Prime Video expands Australian slate with three new originals

Prime Video has commissioned three new Australian Original docuseries, expanding its local slate across true crime and sport with titles set to launch from 2027.

The new commissions include Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings (w/t), examining the deaths of six backpackers in Laos; Madness of Three, exploring the 2022 Wieambilla murders; and a fourth season of the cricket documentary franchise The Test.

The commissions take Prime Video's Australian Original tally to 34 since 2019, spanning scripted series, documentaries, unscripted, comedy and sport.

Backpacker poisonings to become global docuseries

Three-part docuseries Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings (w/t) will examine the deaths of six young backpackers following a night out in Laos in late 2024.

Eight backpackers, including two Australians, had been travelling through Southeast Asia before the incident. Six died, while one of the two survivors was left permanently blind.

The series will use footage recorded by the backpackers, their final messages and testimony from a survivor and victims' families to reconstruct the events leading to the deaths and the subsequent search for answers.

Produced by Cineflix for Amazon MGM Studios, the series will stream globally on Prime Video.

Wieambilla murders examined in five-part series

Madness of Three will explore the 2022 Wieambilla murders in Queensland, when Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train killed police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow and neighbour Alan Dare.

The five-part docuseries will examine the conspiracy theories, delusions and online influences that preceded the violence, with Prime Video promising "unprecedented and exclusive access".

Blackfella Films is producing the series for Amazon MGM Studios, and it will also receive a global release.

The Test returns for fourth season

Prime Video is also extending one of its longest-running Australian sports franchises, with The Test returning for a fourth season.

The new instalment will follow the Australian Men's Test team through a period that includes its return to South Africa, a five-Test series in India, the 150th Anniversary Test and the 2027 Ashes.

The series will also examine the team's changing make-up as established players look to cement their legacies and selectors usher in the next generation.

The Test season four is produced by Cricket Australia, Whooshka Media and Amazon MGM Studios and will stream globally.

'Successful globally' starts locally

Sarah Christie, head of Australian and New Zealand Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, said the commissions reflected the company's strategy of building global programming around locally resonant stories.

"We strongly believe that to be successful globally, you need to be successful locally”, said Sarah Christie, head of Australian and New Zealand Originals, Amazon MGM Studios. 

“These new commissions reflect our continued dedication to telling compelling Australian stories that matter – from the sporting moments that unite us, to true crime cases that gripped us locally and made headlines internationally. Australia is home to extraordinary creative talent, and we are proud to invest in series that not only resonate with Australian audiences but also captivate viewers around the world. These are powerful, authentic stories told with the depth and insight they deserve.”

The three commissions join a growing Australian slate that includes The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Deadloch, Top End Bub, Final Siren: Inside the AFL and the first three seasons of The Test.

Australia has also become a production base for Amazon MGM Studios' international titles, including Subversion, Spaceballs: The New One, Honeymoon with Harry, Foe and Thirteen Lives.