ARD Slates Brit Comedy Cuckoo

LONDON: FremantleMedia International has licensed the first two seasons of Cuckoo, the Roughcut TV comedy for BBC Three, to German pubcaster ARD.

ARD is expected to launch the show this fall in an access prime slot. Cuckoo was previously licensed to HBO Central Europe, Foxtel in Australia, BBC in New Zealand, Amedia and 2×2 in Russia and MTV in Africa, bringing it to more than 70 territories.

The first season was the biggest comedy launch in the history of BBC Three. Season one focused on Rachel (Tamla Kari), who returns from her gap year to the home of her parents Ken (Greg Davies) and Lorna (Helen Baxendale) with a new husband, Cuckoo, played by Andy Samberg, who is a "self-appointed spiritual ninja." In season two, Cuckoo has been missing, presumed dead, for two years when a handsome and mysterious young stranger (Taylor Lautner) appears in Lichfield as he tries to track down his father.

"For a broadcaster of ARD’s caliber to take Cuckoo as one of their very few foreign acquisitions in a long time, speaks volumes for the universal appeal of this stand out series," said Maximilian Bolenius, the VP of sales and distribution for German-speaking Europe, Central and Eastern Europe at FremantleMedia International. "Cuckoo truly attracts viewers across all generations unlike many other new comedies from recent years. The addition of Hollywood A-lister Taylor Lautner for series two only enhances the series’ global potential."