Prequel, sequel, revival and adaptation orders abounded in 2025 as drama buyers sought to contend with budget constraints and the battle for eyeballs amid a crowded content landscape. And a new format emerged with gusto: the vertical, micro-drama.<\/p>\n
As known IP reigned supreme, various spin-offs came about last year. STARZ\u00a0premiered\u00a0<\/a>Outlander: Blood of My Blood<\/em><\/a>, already\u00a0renewed for a second season<\/a>, and\u00a0ordered\u00a0<\/a>Power: Origins<\/em><\/a>. It also\u00a0debuted\u00a0<\/a>Spartacus: House of Ashur<\/em><\/a>. MGM+\u00a0greenlit\u00a0<\/a>Bosch: Start of Watch<\/em><\/a>, while Prime Video\u00a0premiered the\u00a0<\/a>Bosch<\/em><\/a>\u00a0spin-off\u00a0<\/a>Ballard<\/em><\/a>. Sony Pictures Television\u00a0began developing\u00a0<\/a>S.W.A.T. Exiles<\/em><\/a>, with Shemar Moore reprising his role. A sequel to\u00a0Blue Bloods<\/em>, led by Donnie Wahlberg and Sonequa Martin-Green,\u00a0debuted at MIPCOM<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0found buyers around the world<\/a>. FX\u00a0gave the go-ahead<\/a>\u00a0for a spin-off of\u00a0Snowfall<\/em>. Paramount+, meanwhile,\u00a0ordered\u00a0<\/a>Nola King<\/em><\/a>, a spin-off of\u00a0Tulsa King<\/em>, to be led by Samuel L. Jackson.<\/p>\n Other broadcasters opted for straight revivals. FOX\u00a0is bringing back\u00a0<\/a>Baywatch<\/em><\/a>, and Netflix is plotting the returns of\u00a0Peaky Blinders<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0A Different World<\/em><\/a>. Hulu debuted its reboot of\u00a0King of the Hill<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0ordered an additional two seasons<\/a>. Channel 4\u00a0announced it was reviving\u00a0<\/a>A Woman of Substance<\/em><\/a>, 40 years since the show ranked as its biggest-ever drama.<\/p>\n Several hit IPs began development as TV series as well, with HBO\u2019s\u00a0Harry Potter<\/em>\u00a0series making headlines as it\u00a0rounded out its cast<\/a>\u00a0throughout the year. Netflix planned out TV remakes of\u00a0Little House on the Prairie<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Pride and Prejudice<\/em><\/a>. Netflix also lined up an adaptation of the video game\u00a0Assassin\u2019s Creed<\/em><\/a>, while Prime Video set an adaptation of\u00a0Tomb Raider<\/em><\/a>. M. Night Shyamalan and Brad Falchuk boarded Mattel Studios\u2019\u00a0live-action scripted series inspired by Magic 8 Ball.<\/a><\/p>\n A large swath of books were optioned for the development of screen adaptations, too. Netflix has many in its pipeline:\u00a0Vladimir<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0The Age of Innocence<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Unaccustomed Earth<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0The Woman in the Cabin<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0All the Truth Behind My Lies<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0So Far Gone<\/em><\/a>. Apple TV optioned\u00a0The Husbands<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0I\u2019m Glad My Mom Died<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Berlin Noir<\/em><\/a>and\u00a0Down Cemetery Road<\/em><\/a>, while Prime Video lined up adaptations of\u00a0Rise of the Empress<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Every Summer After<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Off Campus<\/em><\/a>. Paramount UK & Ireland commissioned TV versions of\u00a0The Revenge Club<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Baby Doll<\/em><\/a>. ITV went for\u00a0The Party<\/em><\/a>\u00a0andDeath at The White Hart<\/em><\/a>, the debut novel from\u00a0Broadchurch<\/em>\u00a0creator Chris Chibnall. In North America, Crave and HBO Max premiered a\u00a0Heated Rivalry<\/em><\/a>\u00a0adaptation, which was\u00a0greenlit for a second season<\/a>\u00a0before its first finished airing. Also, Synchronicity Films is developing adaptations of\u00a0Isabel Dalhousie novels<\/a>, Made Up Stories is working on a screen version of\u00a017 Years Later<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and Tomorrow Studios is prepping an adaptation of\u00a0Don\u2019t Let the Devil Ride<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em>And this is only a fraction of the book adaptations to come.<\/p>\n In terms of genre, crime and thriller series often topped the news in 2025, whether through sales, premieres or commissions. ITV Studios sold the detective drama\u00a0Ludwig<\/em><\/a>\u00a0around the world, and All3Media International secured sales across five continents for Two Brothers Pictures\u2019\u00a0The Assassin<\/em><\/a>and also shored up deals for New Pictures\u2019\u00a0Protection<\/em><\/a>. Hulu\u2019s\u00a0Paradise<\/em><\/a>\u00a0premiered at the start of the year and\u00a0was quickly renewed<\/a>\u00a0about a month later. Hulu (and Disney+) also set the premiere of the new Ryan Murphy thriller\u00a0The Beauty<\/em><\/a>. Paramount+ lined up the psychological thriller\u00a0Girl Taken<\/em><\/a>. Apple TV added the conspiracy thriller\u00a0Prime Target<\/em><\/a>, the Hugh Laurie-led crime thriller\u00a0The Wanted Man<\/em><\/a>, the French-language political thriller\u00a0La D\u00e9cision<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and the espionage thriller\u00a0Safe Houses<\/em><\/a>\u00a0to its offering. MGM+ greenlit the crime drama\u00a0The Westies<\/em><\/a>, created by\u00a0Narcos<\/em>\u2019 Chris Brancato, and Fifth Season\u00a0signed on to take the series global<\/a>. Several A24 thrillers were given the go-ahead, with straight-to-series orders given to\u00a0Trigger Point<\/em><\/a>\u00a0by Netflix and\u00a0Discretion<\/em><\/a>by Paramount+. Prime Video expanded its catalog of crime and thriller titles with\u00a0Malice<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0Storm<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Vanished<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n A fast-growing section of the drama landscape is that of vertical and micro-dramas\u2014mobile-first, short-form series. A study from Ampere\u00a0revealed that more than one in ten<\/a>\u00a0internet users had watched drama episodes lasting ten minutes or less on social media. The micro-drama market outside of China is\u00a0projected to generate revenues of $9.5 billion<\/a>\u00a0by 2030, per Media Partners Asia. FOX Entertainment\u00a0made an investment into the vertical video space<\/a>\u00a0with the acquisition of an equity stake in HOLYWATER. Night Train Media\u00a0partnered with Spirit Studios<\/a>\u00a0to fund the development of a vertical micro-drama for Night Train Digital. Inter Medya\u00a0expanded into the vertical drama space<\/a>, with plans to develop its own titles and collaborate with third-party producers. Telemundo Studios\u00a0unveiled its first mobile-first scripted slate<\/a>.<\/p>\n AI started to pop up in more and more conversations throughout the year as the technology improved. Wonder Studios\u00a0began to rollout the AI-driven anthology<\/a>\u00a0Beyond the Loop<\/em>, and Vigloo\u00a0launched two full-length vertical dramas<\/a>\u00a0that were produced entirely in AI. Rogue Matter clinched a deal that will see Fairground Entertainment\u00a0develop AI-powered adaptations<\/a>\u00a0of its slate of graphic novels and comic books. In order to tap into this rapidly advancing technique, Amazon MGM Studios\u00a0expanded its AI Studios team<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was also plenty of consolidation in 2025 as companies vie for audiences who are being pulled in many directions. ITV Studios took a majority stake in\u00a0Moonage<\/a>\u00a0and in\u00a0Plano a Plano<\/a>. Fremantle\u00a0combined Monster Scripted and Miso Film<\/a>, while Banijay\u00a0brought together Banijay Studios France and Shine Fiction<\/a>. VICE Media\u00a0took control of Cuba Pictures<\/a>.<\/p>\n Several new companies launched\u2014Leonardo Padr\u00f3n\u2019s\u00a0Leonardo Padr\u00f3n Productions<\/a>\u00a0and Richard Tulk-Hart\u2019s consulting company\u00a0Volteo Media<\/a>\u2014while others made plans for shuttering. Angie Fielder and Polly Staniford\u00a0announced the closing of Aquarius Films<\/a>, and Apple Tree Productions\u00a0revealed plans to close<\/a>\u00a0at the end of 2026. Others expanded their scripted capabilities. Dash Pictures\u00a0launched a scripted arm<\/a>, and BBC Studios\u00a0introduced the BBC Studios Fiction division<\/a>.<\/p>\n There was, of course, plenty more news throughout the year. You can catch up on all the drama news of last year and stay up-to-date on this year\u2019s articles by visiting\u00a0TVDrama.com<\/a>\u00a0and subscribing to\u00a0TV Drama Daily<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0TV Drama Weekly\u00a0<\/em>for free\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A recap of the major stories from the drama business in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1412,"featured_media":24094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,70],"tags":[11785,11786],"class_list":["post-24093","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-features","category-top-stories","tag-tv-drama","tag-tv-drama-recap","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n