Should I Watch It? SBS On Demand's gripping new heist drama, The Unusual Suspects.

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The Unusual Suspects is best described as a mix between Ocean's Eight and The Real Housewives of Sydney.

The four-part series, which premieres on SBS and SBS On Demand this week, was filmed and set in Sydney's affluent Eastern Suburbs.

Featuring a diverse ensemble cast, the entertaining series follows a group of unlikely women who come together to ensure justice is served after a $16 million necklace is taken in an elaborate jewellery heist at a children’s birthday party.

Watch the trailer for The Unusual Subjects below. Post continues after video.

Below, we unpack what the series is about and deliver our verdict on whether you should watch it.

What's it about?

The Unusual Suspects takes place in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, where a $16 million necklace has been swiped from Roxanne and Jordan Waters' (played by real-life couple Michelle Vergara Moore and Toby Leonard Moore) home in an elaborate female-led heist.

As the name of the series suggests, it’s a whodunnit where everyone is hiding something and soon everyone is a suspect.

There's wealthy Filipino businesswoman Roxanne (Condor's Michelle Vergara Moore), her privileged, unscrupulous husband Jordan (Billions' Toby Leonard Moore) and her housekeeper Amy (The Letdown's Lena Cruz). 

There's Filipino cleaner and casual life coach Gigi (Dead Lucky's Susana Downes), and nanny Evie (MacGyver's Aina Dumlao). 

And there's Sara (Miranda Otto), a Gwenyth Paltrow-esque wellness influencer whose life isn't quite as perfect as it appears on Instagram. Sara's perfect life come crumbling down after her former boyfriend, artist Nick, who is played by Miranda Otto’s real-life husband, Peter O'Brien, reappears. 

Sara (Miranda Otto) and Nick (Peter O'Brien) in The Unusual Suspects. Image: Supplied/SBS. 

Speaking to Mamamia, Otto described her character in the new series.

"She’s overconfident, and living in a bubble in the Eastern Suburbs," the Lord of the Rings and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actor said.

"She’s good-hearted and gutsy underneath it all, but I think she’s sort of oblivious, in some ways, to the rest of the world and what people go through. She’s cocooned in the world that she’s inherited. And then, you know, she has to have a wake-up call."

When viewers first meet Sara, she appears to have it all. In the series, Sara has three children, including the eldest, who is played by Otto's real life daughter Darcy O'Brien. But as the series continues, cracks begin to show in Sara's facade.

"I think that’s a lot of social media, really. People trying to project some kind of heavily curated life on social media," Otto shared.

"Sara is definitely someone who is trying to pretend that she’s totally control... she’s got the perfect family and the perfect life and she’s the perfect mum and the perfect working woman and all these things. And it’s not true at all. Not at all."

Listen to Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill, below. Post continues after podcast.

How does The Unusual Suspects set itself apart from other shows? 

Speaking to Mamamia, Otto shared what initially attracted her to the Sydney-based series.

"It just felt like a really refreshing, fun show," she said.

"When I read the script, I was in the middle of lockdown. It was such a fun, bright, light script, and that was one of the things that really attracted me to it in the beginning. 

"It’s escapist, it’s fun, and there are great female characters and great female friendships and relationships."

The 53-year-old hopes viewers will be able to see a different side of Australia while watching The Unusual Suspects.

"I hope [viewers] get into the spirit of it and enjoy the ride because it gets kind of funny and pretty silly with all the things that go wrong," she said.

"But then I hope that in the middle of that humour, they actually get to see a side of Sydney that they don’t normally get to see to do with the Filipino nannies and their backstories and how they live and what’s going on for them."

Sara (Miranda Otto) and Evie (Aina Dumlao) in The Unusual Suspects. Image: Supplied/SBS. 

Come for the...

The glamorous Sydney real estate porn and the wild heist.

Stay for the...

The brilliant ensemble cast, the laugh-out-loud funny dialogue, and the subtle underlying themes of female friendship and class politics.

What shows will it remind you of?

Ocean's Eight for the all-female jewellery heist, The Real Housewives of Sydney for the luxe locations, and Younger for the honest, true-to-life take on female friendships.

How many episodes are there and how long are they?

There will be four 60-minute episodes in total. All four episodes will be available to stream at the same time on Thursday, June 3 at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.

Will there be a second season?

At this point, The Unusual Suspects hasn't been renewed for a second season.

The cast of The Unusual Suspects. Image: Supplied/SBS. 

So, should you watch it?

Absolutely.

The Unusual Suspects is a hilarious yet gripping heist drama that'll keep you entertained for hours.

With strong performances from the diverse ensemble cast and laugh-out-loud funny dialogue, the four-part series is bound to be your next binge-watch.

Plus, underneath all the fun, the series uncovers a side of Australia that we've never seen on our screens before, delving into themes ranging from female friendship to Filipino–Australian culture. 

All four episodes of The Unusual Suspects premieres Thursday, June 3 at 8.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand.

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Feature Image: SBS.