EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video has ordered a pair of true crime docs and a fourth season of cricket series The Test to its originals cabinet in Australia.
Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings (working title) and Madness of Three comprise the new orders at the Amazon-owned streamer, with The Test following the latest travails of the Australian men’s cricket team.
From the new orders, Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings will explore the devastating 2024 incident that saw six backpackers from around the world, including two Australians and an American, die after drinking free alcoholic shots tainted by methanol, a dangerous liquid chemical. The show will follow eight backpackers who were effected. Of the two that survived, one is permanently blind.
The three-part show will reconstruct the story through the backpackers’ own cell phone footage, final messages and testimony from survivors and victims’ families. Cineflix is producing for Amazon MGM Studios.
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Madness of Three, another docuseries, will unpacks the shocking 2022 murders in Wieambilla, Queensland, when three locals, two of them former teachers, left two police officers and an innocent neighbor dead in a rural town in Queensland, Australia.
The five-part series will look at why Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train carried out the ambush killings of constables Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow and the murdeered 58-year-old Alan Dare at a remote home, triggering a long-siege that ended with police killing all three people. With exclusive access, the fiver-parter will look at the conspiracy, delusion and online influence that appeared to drive them. Blackfella Films is making the show for Amazon MGM Studios.
The Test Season 4 follows Australia’s cricket team on their return to South Africa, a full five-Test series in India, the 150th anniversary test and the 2027 Ashes. The docuseries will show a team seeking the define their legacy and the team confronting what they will leave behind. The show is from Cricket Australia, Whooshka Media and Amazon MGM Studios.
All three titles get worldwide launches on Prime Video, and take the total number of original commissions for Amazon out of Australia to 34 since 2019, including The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Deadloch and Top End Bub. As with all the main global streamers, Prime Video has been attempting to deepen its ties with local productions communities, especially in key territories such as Australia.
“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. “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.”
