Netflix has served up an Aussie beachside murder mystery to give crime show junkies their new hit, writes streaming columnist NICK OVERALL.

Called The Survivors, Netflix has served up an Aussie beach murder mystery based on the book of the same name by Jane Harper.

Harper’s name has been in the spotlight in recent years after another popular adaptation of her best seller The Dry, which starred Eric Bana.

The film was praised around the world; so has The Survivors hit the same heights?

Maybe not quite, but it still does a fine job trying.

The story is set in the fictional town of Evelyn Bay in Tasmania, the state where the show was also filmed.

The people who live there are still haunted by a super storm 15 years ago that caused the deaths of three young people.

Kieran Elliot, the younger brother of one of the victims, moved out of town in the aftermath, too devastated and guilt ridden to stay any longer.

The story opens with his return home for the first time since the disaster, but his decision to come back coincides with a whole new tragedy that once again shakes the town to its core.

When a young woman’s body is discovered on the beach, old wounds reopen as Kieran and the people of Evelyn Bay search for answers that may shake them even more than the mystery itself.

It’s a well-worn set up but the stunning scenery of Tasmania immediately gives The Survivors a stage to set its action.

Playing Kieran is Charlie Vickers who recently scored a massive gig with his casting as Sauron in The Lord of the Rings spin-off, The Ring of Power on Amazon Prime Video.

Back in Australia with a far more intimate drama, in The Survivors Vickers creates an intriguing picture of a man being consumed by the past.

As Aussie productions go this one is pretty slick and at six, 45-minutes episodes certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome.

It’s a beachside mystery that’s easy to get swept up in.

EVERY year around this time Disney Plus’ hit series The Bear serves up another exceptional season.

The Emmy-winning show is now back for a fourth installment and it’s turning up the heat more than ever.

Despite its title, The Bear is not about a grizzly ursine creature, but rather a chef working in Chicago.

Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is on a mission to transform a sandwich shop into a five-star dining experience after it was left him to him it in the wake of his brother’s suicide.

Over its three seasons so far viewers have watched literally blood, sweat and tears poured into the culinary metamorphosis that is sizzling with addictive character drama.

Season three ended with Carmy reading a brutal review of his new restaurant that threatens to upend its reputation.

What’s made The Bear stand out is its commitment to intense authenticity. Many real-life chefs say the show recreates the stress and chaos of working in a kitchen eerily well. It’s a fascinating inside look at a world many don’t get to see and the show’s bite-size, 20-minute episodes make saying: “I’ll have just one more” a little too easy.

THIS week the third and final season of Squid Game finally hits screens.

The popular South Korean drama about adults recruited to play deadly children’s games is one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time. 

Almost four years on from when it first arrived though, does the hype still exist? The excitement around its final installment has felt kind of quiet, considering this is a show that once had more than 300 million viewers and was the subject of endless internet memes propelling its popularity through the stratosphere.

Season two last year still proved incredibly popular, but perhaps the gimmick that Squid Game first hooked so many audiences is starting to wear a little thin now.

A good time to call it game over.