Amazon Prime Video has commissioned three new Australian Prime Original docuseries.
The streamer has confirmed a fourth season of its popular cricket behind-the-scenes docuseries The Test. The upcoming chapter will follow the Australia mens test cricket team on their packed 2026-27 schedule that includes daunting tours to South Africa, India, the one-off 150th Anniversary Test against England and the 2027 Ashes tour. Season four should be an intriguing watch as the Baggy Greens enter a period of transition, with many legends aging out and attempts to blood younger players proving a struggle thus far, all under the intense scrutiny of a demanding Aussie press and public.
The Test, a co-production between Amazon MGM Studios, Cricket Australia and Whooshka Media, will stream globally but a released date hasn’t been released yet.
Prime Video has also commissioned the true crime docuseries, Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings (working title). Per the streamer, the logline for the series reads, “In late 2024, eight young backpackers from around the world including two Australians set off on the adventure of a lifetime through Southeast Asia, chasing freedom, friendship, and self-discovery. They documented everything on their phones: chaotic bus rides, late-night laughs, voice notes home, and joyful selfies. But after a night out in Laos, everything changed. Today, six are dead. Of the two who survived, one was left permanently blind. Told through the backpackers’ own footage, final messages, and intimate testimony from the survivor and the victims’ families, this three-part docuseries reconstructs the events leading up to the tragedy and the search for answers that followed. More than an investigation, it is a powerful coming-of-age story that serves as a cautionary tale about youth, risk, and the pursuit of adventure in an unpredictable world.”
Free Spirits comes from Cineflix for Amazon MGM Studios and will also stream globally.
‘Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings’
Cineflix/Amazon MGM Studios
Madness of Three is Prime Video’s third original Aussie commission, and another true crime docuseries. The project, which was produced by Blackfella Films for Amazon MGM Studios, takes indepth look at the 2022 Wieambilla shootings, that became a global news story. A logline for the series reads, “[the docuseries covers] the shocking 2022 murders in Wieambilla, Queensland, when three locals, two of them former teachers, left two police officers and an innocent neighbour dead. With unprecedented and exclusive access, the five-part docuseries explores the conspiracy, delusion and online influence that drove Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train to violence and asks how is it possible to go down the rabbit hole and never come back.”
‘Madness of Three’
Blackfella Films/Amazon MGM Studios
“We strongly believe that to be successful globally, you need to be successful locally”, said Sarah Christie, head of Australian and New Zealand originals at Amazon MGM Studios, in a statement. “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 be investing in series that not only resonate with Australian audiences but captivate viewers around the world. These are powerful, authentic stories told with the depth and insight they deserve.”
The three original commissions continue Prime Video’s investment in Australia in recent years, and the company says that it has commissions 34 Aussie original sinces 2019, that span the gamut of television production. Although the company has adopted an Australia-first approach in terms of the appeal of its originals, there have been notable breakout global hits, including the Jacob Elordi-starring limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the black comedy series Deadloch.
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