SBS Acquires Raft of Fremantle Shows

Fremantle is kicking off MIPCOM with an exclusive deal with the Australian broadcaster SBS for a rich mix of content, including a collection of new prime-time dramas.

The dramas picked up by SBS include the psychological thriller Dublin Murders; adapted from Tana French’s first two novels in the Dublin Murder Squad crime series, the show is from Fremantle’s Euston Films and is written and created by Sarah Phelps (And Then There Were None, The Casual Vacancy). The series recently launched on the BBC in the U.K. The channel will also launch Euston Films’ original new crime series Baghdad Central, written and created by the BAFTA-winning writer Stephen Butchard and based on the novel by Elliott Colla.

Additionally, the deal includes the new crime dramas Face to Face, directed by award-winning director Christoffer Boe, and Seizure, which follows the story of two troubled detectives who become entangled in the biggest and most inexplicable case of their lives. Both series are produced by Fremantle’s Scandinavian drama creators Miso Film.

SBS has also taken the supernatural series The Last Wave, produced by Fremantle’s scripted producers Kwai, as well as the drama The Attaché from Fremantle’s Israeli production arm Abot Hameiri. This is the first international deal for the series, which tells the story of Avshalom, an Israeli Jew of Moroccan descent whose life is thrown into turmoil when his wife gets the job opportunity of a lifetime as an attaché to the Israeli embassy in Paris.

Finally, SBS have acquired a selection of Fremantle’s critically acclaimed titles, including season one of American Gods, the mythological series adapted from Neil Gaiman’s bestselling and award-winning novel; Exit, the contemporary Norwegian drama inspired by the true story of four highly successful, real-life investors in Oslo; Darkness: Those Who Kill, Miso Film’s psychological thriller; and the documentary series Expedition with Steve Backshall from Wendy Darke’s natural-history production company True to Nature, which follows the adventurist as he attempts to complete a series of world firsts.

Paul Ridley, senior executive VP of sales and distribution for Australia, New Zealand and Japan, International, Fremantle, said: “Our incredible range of shows come from some of the best creative minds in the business. The quality of our content and the standard of our talent both in front and behind the camera is very impressive, resulting in compelling stories from around the world that we’re confident SBS’ audiences will love.”

Peter Andrews, head of network programming at SBS, said: “SBS is thrilled to bring this exceptional suite of programs to our platforms. These series represent a diverse mix of programming, and we look forward to sharing this content with Australian audiences.”