The glory days of peak TV, with blank-check commissions, open series orders and blockbuster budgets, are now a thing of the past. But even with buyers tightening their belts, there’s still strong demand, and as the global streaming market continues to expand, the demand for high-quality dramas continues to grow.
Ahead of MIPCOM Cannes — the major global TV market taking place October 21-24 — the offering of scripted content appears to be equally robust. From big costume productions to small indie gems, from glossy costume pieces to gritty urban dramas, this year’s offering is wide and varied.
Budget constraints mean there will be fewer “big score” deals at MIPCOM this year — procedurals, thrillers and big-star projects will have an edge over riskier, niche productions — but for producers who can handle the numbers, there is business to be done.
Here’s The Hollywood Reporter’s hot list of the 10 best scripted series coming to the Croisette.
Pitch: A must for public broadcasters and other high-profile buyers, World Divided combines historical drama with rare colorized archival footage in a meticulously researched account of major world events from World War II to the 1960s, told through the lives of six key figures: Nikita Khrushchev, Wernher von Braun, Golda Meir, Hedwig Höß , Joan Hinton and Frantz Fanon. Their personal and political struggles illuminate the divisions that shaped the postwar world.
Broadcasters: ARTE, ARD, ORF, CT
Distribution: Looks International
Suits: L.A.
Suits: LA Photo @David Astorga/NBC
Pitch: The spin-off series of one of the most popular shows in the world will be a sure choice for buyers. The Los Angeles version follows Ted Black (played by Stephen Amell of Green Arrow), a former prosecutor who reinvents himself as a powerful lawyer in Los Angeles, specializing in criminal and entertainment law. Co-stars Josh McDermitt, Lex Scott Davis, Bryan Greenberg and Troy Winbush.
Broadcaster: NBC
Distribution: NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
The Sanctuary
Pitch: A high-concept comedy that could attract the attention of streaming platforms or niche networks, The Sanctuarydeveloped by Los Angeles’ Happy Accidents and New Zealand’s Kevin & Co for Warner Bros. Discovery NZ, follows an eccentric American tech billionaire who hides out in New Zealand after discovering his app has been purchased by Russian-affiliated military contractors .
Issuer: None
Distribution: Happy Accidents
Icebreaker
Pitch: Pay-TV and streamer buyers may be drawn to this Finnish supernatural thriller, winner of the Best Series honor at MIPDRAMA 2024. The plot follows Finnish coast guard officer Sanna Tanner as she leads a rescue mission on a icebreaker ship stranded, only to discover a series of mysterious deaths and disappearances potentially linked to vengeful sea spirits.
Issuer: Elisa Viihde
Distribuzione: About Premium Content (APC)
Outrageous
Outrageous. Foto @Kevin Baker
Pitch: Networks looking for an aristocratic feel might consider this six-part BBC series. Based on biography The Mitford Girls at Mary Lovell, Outrageous follows the scandalous lives of six aristocratic sisters of 1930s British high society, who cross paths with some of history’s most acclaimed and controversial figures. Created by Sarah Williams, the series stars Bessie Carter, Joanna Vanderham, Joshua Sasse and James Purefoy.
Broadcasters: UKTV, Britbox International
Distribution: BBC Studios
Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth
Pitch: Networks and streaming platforms can’t get enough of historical dramas based on true stories. This series follows the relentless journey of Dr. Jim Swire (Colin Firth), who fought for truth and justice after losing his daughter in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing. It combines political drama with a deeply personal story.
Commissioning Broadcasters: Sky, Peacock
Sales: NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
Cat’s Eyes
Pitch: This French art thief thriller follows three sisters who band together to steal a painting linked to their father’s mysterious disappearance. As they become art thieves, they are stalked by police captain Quentin Chapuis, unaware that one of the sisters is his lost love.
Commissioning Broadcaster: TF1
Sales: Newen Content
Reunion
Pitch: This more emotional take on the thriller genre could have broad appeal, especially for public broadcasters and streaming platforms. The BBC production follows Daniel Brennan (Matthew Gurney), a deaf man seeking redemption and truth after being suddenly released from prison for a horrific crime. Set in Sheffield and created by deaf writer William Mager, it is a bilingual series in British Sign Language (BSL) and English, starring Anne-Marie Duff, Eddie Marsan and Rose Ayling-Ellis.
Commissioning Broadcaster: BBC
Sales: BBC Studios
Generation Z
Pitch: Ben Wheatley, director of Meg 2 e Free Firebrings his darkly comedic sensibilities to the small screen in this coming-of-age tale set in a world where the old literally eat the young. With Sue Johnston, Anita Dobson and Robert Lindsay.
Commissioning Broadcasters: Channel 4, ZDF Neo
Sales: All3Media International
Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light
Pitch: When Only the Absolute Best Will Enough: This six-part historical drama is the sequel to the 2015 Emmy-nominated miniseries. Oscar winner Mark Rylance returns to the role of Thomas Cromwell alongside Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII, in the final part of Hillary Mantel’s acclaimed historical trilogy. With Jonathan Pryce, Timothy Spall, Hannah Steele and Harry Melling.
Commissioning Broadcasters: BBC, PBS
Sales: Banijay Entertainment.
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