The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden sets SBS premiere date – SBS has confirmed The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden will premiere Monday, 5 October at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.
The five-part SBS Original is the second Australian season of The Jury. It follows a real manslaughter trial, rebuilt from court transcripts and presented to a new jury of twelve everyday Australians.
For viewers, the series gives SBS another strong true crime event with a clear difference. It is not only a retelling of a case. Instead, it shows how ordinary people deal with evidence, doubt and personal bias when a verdict is in their hands.
Watch The Trailer
The Case
The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden centres on the disappearance of a woman whose remains are found buried in the defendant’s former backyard a decade after she vanished.
The case is difficult because there is very little physical evidence. There is no confirmed time of death, no confirmed location of death, no weapon and no direct forensic link to the defendant.
As a result, the jurors must weigh testimony, memory and credibility. They must decide whether the secret burial points to guilt, or whether the case leaves too much room for reasonable doubt.
Inside The Jury Room
The new season again opens up the jury room, which is normally hidden from public view. As the trial unfolds, the jurors bring their own life stories, instincts and assumptions to the same evidence.
SBS says the room divides along generational lines. Some jurors try to stay within the legal rules, while others lean more on life experience and instinct.
The pressure builds toward a verdict reveal. Then, a final twist asks whether justice and truth are always the same thing.
The Production
Northern Pictures produces the series for SBS, in association with Screen NSW. The format was created by ScreenDog Productions and is distributed by Blue Ant Studios.
The production team turned a 1,700-page transcript from a real criminal trial into a 500-page production script. The trial was recreated inside Sydney’s historic Justice and Police Museum.
The shoot used 16 actors, 18 cameras and dozens of crew members. Across the courtroom and jury room, the team captured more than 520 hours of footage.
What SBS Says
SBS Senior Commissioning Editor Bethan Arwel-Lewis said the new season explores how personal experience, bias and group pressure can shape the pursuit of justice.
Northern Pictures executive producer Karina Holden said season two has twists and shifting dynamics that surprised the production team. Screen NSW Executive Director Kylie Munnich said the series gives audiences a deeper view of how the courts and justice system work.
Broadcast And Streaming Details
The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden premieres Monday, 5 October at 7.30pm on SBS. It will screen across two weeks.
- Monday, 5 October at 7.30pm: Episode 1
- Tuesday, 6 October at 7.30pm: Episode 2
- Wednesday, 7 October at 7.30pm: Episode 3
- Monday, 12 October at 7.30pm: Episode 4
- Tuesday, 13 October at 7.30pm: Final episode and verdict reveal
Episodes 1-4 will stream on SBS On Demand from Monday, 5 October. The final episode will stream from Tuesday, 13 October.
The series will be subtitled in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
The first Australian season, The Jury: Death on a Staircase, and the UK series The Jury: Murder Trial UK, are also available on SBS On Demand.
For more SBS coverage, visit TV Central’s SBS section. The Jury is available through SBS On Demand.