The Airport Chaplain becomes SBS’s biggest launch of 2026 – SBS Original drama The Airport Chaplain has reached 1.67 million viewers nationally to date, with the network describing it as its biggest launch of 2026 after the FIFA World Cup™.
The eight-part Australian drama, led by Hugo Weaving and Shabana Azeez, has delivered SBS’s strongest first-week result for a local drama. One in four viewers watched the full series in its first week, according to SBS.
For SBS, the early response is a meaningful sign that a local drama can build momentum across both scheduled television and on-demand viewing. The result also follows a period of heightened audience attention around the FIFA World Cup™, which SBS says helped bring new viewers to the series.
Set within the high-stakes world of an international airport, The Airport Chaplain follows the unexpected connections between travellers and the people who work there. The cast also includes Claudia Karvan, Erroll Shand and Thomas Weatherall.
SBS says its audience continued to grow after the first broadcast, with the series recording a 154% lift in its Total TV average audience between Overnight and Consolidated 7 figures as viewers caught up through SBS On Demand.
SBS Head of Scripted Nakul Legha said the response reflected the appeal of the drama’s “bold, distinctive home-grown storytelling”.
“This is a gripping and timely drama that celebrates our shared humanity,” Legha said. “Its success is a testament to the stellar cast and creative team who brought this series to life.”
The series was co-created and executive produced by Elise McCredie and Jude Troy, and is produced by Wooden Horse for SBS with major production investment from Screen Australia and support from VicScreen.
The Airport Chaplain has also launched on Netflix outside Australia, reaching viewers in more than 190 countries and regions. In Australia, all eight episodes are available free on SBS On Demand with subtitles in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese, plus audio description.
Read TV Central’s previous coverage of The Airport Chaplain, then watch the full series on SBS On Demand.
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