You’ll find thousands of hours of TV, movies, sport & kids content on the popular Aussie streaming service, Stan. But where do you start? Check out our top shows to watch on Stan right now!
BLACK SNOW
Why you should watch: This is an Australian drama, with a talented ensemble cast attached. It is refreshing to see a story, which addresses contentious issues from history. The story is set in 1994, with the murder of 17-year-old Isabel Baker. The crime shocked the small town of Ashford and devastated Isabel’s Australian South Sea Islander community. The case was never solved, the killer never found. In the present day, the opening of a time capsule unearths a secret that puts cold-case detective James Cormack (Fimmel) on the trail of the killer. It’s not perfect but is well worth a viewing.
Director: SIAN DAVIES, MATTHEW SAVILLE
Cast: TRAVIS FIMMEL, JEMMASON POWER, TALIJAH BLACKMAN-COROWA, EDEN CASSADY, GULLIVER MCGRATH, ALEXANDER ENGLAND, KESTIE MORASSI, BROOKE SATCHWELL, KIM GYNGELL
YOUR HONOR
Why you should watch: Despite critical reservations, Bryan Cranston was nominated for a Golden Globe Best Actor Award for his role as a New Orleans judge who is forced to confront his own deepest convictions when his son is involved in a hit-and-run that embroils an organised-crime family. As a storm of vengeance, lies and deceit threatens to engulf the entire city, Michael Desiato faces a series of increasingly impossible choices and discovers just how far an honest man will go to save his son’s life. It does get a tad dramatic and some scenarios are verging on the impossible, but this is worth watching. Season 2 is now available.
Director: PETER SOLLETT, CLARK JOHNSON, EDWARD BERGER, EA SORHAUG
Cast: BRYAN CRANSTON, HOPE DAVIS, HUNTER DOOHAN, AMY LANDECKER, MICHAEL STUHLBARG, JIMI STANTON
GODFATHER OF HARLEM
Why you should watch: This series is said to be a prequel to 2007’s American Gangster, which dealt with the same subject matter. The story is based around infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson, who in the early 1960s returned from ten years in prison to find the neighbourhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. Forest Whitaker is excellent as Johnson, as is Vincent D’onofrio as Italian mob boss Vincent Gigante. There is a talented ensemble cast to back them up. There’s a considerable amount of violence involved, of course, as no one trusts anyone in the criminal world, with revenge being the main way to solve a problem when affronted. There are two seasons on Stan, with a third already going to air in the US.
Director: JOE CHAPPELLE, GUILLERMO NAVARRO, ERNEST R. DICKERSON
Cast: FOREST WHITAKER, VINCENT D’ONOFRIO, ILFENESH HADERA, DEMI SINGLETON, NIGEL THATCH, GIANCARLO ESPOSITO, PAUL SORVINO
POKER FACE
Why you should watch: From the creator of the Knives Out movies, Rian Johnson, this is one of the best crime series around at the moment. Natasha Lyonne would have to be one of the coolest ladies on TV in her role as Charlie Cale, and there’s an excellent ensemble cast attached in each episode. Charlie has an extraordinary ability we would all like to possess and that is to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but investigate and solve. Absolutely loved this one.
Director: RIAN JOHNSON, IAIN B. MACDONALD, JANICZA BRAVO
Cast: NATASHA LYONNE, BENJAMN BRATT, ELIJAH EORGE, SIMON HELBERG, ADRIEN BRODY, ELLEN BARKIN, CHLOE SEVIGNY
STAG
Why you should watch: Wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this comedy series, but it turned out to be hilarious – well, somewhat hilarious depending on who you were. A timid schoolteacher struggles to survive the Stag weekend from hell, as he joins his future brother-in-law and several obnoxious friends, on a deer-stalking expedition in the Scottish Highlands. It quickly gets messier than anyone expected; as the hunters become the hunted, and are eliminated one by one, sordid secrets emerge and old friendships are tested to the limit. The scenery where the mayhem takes place is wonderful, but beware this is peppered with violence, resulting in a bit of blood being splashed about. There’s a great British cast attached, which includes a personal favourite, James Cosmo. Loved it.
Director: JIM FIELD SMITH
Cast: STEPHEN CAMPBELL MOORE, JJ FEILD, JIM HOWICK, AMIT SHAH, JAMES COSMO, REECE SHEARSMITH, RUFUS JONES, RUTA GEDMINTAS, RUFUS JONES, CHRISTIAAN VAN VUUREN
GHOSTS (UK)
Why you should watch: This viewer is not one for ghostly drama as a rule, although there have been a few exceptions. The Ghost and Mrs Muir back in 1968. Captain Gregg was a very handsome ghost. Hugh Jackman was another one, and Reese Witherspoon in Just Like Heaven springs to mind. But this comedy series from the UK is hilarious. This viewer was thoroughly entertained. The ghostly inhabitants are highly amusing as they squabble with each other in an abandoned country home when, to their despair, a young couple inherit the house with hopeful plans to renovate it into a luxury hotel. That is definitely not going to happen on their watch. The make up and costume changes are interesting as the actors playing the upstairs ghosts are also the ghosts in the basement. It must have taken precision planning in the filming schedule. An excellent ensemble cast led by Call the Midwife’s Charlotte Ritchie. This one is a joy.
Director: TOM KINGSLEY, NICK COLLETT, SIMON HYND
Cast: CHARLOTTE RITCHIE, KIELL SMITH-BYNOE, LOLLY ADEFOPE, MATTHEW BAYNTON, SIMON FARNABY, MARTHA HOWE-DOUGLAS, JIM HOWICK, LAURENCE RICKARD, BEN WILLBOND, KATY WIX
PARTY DOWN
Why you should watch: Staying with the comedic trend, here is another excellent series that will keep you laughing. A number of episodes are directed by The Wonder Years’ Fred Savage, but he’s grown up a bit since then. The fun revolves around a group of actors in Los Angeles who are there to become the next big thing, but this takes time. Whilst waiting for that next big break they end up working for a catering company, finding themselves in some hilarious situations whilst doing so. There’s a wonderful cast, which includes the talented Jane Lynch, and lots of cameos from actors we are all familiar with. So much fun, although those who actually do this job for a living will probably disagree.
Director: BRYAN GORDON, FRED SAVAGE, KEN MARINO, DAVID WAIN
Cast: ADAM SCOTT, KEN MARINO, RYAN HANSEN, MARTIN STARR, LIZZY CAPLAN, MEGAN MULLALLY, JANE LYNCH, JENNIFER COOLIDGE, KRISTEN BELL, J.K. SIMMONS, JOEY LAUREN ADAMS, KEN JEONG
BUMP
Why you should watch: Australian comedy drama can be a bit hit and miss, but this one is an exception. The series was created by Claudia Karvan, who also stars, and Kelsey Munro. It tackles the subject of teenage pregnancy with care and thought, exploring the affect this has on young mothers trying to continue with their schooling, and those who are close to them. The series centres around Oly, an ambitious and high-achieving teenage girl who has an unexpected pregnancy, which complicates the lives of two families. It turned out to be better than expected.
Director: GEOFF BENNETT, LETICIA CACERES, KRIV STENDERS, GRACIE OTTO
Cast: NATHALIE MORRIS, CARLOS SANSON JR. CLAUDIA KARVAN, ANGUS SAMPSON, RICARDO, SCHEIHING VASQUEZ, SAFIA ARAIN
KINGDOM OF DREAMS
Why you should watch: This is an excellent documentary on the cutthroat fashion industry. It explores how two billionaires exploited young designers for their own gain and wealth. It explores the highs and lows their greed brought to John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen, eventually resulting in McQueen’s suicide. They were all just a commodity to be cast aside like the products Bernard Arnault of LVMH and Kering promote and sell to the masses making them two of the richest men in the world, disgustingly so. Heartbreaking at times to watch how they manipulated the people around them to the point of despair.
Director: NICK GREEN
THE RESORT
Why you should watch: This comedy drama series starts off tad slow, but it does get interesting as it progresses. Has a bit of The White Lotus vibe about it. The story tells of Emma and Noah who take a holiday in a resort in Cancun for their 10th anniversary. Their relationship needs some work and Noah feels this may improve their situation. Emma takes a tumble off a quad bike and ends up lying in a secluded gully where she finds an old mobile phone, which she finds out belongs to a young guy who went missing 15 years ago, at the same time as a young woman also disappeared. Emma decides she needs to find out more about these two people and what happened to them and becomes embroiled in a bizarre unsolved mystery. This series turned out to be better than expected as it flashed back explore what happened to the missing Violet and Sam.
Director: BEN SINCLAIR, RANIA ATTIEH, DANIEL GARCIA, ARIEL KLEIMAN
Cast: CRISTIN MILIOTI, WILLIAM JACKSON HARPER, LUIS GERARDO MENDEZ, SKYLER GISONDO, NINA BLOOMGARDEN, NICK OFFERMAN