening. It was beautifully told and shot across NSW.
We have had a solid, diverse and fascinating first quarter of local TV in 2026. I managed to sneak this in ahead of Q2's new blog series.
Tonight Paradise wraps on Disney+, then the RATED for the last few HOT months lands.
They Will Kill You stars Zazie Beetz, Industry's Myha’La, Paterson Joseph, Tom Felton, Heather Graham, & Patricia Arquette.
The film unleashes a blood-soaked, high-octane horror-action-comedy in which a young woman must survive the night at the Virgil, a demonic cult’s mysterious and twisted death-trap of a lair, before becoming their next offering in a uniquely brazen, big screen battle of epic kills and wickedly dark humour.
The plot follows an ex-convict who answers an ad to be a housekeeper at a mysterious New York City high-rise, not realising she is entering a community that has seen a number of disappearances over the years.
They Will Kill You has received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $2 million thus far.
I see exactly why its had mixed reviews. It started OK, then it just went bat shit crazy!
Honestly by the end I was ready for bed. This was a lot.
So much blood, but a lot of the time the kills were for no reason. See the film and you'll get it.
Honestly I have seen some solid films in 2026, sadly this wasn't all that. I have to hold a standard here in 2026. This film sadly isn't going to pass.
Love Story is an American biographical romance anthology television series created by Connor Hines and executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, D.V. DeVincentis, Kim Rosenstock, and Hines.
This is the fifth instalment in the American Story media franchise, streaming in Australia on Disney+.
The first season, John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, charts the whirlwind courtship and marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
The limited series that explores the undeniable chemistry, whirlwind courtship and high-profile marriage of one of the most iconic couples of the 20th century.
The first instalment in Ryan Murphy’s “Love Story” anthology is inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s book “Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.”
The USA/the world, watched John F. Kennedy Jr. grow from a boy to a beloved bachelor and media sensation. She was a star in her own right. Fiercely independent and with a singular style, she rose from being a sales assistant to an executive at Calvin Klein, and became a trusted confidante of its eponymous founder.
As their love story unfolded on a national stage, the intense fame and media attention that came along with it threatened to rip them apart. The series charts the complex and heartbreaking journey of a couple whose private love became a national obsession.
It has undoubtedly been Ryan Murphy TV season. The Beauty just wrapped, 9-1-1 and the spin-off Nashville are currently also streaming on Disney+.
Ryan Murphy is TV royalty. This was back to his best. A short nine episode, highly glamorous season. High fashion, great soundtrack and loads of drama!
The finale was of course heartbreaking by Constance Zimmer, as Ann Messina Freeman, Carolyn's mother. Losing both her daughters in that plane crash.
Also starring Sarah Pidgeon as lead, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, local Naomi Watts as Jackie Kennedy, and Paul Kelly would lead the series as John F. Kennedy Jr.
This was a solid watch. Also a Disney+ title, Paradise season two will wrap early next week. The Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 series is almost done. Autumn also finally landed yesterday. Took a hot minute!
Oh Deadloch, Australia's is funniest black comedy crime mystery created by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan.
Starring Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Alicia Gardiner, and Nina Oyama. Deadloch's second season landed last week on Prime Video.
Returning home to Darwin to investigate Bushy's death Eddie and Dulcie are thrown into a murder case of a local icon.
Detectives Dulcie Collins and Eddie Redcliffe are in Darwin to investigate the death of Eddie’s former policing partner Bushy. However, their plans are soon diverted when a body part is discovered in a remote town called Barra Creek. With the Northern Territory police force focused on a large-scale search for two missing backpackers, Dulcie and a very reluctant Eddie are tasked with identifying the John Doe.
Sticky, sweaty and juggling comprehensive thrush infections, the detectives find themselves embroiled in a world of crocodile-fuelled tourism, overstretched Indigenous rangers, cagey locals, and seven-metre prehistoric predators – all of whom call Barra Creek’s stretch of land, and water, their home.
As the humidity builds, and Eddie and Dulcie dig deeper, more questions arise for our duo – not only about the case, but the many secrets that lie beneath the surface of this small town.
With season one favourites, Luke Hemsworth joins season two as Jason Wade, alsongside Mentos AKA, Jean Tong as Leo Lee, Genevieve Morris as Pat Heffernan, Steve Bisley as Frank McCallister, Sharri Sebbens as Miki Evans, Damien Garvey as Superintendent Col Culkin, Anthony J Sharpe as DJ Darrell, Ling Cooper Tang as Lynn, Bev Killich as Colleen Darrell & Talijah Blackman Corowa as Alira.
In the action packed finale, Dulcie finds herself in the centre of an illegal operation, and inches closer to the truth at the heart of the case. While at Don's funeral, tensions in the Darrell family erupt as the rains begin to fall.
This was excellent. I enjoyed the backdrop of the NT. The heat, the swearing, the Dulcie/Eddie duo. This needs to come back for season three. I can wait! This was gold!
Amazon needs local content. This and Top End Bub need to return to the NT, stat!
I reckon a Canberra series of Deadloch could be incredible. Or Adelaide. The options are endless.
This was TOP viewing. A late entry to the Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26, however it is top notch! I didn't think all six episodes were to drop at once. I was imagining this series to land in my autumn TV series.
Q1 has had some solid content. A lot has been on Amazon. Well done Jeff!
