Elizabeth Guider Reports: NBCUniversal’s Screenings Presentation

PREMIUM: A small-screen version of the movie About a Boy and a cop comedy called Brooklyn Nine-Nine got thumbs-up from a variety of international program buyers as being “promising” hopefuls among the nine new network series being launched around the world by NBCUniversal International Television Distribution.

Although buyers are for competitive reasons generally reluctant to go into detail about what they’re thinking of acquiring, they often will express their professional opinions as to what strikes them as well executed and/or emotionally compelling. During lunch on the Universal lot Thursday a random survey of a dozen buyers from among the 250 in attendance that day turned up generally positive things to say about what they had seen during the morning session.

“I really loved the comedies, especially the pilot for About a Boy," said Justin Arnall, the head of programming and acquisitions for Australian pay-TV channel TV1. "Not only was it funny, it had heart. And the lead actor in the Hugh Grant role [played by David Walton] was great. Of course, we’re an English-language territory so we’re more in tune with the American funny bone than some other buyers [in Europe and elsewhere] might be.” (TV1 has output deals with NBCU, CBSSI and Sony; Arnall said overall he was pleased with a number of series he’ll be taking home from these suppliers.)

Longtime British program buyer Jeff Ford, who now acquires on the open market for Ireland’s TV3, mentioned the footage of producer Dick Wolf’s upcoming spinoff series, Chicago PD, as looking “quite well-done.” Another buyer chimed in to lament the fact there was so little to see of it at the Screenings because, having gone straight to series, no pilot was shot. (Like the Brits, the Irish tend to buy on the open market rather than ink long-term output deals with the Hollywood majors.)

Offering a different perspective, two buyers from Ukraine described the preferences of their audience as being weighted toward “fantasy, mystery, sci-fi—and zombies” as regards to U.S. imports. “Things that are too particularized as being American—shows that take place in Texas or even in Hollywood where the setting plays a big role in the plot—do not resonate so well with our viewers,” said Oleg Dobrelia, NLO-TV’s head of acquisitions. (His station has a deal with NBCUniversal.)

The other NBC show that seemed to pique the interest of a variety of buyers was the cop procedural Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which, per one buyer from the Far East, was on his “must-see” list.

One thing was abundantly clear Thursday: almost all the buyers are noticeably bleary-eyed after a week of almost non-stop, all-day sessions in darkened rooms at the six Hollywood studios and pit-stops at other key players like HBO and Lionsgate. (HBO is developing a number of projects but had nothing brand new to screen this time; fresh off its success with prime-time hit Nashville, Lionsgate is concentrating on licensing its Netflix original Orange Is the New Black.) Whatever exuberance might have been apparent a week ago has been drained out of most buyers; several described the overall Screenings this go-round as featuring mostly “standard fare”: no one apparently feels comfortable about identifying the hot show of the Screenings.

And perhaps the days of one single series that excites or moves everyone are gone.

For her part, NBCUniversal International TV Distribution’s president, Belinda Menendez, put the accent on the entire portfolio of product her division is handling.

Asked if the multiple cancellations and disappointing ratings at the Peacock were affecting her end of the business, Menendez said: “Yes, there’s a journey to be taken on the network, fixing things night by night, but that’s being done, and foreign buyers are looking beyond that issue.” She termed the new offerings for the NBC schedule “strong and diverse.”

Moreover, she added, “We now have a substantial portfolio of product—for cable, for other broadcast networks, and from our local production efforts abroad.” Menendez singled out Dracula, which was put together in Budapest and which will air as the lead-out to Grimm on Friday nights.