SBS on Demand: Stanley, Blackout, Cheyenne and Lola

Dutch crime drama Stanley, Belgian political thriller Blackout and French thriller Cheyenne and Lola all premiere this Thursday at SBS on Demand.

Stanley
All four episodes available to stream. In Dutch with English subtitles.
Stanley is a miniseries based on the life of Stanley Hillis (Jeroen Spitzenberger) – one of the most infamous criminals in the Netherlands. Over the course of three decades, Stanley evolves from ‘gentleman’ bank robber to ruthless kingpin, with the help of the government. In the early ‘90s, the public prosecutor, together with corrupted cops and customs officials, allowed thousands of kilos of drugs into the country, in order to catch the top of the Dutch drug empire. This resulted in the biggest legal scandal the Netherlands has ever known. Not just drugs, but also weapons and explosives could freely cross the borders. Stanley is about the cat and mouse game between the Justice Department and the criminal underworld, but especially about the remarkable players on both sides. Mistrust, money problems and betrayal lead to the breakdown of the brotherhood in Hillis’ group. And this means that eventually, heads will roll. Nobody is spared, not even Stanley.

Blackout
All ten episodes available to stream. In Flemish with English subtitles.
Winter 2019. What so many people predicted on numerous occasions, becomes a reality when the Belgian power grid suddenly collapses. The nationwide blackout is a result of the sabotage of a reactor at the Westerdonk nuclear power plant. Who’s behind it all? And why? That’s what Michael Dendoncker (Geert Van Rampelberg), head of department at the DA3 anti-terrorism unit is trying to find out. Michael has another good reason to investigate the incident. Just moments before the blackout Belgium’s Prime Minister Annemie Hillebrand (Sara de Roo), received a video clip of her daughter Elke being held bound and gagged at an unknown location. The message included: ‘When the light turns back on, your daughter dies.’ Annemie is torn between her sense of duty and the love for her daughter. Because of the blackout, eleven million people are stuck without electricity, without light and water, without heating. As a Prime Minister, she is responsible for their wellbeing. But pushed by her husband Herman, Annemie decides to prolong the blackout. Meanwhile Michael investigates the abduction of Elke in a country without electricity. An investigation he keeps a secret from his own team. At the same time, he leads that very team in the hunt for those responsible for the sabotage at the nuclear power plant. Blackout is a series filled with tension and mystery. At the same time, it confronts us all with such themes as ecology, sustainability, and national security.

Cheyenne and Lola
All eight episodes available to stream. In French with English subtitles.
Cheyenne, 35, recently released from prison, is a tattoo artist who cleans the ferries between France and the UK to save money for a future life. Lola, 25, is a beautiful Parisian woman, selfish, and ruthless, who has just arrived in the North of France to move in with her lover. The past catches up with Cheyenne (Veerle Baetens) when she witnesses Lola (Charlotte Le Bon) killing her lover’s wife. Cheyenne assumes she’s going to be accused of the crime and the pair ripen into a ruthless duo. Different from one another, even antagonistic, Cheyenne and Lola operate quietly behind the backs of crime lords, cops, bosses, ex-husbands and lovers, to whom they present a clean, docile façade while they cheat, swindle, and kill when necessary.

Thursday February 11 at SBS on Demand.