The streamer has commissioned two true-crime projects examining the Laos backpacker poisonings and the Wieambilla shootings, alongside a fourth season of cricket series ‘The Test.’

Prime Video is expanding its Australian production slate with three new locally commissioned docuseries spanning true crime and sport, including projects examining the fatal backpacker poisonings in Laos and the 2022 Wieambilla shootings in Queensland.

The streamer has also renewed its Australian cricket docuseries The Test for a fourth season, which will follow the Australian Men’s Test team through a period that includes tours of South Africa and India, the 150th Anniversary Test and the 2027 Ashes.

The three commissions — Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings (working title), Madness of Three and The TestSeason Four — will launch from 2027 and stream globally on Prime Video.

The announcement takes Prime Video’s tally of commissioned Australian Originals to 34 since 2019, as Amazon MGM Studios continues to invest in local production across scripted drama, documentary, comedy, unscripted and sport.

“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.”

Two Australian True-Crime Stories Head to Prime Video

Three-part series Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings will examine the deaths of six young travellers following a night out in Laos in late 2024.

Eight backpackers, including two Australians, had been travelling through Southeast Asia when the tragedy occurred. Six died and, of the two survivors, one was left permanently blind.

Produced by Cineflix for Amazon MGM Studios, the series will draw upon the backpackers’ own phone footage, final messages and testimony from a survivor and the victims’ families to reconstruct the events leading to the deaths and the subsequent search for answers.

Rather than approaching the story solely as an investigation, the producers are positioning Free Spirits as a coming-of-age story examining youth, risk and the pursuit of adventure overseas.

Prime Video’s second true-crime commission turns to one of the most shocking episodes in recent Australian policing history.

Five-part series Madness of Three examines the December 2022 Wieambilla shootings in rural Queensland, in which Nathaniel, Stacey and Gareth Train killed Queensland Police officers Matthew Arnold and Rachel McCrow and neighbour Alan Dare.

The series will explore the conspiracy theories, delusions and online influences that preceded the attack, examining how the three perpetrators became increasingly radicalised before the deadly confrontation.

Produced by Blackfella Films for Amazon MGM Studios, Madness of Three is being made with what Prime Video describes as “unprecedented and exclusive access.”

‘The Test’ Returns for Season Four

Prime Video is also returning to one of its longest-running Australian franchises, with The Test commissioned for a fourth season.

The new instalment will follow the Australian Men’s Test team through a potentially transitional period, taking in the team’s return to South Africa, a five-Test series in India, the 150th Anniversary Test and the 2027 Ashes.

The series will also explore questions around succession within the Australian side as established players seek to cement their legacies and selectors begin ushering in the next generation.

Prime Video describes The Test as its most successful Australian sports docuseries franchise. Season Four will again be produced by Cricket Australia, Whooshka Media and Amazon MGM Studios and will stream internationally.

The three commissions join an expanding Australian Prime Video catalogue that includes The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Deadloch, Top End Bub and sports documentary Final Siren: Inside the AFL.

Christie said the ability of distinctly Australian subjects to travel internationally remains central to Amazon MGM Studios’ local strategy.

“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,” she said. “These are powerful, authentic stories told with the depth and insight they deserve.”

Amazon MGM Studios has been investing in Australian productions since 2019, while the country has also increasingly served as a production base for the company’s international projects.

Among the U.S. and international productions filmed in Australia are Subversion, Spaceballs: The New One, Honeymoon with Harry, Foe and Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives.

The latest commissions underline the two-track strategy behind Prime Video’s Australian investment: building locally recognisable franchises such as The Test while developing Australian factual stories capable of travelling internationally.

Free Spirits: The Backpacker Poisonings, Madness of Three and The Test Season Four are all scheduled to launch on Prime Video from 2027.