Airdate: The Unusual Suspects

SBS heist caper The Unusual Suspects will premiere in early June.

The 4 part series about female friendship and empowerment, set in Sydney’s glamorous Eastern suburbs, starts Thursday June 3 at 8:30pm with all episodes dropping at SBS on Demand.

The series stars Aina Dumlao (Sanzaru, Ballers, MacGyver), Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Homeland, The Lord of the Rings) and Michelle Vergara Moore (Condor, The Time of Our Lives) plus Heather Mitchell, Susie Porter, Peter O’Brien and more.

Aina Dumlao said: “The Unusual Suspects is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s a crazy ride with lots of twists and turns but, at the heart of it, it’s about female friendship. Underneath the wrapper of a crazy heist, it’s a story about empathy and finding common ground.”

The Aquarius Films series also marks the first major representation of Filipino-Australians in a local drama series.

Miranda Otto said: “What attracted me to the story is the joyful, colourful sense of fun. This high-pitched zany caper felt really fresh as an Australian project. It’s also a wonderful window into a culture that exists here that people probably don’t know a lot about.”

Michelle Vergara Moore said: “There’s suspense, intrigue and mystery but it’s also very funny. We had such a blast shooting it, so I really hope everyone enjoys watching it. As the daughter of Filipino immigrants, shooting this role with this amazing cast of women has been one of the highlights of my career.”

When a $16 million necklace is taken from self-made businesswoman Roxanne Waters’ (Michelle Vergara Moore) home in an elaborate heist, the ensuing police investigation exposes cracks in Eastern Sydney’s sparkling façade. With the stakes higher than ever, can the masterminds stop themselves from turning on each other, or will they discover a friendship worth more than diamonds?

Both entertaining and enthralling, the series uses the hook of the heist genre to unpack the complex relationships between a diverse group of women. The Unusual Suspects marks the first major representation of Filipino-Australians on Australian television and continues SBS’s legacy of delivering exceptional drama exploring the rich diversity of Australia in an authentic and nuanced way.

Joining the impressive cast are Otto and Moore’s real-life partners, Peter O’Brien (Wentworth, Tidelands, The Killing Field) and Toby Leonard Moore (Billions, Mank, Daredevil, Condor), Matt Day (Rake, Wolf Creek, A Place to Call Home), Lena Cruz (Shortland Street), Susana Downes (Dead Lucky), Ari Boyland (Shortland Street, Power Rangers RPM), Heather Mitchell (A Place to Call Home, Janet King), James Lugton (Hacksaw Ridge), Renee Lim (The Invisible Man, Secret City), Susie Porter (Hungry Ghosts, Wentworth), Sandy Gore (Australia, Brides of Christ, Prisoner), Megan Smart (Between Two Worlds) and Andrea Demetriades (The Commons, Janet King).

Miguel Castro, Darcey O’Brien, Emma Cleland, Liam Cleland, Blake Santos, Avery Santos and Danielle David will also appear in their first major television roles.

The series is produced by award-winning filmmaking duo Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford, whose recent credits include Lion, nominated for six Academy Awards® and four Golden Globe Awards as well as Berlin Syndrome, Dirt Music, The Other Guy and The Unlisted. They are joined by Vonne Patiag (Halal Gurls) as Associate Producer. Written by series creator Jessica Redenbach (Spirited, Rush), Roger Monk (Nowhere Boys, The Secret Life of Us) and co-writer Vonne Patiag, with Margarett Cortez as Script Consultant. In the directors’ chairs are Emmy Award-winning Natalie Bailey (Retrograde, Run, Avenue 5, The Thick of It) and Melvin Montalban (Rope Burn, Cupid).

To mark the launch, SBS will be celebrating across its platforms with a curated collection of content across the network celebrating both women and Filipino culture. The Feed’s Alice Matthews will also present a special half-hour program – Unwrapped – featuring the cast and creatives discussing gender, race and representation. It will be available on SBS On Demand following the series premiere.

The Unusual Suspects is an Aquarius Films production for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW and About Premium Content, which also handles international distribution. The series is financed with support from Cutting Edge Post.

The Unusual Suspects will be subtitled in Filipino, Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Korean and Hindi and will be added to the subtitled collection on SBS On Demand. The series will also be available with audio description for audiences who are blind or vision impaired.

8:30pm Thursday June 3 at SBS and SBS On Demand (full-series drop).