MIPTV Spotlight: FremantleMedia International

CANNES: Bryan Fuller (Hannibal) and Michael Green (Heroes) worked with noted author Neil Gaiman to bring his best-selling novel American Gods to the small screen, and now the show is on offer from FremantleMedia International.

“Featuring fantasy and [touching on] old and new mythology, the series has universal themes that will resonate with a global audience,” says Jens Richter, the CEO of FremantleMedia International.

The company is also presenting Kate Humble: This Woman’s World (working title). The series “explores a subject at the forefront of global politics: what it means to be a woman in today’s society,” Richter explains. The long-running German series Alarm for Cobra 11 is also being promoted. “The show promises high-octane episodes ready to thrill both established and new audiences,” says Richter.

A two-part love story from best-selling author Patrick Gale, Man in an Orange Shirt stars Oscar winner Vanessa Redgrave. The series focuses on two generations of gay men; the first part is set in the 1940s, when homosexuality was illegal, and the second is in the present day. “It’s a beautiful, poignant, thoughtful, gorgeous bit of television,” says Sarah Doole, FremantleMedia’s director of global drama. “It will make you think, and it will make you sad and joyous at the same time. It’s of the moment.”

Another drama highlight is Kim Kong, which is from the makers of Baron Noir. The series follows as a restless film director is kidnapped and forced to make a movie against his wishes in a foreign country. Meanwhile, from the makers of Deutschland 83 and Generation War comes Reformation.

In the new show Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food, chef Jamie Oliver teaches viewers how to prepare meals using only five ingredients per recipe. Another food-themed factual series, The Chef’s Line looks on as home cooks compete against professionals for the chance to win a cash prize.

“FremantleMedia is serving up two incredible culinary shows: The Chef’s Line, a first-of-its-kind competitive face-off between home cooks and professionals, and Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food, which sees the globally popular chef combat the daily struggle of getting dinner on the table with simple, innovative solutions and minimal fuss,” says Ganesh Rajaram, the general manager and executive VP of sales and distribution for Asia at FremantleMedia International.

Additional highlights from the company include Lost in Time, a family-entertainment format that follows three contestants as they are transported to different eras and compete in various challenges, and The Next TV Chef, a talent-show format searching for television’s next big culinary star.

“With Lost in Time we are partnering with Norway-based interactive mixed reality pioneer The Future Group for a game show like nothing else on television—the anti-VR, incredibly immersive celebration of technology and art combining to create unparalleled viewing experiences for the audience and new ways for them to engage from their living rooms in this cutting-edge competition,” says Anahita Kheder, FremantleMedia International’s senior VP for the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Europe. “The Next TV Chef lets you watch the evolution of a new culinary superstar battling it out to become the host of their very own TV show.”