The Stan Original Series Critical Incident is a new crime drama that'll have you hooked immediately.

The Stan Original Series Critical Incident doesn't just entertain. It hits you far deeper than anticipated.

The psychological crime drama has you hooked from the very opening scene — a teenage girl Dalia Tun, who has been in the Care System on and off throughout her short life, sits in a police station which she is desperate to escape.

Her fear is palpable.

It stems from a 'critical incident'. While on duty, Senior Constable Zil Ahmed clocks Dalia — she matches the description of a suspect wanted for assaulting a police officer. When he approaches, she flees, and he chases her onto a busy train platform in Sydney's western suburbs. A train approaches. Catastrophe occurs. Dalia runs again.

Watch the official trailer for Stan Original Series Critical Incident. Post continues below.

This Constable is a 'good' officer with strong instincts. But his world comes crashing down around him when he discovers Dalia was in fact not the suspect. Encouraged by his brothers in blue, Zil becomes obsessed with pinning something on Dalia.

She must have done something wrong. Why else did she run?

The plot of Critical Incident moves at a brisk and compelling pace over six episodes, leaving the viewer leaning into the moments of tension, suspense, and violence.

By episode three, the drama intensifies to a whole new level, with lives falling apart.

Your feelings towards the characters ebb and flow. There are no real 'villains versus heroes' in this engaging plot — only fallible people who are craving justice and a better life. And that's what makes the show such a standout, a crime drama filled with twists and turns that feel authentic and thoughtful.

Australian actor Zoë Boe brings a fascinating complexity to the character of Dalia, playing the role with vulnerability and the edge of a broken teenager who doesn't expect fairness from the world.

The standout scenes are in the interactions between the police officers and the youth who are trying to evade the system. Boe is raw and unflinching in this portrayal specifically. There's utter silence in a strip search scene as Dalia submits to the officer's instructions. There are tears in her eyes but also a sense of defiance.

The officer appears emotionally pained during the search too — the scene leaving the viewer to make their own assumptions and conclusions about what is right versus wrong.

It's a contemporary crime drama that not only captivates, but makes you think about Australia's juvenile justice system. Image: Stan.

Things go awry when Dalia looks to a drug dealer for advice on how to fight the system. It's a devastating moment — we're now privy to the fact that a young, hard-done-by girl feels she has so few options left in front of her.

Dalia is mouldable and seeks stability. Drug dealer Ty Egan, the hardened criminal who was also once a victim, uses Dalia's pain to his advantage. Chaos unravels even further.

Critical Incident speaks to the complex world of policing, and the consequences on those most vulnerable.

The show is inspired by creator Sarah Bassiuoni's real-life experiences working as a lawyer in Western Sydney's juvenile justice system. That fact alone undoubtedly brings a level of authenticity to the plot.

"This series is aimed at showing the faulty wiring of the system in a compelling and emotionally enthralling way. It is honest but at its core it is hopeful," says Bassiuoni. 

"That is why we don't need to be overt in our storytelling about race, gender and justice, because it is baked into the very essence of every character and each plot twist."

The casting is excellent, starring Akshay Khanna (Polite Society, The Doll Factory), Roxie Mohebbi (Shortland Street), Hunter Page-Lochard (The Newsreader), Jai Waetford (Neighbours), Jackson Heywood (Stan Original Series Bloom), Simone Kessell (Yellowjackets) and Erik Thomson (Stan Original Series Black Snow).

Conversations surrounding the topics of policing and juvenile crime always lurk through our national consciousness. But what a show like Critical Incident does is finally reflect these conversations on screen — which has rarely been done before.

Nearing the final episodes, the series intercuts between two dynamic and contrasting sequences that illustrate the journeys of both Zil and Dalia at that point. It's done simply, and yet the visual storytelling is amazing.

Every character's reality is impacted in some way, shape or form from the 'critical incident' at the train station. But each of their narrative arcs play out unlike anything audiences would expect.

This is what makes Critical Incident an absolute must-watch — a show that immediately holds you in its grip and doesn't let go, even after you've finished the final episode.

The Stan Original Series Critical Incident premieres August 12, all episodes at once and only on Stan.

Feature Image: Stan.