Returning: The Good Fight, Fargo. Airdate: Party of Five, War of the Worlds, Reprisal

SBS has announced a swag of April premieres for new and returning international dramas.

War of the Worlds 8:30pm Thursday April 2 on SBS
Party of Five 8:30pm Friday April 10 on SBS VICELAND (full season drop at SBS on Demand)
The Good Fight 9:30pm Thursday April 16 on SBS
Reprisal 9:20pm Tuesday 21 April on SBS VICELAND  8:30pm Wednesday April 22 on SBS (full season drop at SBS on Demand)
Fargo 8:30pm Wednesday 22 April on SBS

Peter Andrews, SBS Head of Network Programming, said: “As the home of world-class drama, SBS has scoured the globe to bring the latest suite of acclaimed drama to Australia. These five series represent a diverse and entertaining mix of new and returning dramas from around the world. There’ll be something for every viewer, and we look forward to sharing this collection with local audiences.”

War of the Worlds
Starring Gabriel Byrne (ZeroZeroZero), Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey) and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Cold Feet), War of the Worlds is a bold, contemporary reimagining of H.G Wells’ classic novel. Set in present-day Europe, War of the Worlds is an eight-part series that follows pockets of survivors forced to team up after an apocalyptic extra-terrestrial strike. War of the Worlds is written and created by the BAFTA award winner Howard Overman (Misfits, Crazyhead, Merlin) and has received rave reviews internationally. Collider praises the premiere episode, calling it a “must-watch for the sheer panic-attack hysteria of the invasion itself. It’s a rapid-cut, sweat-inducing freakout on a large scale pulled off to perfection.”

War of the Worlds will air weekly on SBS from 8:30pm Thursday 2 April. Episodes will be available on SBS On Demand each week on the same day as broadcast. The series will be subtitled in Simplified Chinese and Arabic for SBS On Demand, available immediately following its premiere on SBS.

Party of Five
Party of Five is a reimagining of the original cult classic from the 1990s starring Scott Wolf, Matthew Fox, Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt. In this new iteration by original series creators Amy Lippman and Christopher Keyser, this beloved story of a young family bound by adversity will be retold through the lens of current-day themes and cultural conversations. Party of Five follows the five Acosta children – Emilio, Lucia, Beto, Valentina and baby Rafa – as they navigate daily life struggles to survive as a family unit after their parents are suddenly deported to Mexico. Starring Brandon Larracuente, Emily Tosta, Niko Guardado and Elle Paris Legaspi, Vulture praised the series because it “humanizes the political and makes the audience see the deeply personal impact that the decisions made by the administration have on the lives of young people who are trying their best to do the right thing every day.”

Party of Five will air weekly on SBS VICELAND from 8:30pm Friday 10 April. The entire season will drop on SBS On Demand on Friday 10 April.

The Good Fight
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife) returns in the critically acclaimed series The Good Fight. The fourth season finds Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart navigating a very different landscape. After they lost their biggest client, Chumhum, and their founding partner’s name was tarnished, Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart was forced to accept an offer by a huge multi-national law firm, STR Laurie, to become a small subsidiary. While STR Laurie initially seem like benevolent overlords, Diane Lockhart and her colleagues are chafing at their loss of independence. The Good Fight also stars Cush Jumbo, Audra McDonald, Sarah Steele, Michael Boatman, Nyambi Nyambi, Zach Grenier, John Larroquette and Delroy Lindo. Hugh Dancy has joined season four in a recurring role.

Season four of The Good Fight will air weekly on SBS from 9:30pm Thursday 16 April. Episodes will be available on SBS On Demand each week after broadcast.

Language

Reprisal
Described by The Hollywood Reporter as “hyperactive, colourful, pulpy and crazy, a thing in which no comparison exactly does it justice,” revenge noir thriller Reprisal stars Abigail Spencer (Grey’s Anatomy, Suits) and Australian actor Rhys Wakefield (The Black Balloon, True Detective). Years after being dragged behind a truck and left for dead by her brother and his gang, Katherine Harlow (Abigail Spencer), sets out to take revenge. She re-emerges as Doris Quinn and begins her journey of vengeance against the powerful gang that tried to kill her. Reprisal also stars Rodrigo Santoro, Mena Massoud and Madison Davenport.

Updated: Reprisal will premiere with a double episode 8:30pm Wednesday April 22 on SBS. The entire season will drop on SBS On Demand on Tuesday 21 April.

Fargo
Comedian Chris Rock joins the fourth season of Emmy-winning anthology series Fargo. Returning with a brand-new storyline and a brand-new cast, Fargo is set in Kansas City Missouri, and will follow two criminal syndicates that have struck an uneasy peace. One Italian, one African American. Together they control an alternate economy of exploitation and drugs. To cement their peace, the heads of both families trade their eldest sons. Fargo also stars Jack Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley and Salvatore Esposito.

Fargo season four will premiere with a double episode on SBS at 8:30pm Wednesday 22 April. Episodes will be available on SBS On Demand each week at 4pm on the day of broadcast.

Update: War of the Worlds, Fargo and The Good Fight will be rescheduled by SBS at a later date.