TV4 Sweden Orders Original English-Language Comedy

LOS ANGELES: Amy Poehler and her brother Greg Poehler have started a new production company, Syskon, which is producing a brand-new half-hour series for Sweden’s TV4 that will mark the first English-language original comedy for the channel.

Titled Welcome to Sweden, the comedy will be shown in both Sweden and New York. Local Swedish producer FLX will be producing the show along with Entertainment One (eOne), which will be handling the worldwide sales across all media. The fish-out-of-water comedy is based on Greg Poehler’s true story about a New York accountant who falls in love with a Swedish girl and relocates to the country.

“This show has been a real passion project for eOne,” said Carrie Stein, the executive VP of global production at Entertainment One. “It’s been thrilling to work with TV4 on their first English language co-production that organically explores a cross-cultural world. Greg Poehler is a talent on the rise, both as an actor and writer and he has created a series rife with humor as his lead character, Bruce, tries to navigate a different culture, a foreign language, his girlfriend’s quirky family and a life-changing romance.”
 
"I’m overjoyed to work with everyone involved to create what we hope will be a uniquely international show. Mostly, I’m happy to finally start profiting from my strange Swedish experiences," said Greg Poehler.
 
"I’m so happy to work with my talented brother Greg and the terrific Swedish actors who have joined us. Hopefully this helps us decide once and for all who is our parents’ favorite child," commented Amy Poehler.
 
“It was easy to fall for Greg Poehler’s self experienced story of an American that follows his heart to Sweden,” said Åsa Sjöberg, the director of Programs at TV4. “When Greg teamed up with Felix Herngren and his excellent team at FLX, there was no doubt that this series had a unique and huge potential to reach further than the Swedish comedy audience. We are so excited to join forces with eOne and to follow the story of Bruce and Emma, in our first English-language co-production.”
 
“Welcome to Sweden is not only a multinational comedy series, but also in terms of the way it is being financed and produced,” added Pontus Edgren, the managing partner at FLX. “FLX is very proud to be a part of this collaboration with eOne and TV4 and we believe this model will open up new opportunities of making great content.”