Hulu Picks Up STUDIOCANAL Dramas for U.S.

Hulu has scored the exclusive U.S. SVOD rights to 20 hours of drama content from STUDIOCANAL.

The pact includes three drama series, among them SAM Productions’ thriller Below the Surface. The eight-part crime drama follows the chain of events that unfolds when 15 people are taken hostage on a subway train beneath Copenhagen. Below the Surface is written and created by Kasper Barfoed (Dicte, Those Who Kill). It stars Johannes Lassen, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen and Paprika Steen, and is based on an idea by Adam Price (Borgen) and Søren Sveistrup (The Killing).

Also part of the deal is the eight-part Swedish-French drama Midnight Sun, a Canal+/SVT/Filmpool Nord co-production from Atlantique Productions and Nice Drama. The four-part character-led drama Trust Me, from the U.K.’s RED Production Company for BBC One, rounds out the pickups.

Beatriz Campos, the head of international sales at STUDIOCANAL, commented, “We’re extremely pleased to partner with Hulu in our first deal together. With the expanding popularity of foreign-language series in this key market, we are thrilled to close such a substantial package of premium dramas with an exciting blend of European languages which will be showcased exclusively to U.S. audiences for the first time. Renowned for delivering the best in international drama, Hulu is the perfect home for these contemporary series, which all deliver acclaimed creative talent both on and off screen, intriguing globally relevant storylines and compelling characters.”

Francoise Guyonnet, executive managing director for TV series at STUDIOCANAL, added, “This agreement affirms our strategy of building a strong and diverse drama portfolio through our growing production partnerships. Our commitment to the creation of international, high-end content means we are able to offer our clients prestige series which have wide appeal for viewers around the world across multiple platforms.”