The Jury: Death on the Staircase on SBS all episodes now streaming – You’ll be guilty of binge-watching true crime event The Jury: Death on the Staircase with all five compelling episodes available to stream free now on SBS On Demand. The Jury: Death on the Staircase has been the top-rated documentary series on the SBS On Demand* platform since its premiere.
The SBS Original has also received an AACTA Award nomination for Best Direction in Nonfiction Television (Tosca Looby and Ben Lawrence for Episode 1). It’s received widespread critical acclaim for its interesting concept and innovative approach, with the Australian-first taking inspiration from a smash-hit format from Channel 4 in the UK to provide insight and analysis on how juries work.
The Jury: Death on the Staircase re-enacts a real manslaughter trial* with actors reciting real court transcripts word-for-word. But just as in a real court, the new jury is made up of 12 everyday Australians.
The dramatic conclusion aired last Wednesday with a bombshell series finale that left the jurors in tears and audiences floored. Having heard all the evidence, the jurors settled in for an emotionally charged debate, working through their own experiences, evidence, logic and the law. But when they returned to the courtroom to deliver their decision, what the judge revealed about the original case was more shocking than anything they had heard over the course of the trial. The shattering final moments of the series presented a powerful and entirely unexpected message for the jurors and audiences alike.
“Brilliant. Riveting. You’ll be hooked from the start!”
– The Age
“One to file alongside Alone Australia as another very watchable SBS reality TV show with a difference,”
– News.com.au
“It’s low-key terrifying that this is how a jury deliberates. Also, high-key terrifying,”
– Junkee
“An ingenious peek behind the courtroom curtains,”
– The Big Issue
“The verdict is in – this is unmissable! Jury duty has never been so exciting,”
– TV Week
Here’s what people have had to say about the series:
Polling audiences on SBS On Demand shared that this rare insight behind the closed doors of the jury deliberation room left viewers with an even split of both wanting to and not wanting to serve on a jury for a high-profile case, with the majority agreeing with the jury’s verdict:
A recent poll on News.com.au asked if readers had been on a jury. The results are captured below:
- 19% said yes and they were satisfied with the outcome
- 8% said yes and they were left disappointed in the jury system
- 44% said no, they have never been called up
- 29% said no, they got out of it
The Jury: Death on the Staircase goes behind the scenes of the jury room where cameras and recording devices are normally strictly prohibited, to witness how a cohort of 12 strangers interpret confounding evidence, how they judge the motives and expertise of witnesses, and how they decode the ingenuity of defence and prosecution tactics.
The SBS Original is based on the format of Channel 4 series The Jury: Murder Retrial which will premiere Wednesday 26 February at 8:30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.
The Jury: Death on the Staircase is a Northern Pictures production for SBS. Major production investment from SBS in association with Screen Australia. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW, who also supported post, digital, and visual effects. Based on a format created by ScreenDog Productions and distributed by Blue Ant Studios.
The Jury: Death on the Staircase will be subtitled in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
All five episodes of The Jury: Death on the Staircase available to stream free now on SBS On Demand and don’t miss Channel 4’s The Jury: Murder Retrial on Wednesdays from 26 February at 8:30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.
The Jury: Death on the Staircase on SBS all episodes now streaming
