21 new shows to watch out for

C21’s latest Hot Properties Playlist gathers together the top 21 titles that were new and buzzworthy on networks around the world last month.

The playlist is available to view through the C21Screenings portal and the C21Screen app.

If you would like to submit a show for consideration in one of our upcoming C21 Hot Properties Playlists, email [email protected].

Show: The Last Man on Earth (13×30′)
Initial TX: March 1
Channel: Fox
Producers: 20th Century Fox TV, Lord Miller Productions, The Si Fi Company
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Television Distribution
They say: Post-apocalyptic single-camera comedy set in the year 2020 about a man who appears to be the only survivor of a virus that has wiped out the human race. Created by and starring Saturday Night Live’s Will Forte, with Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie) exec producing.
We say: Perhaps the most original comedy on US network television in the past year and a series Forte expected to be a better fit for cable, The Last Man on Earth has met with rave reviews.

Show: Battle Creek (13×60′)
Initial TX: March 1
Channel: CBS
Producers: Shore Z Productions, Gran Via Productions, High Bridge Productions, Bad Hat Harry Productions, CBS Television Studios, Sony Pictures Television
Distributor: Sony Pictures Television
They say: Cop drama from Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and House creator David Shore, about the mismatched partnership between a police detective (Dean Winters) and FBI agent (Josh Duhamel) working in the city of Battle Creek, Michigan.
We say: Based on a script written by Gilligan more than a decade ago, CBS gave the show a straight-to-series pick-up in the wake of the success of Breaking Bad. Edgier, smarter and more quirky than a typical police procedural.

Show: Secrets and Lies (10×60′)
Initial TX: March 1
Channel: ABC
Producers: ABC Studios, Avenue K Productions, Hoodlum Kapital Entertainment
Distributor: Disney Media Distribution
They say: Crime drama starring Ryan Phillippe (Crash, Damages) as a man accused of a killing a boy and Juliette Lewis (Cape Fear, Kalifornia) as the detective investigating the case.
We say: An adaptation of an Australian series of the same name, ABC’s version of Secrets and Lies sees the network aiming for the kind of star-driven event series HBO did so well with True Detective. A tough act to follow in broadcast perhaps and the jury is still out as to whether it’s succeeded.

Show: Pompidou (6×30′)
Initial TX: March 1
Channel: BBC2
Producer: John Stanley Productions
Distributor: All3Media International
They say: Visual comedy series created by and starring Little Britain’s Matt Lucas, who plays and elderly oddball aristocrat who has fallen on hard times.
We say: Originally intended for BBC1, Pompidou ended up with a BBC2 Sunday access primetime slot. Aimed at family audiences, playing on English eccentricities and without dialogue, the hope was clearly that Pompidou could be another Mr Bean.

Show: Arthur & George (3×60′)
Initial TX: March 2
Channel: ITV
Producer: Buffalo Pictures
Distributor: ITV Studios Global Entertainment
They say: Martin Clunes plays Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in this adaptation of Julian Barnes’ 1906-set novel based on the true story of the Sherlock Holmes author’s attempts to overturn a wrongly imprisoned Anglo-Indian solicitor’s conviction.
We say: Pleasing drama in every regard, which unashamedly draws on the enduring popularity of Conan Doyle’s most celebrated creation.

Show: American Crime (11×60′)
Initial TX: March 5
Channel: ABC
Producers: ABC Studios, Stearns Castle Entertainment
Distributor: Disney Media Distribution
They say: From 12 Years a Slave scribe John Ridley, American Crime is an anthology crime drama exploring the aftermath of a racially charged murder carried out in California and the subsequent trial. Starring Felicity Huffman.
We say: Reflective of a willingness among US broadcast networks to embrace shows more representative of the population and confronting challenging issues, while keeping the focus on sharp drama with broad appeal.

Show: Banished (7×50′)
Initial TX: March 5
Channel: BBC2 (UK)
Producers: RSJ Films and See-Saw Films
Distributor: BBC Worldwide
They say: Period drama set in the first penal camp established by the British in Australia in 1788, following the relationships of fictionalised early settlers, criminals and soldiers.
We say: Penned by the scribe behind Brookside, Cracker and The Accused, Banished has some trademark Jimmy McGovern social realism about it but also an exotic location, with the occasional sentimental sweeps of a costume drama.

Show: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (13×30′)
Initial TX: March 6
Channel: Netflix
Producers: Universal Television, Little Stranger Inc, 3 Arts Entertainment and Bevel Gears
Distributor: NBCUniversal International
They say: Sitcom starring Ellie Kemper (The Office) as a woman who escapes from a doomsday cult and starts life over in New York.
We say: Created by 30 Rock stars Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, the series was originally due to air on NBC but after the network passed on it, Netflix stepped in and picked up two seasons. Generating lots of laughs and rave reviews.

Show: Poldark (8×60′)
Initial TX: March 8
Channel: BBC1
Producer: Mammoth Screen
Distributor: ITV Studios Global Entertainment
They say: Drama about a man returning from the American War of Independence to England in 1783 to find his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin.
We say: Adapted from Winston Graham’s novels, this is a new version of a series of the same name that aired on the BBC in 1975, with added 21st century swashbuckling.

Show: The Team (8×60′ or 4×115′)
Initial TX: March 8
Channel: ZDF
Producers: Network Movie, Lunanime, Nordisk Film, Superfilm & C-Films, with ZDF, SVT, Arte, ORF, VTM, DR, SRF, RTS
Distributor: ZDF Enterprises
They say: A team of detectives from Berlin, Copenhagen and Antwerp try to solve a mysterious series of murders that leaves a trail of blood across Europe.
We say: With a cast led by The Killing and Borgen star Lars Mikkelsen, The Team debuted on DR in Denmark at the end of February and this German-dubbed version has now proven a hit for ZDF. A truly pan-European coproduction.

Show: The Returned (10×60′)
Initial TX: March 9
Channel: A&E
Producers: FremantleMedia North America, Haut et Court TV, Angry Annie Productions
Distributor: FremantleMedia International
They say: US version of French supernatural drama Les Revenants, set in a small mountain town in Washington where residents’ deceased loved ones start returning from the grave.
We say: Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) puts his own trademark on the enchanting Canal+ original.

Show: The Royals (10×60′)
Initial TX: March 15
Channel: E!
Producer: Lionsgate Television
Distributor: Lionsgate International
They say: Comedy-drama starring Elizabeth Hurley as a fictional queen of England, matriarch of a modern-day royal family with scandalous prince and princess twins and Joan Collins making a cameo as the queen’s mother.
We say: E!’s inaugural original scripted series, renewed for a second season two months before its first began airing, this is a royal romp that unabashedly pokes fun at the British monarchy in an age of celebrity trash.

Show: Spotless (10×52′)
Initial TX: March 16
Channel: Canal+
Producers: Tandem Productions and Rosetta Media
Distributor: StudioCanal
They say: The story of a troubled man whose tidy life is turned upside down when his outlaw brother crashlands into his world, and gets both of them involved in the deadly dynamics of organised crime.
We say: Canal+’s first entirely English-language commission, Spotless is a dark comedy drama from Shameless scribe Ed McCardie with a deliciously twisted set-up. Handed a second season order before the first had aired.

Show: iZombie (13×60′)
Initial TX: March 17
Channel: The CW
Producers: Table Six Productions, Spondoolie Productions, Vertigo, Warner Bros Television
Distributor: Warner Bros International Distribution
They say: Supernatural horror comedy-drama based on a DC comic of the same about a medical student-turned-zombie who takes a job in a coroner’s office.
We say: Co-created by Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars, 90210, Party Down), iZombie injects new blood into a genre that clearly still has plenty of life.

Show: Bloodline (13×60′)
Initial TX: March 20
Channel: Netflix
Producers: KZK Productions and Sony Pictures Television
Distributor: Sony Pictures Television
They say: Thriller set in the Florida Keys about a respected family whose secrets and relationships begin to unravel when the black sheep sibling decides to return home.
We say: Penned by Damages creators Todd A Kessler, elder brother Glenn and Daniel Zelman, Bloodline is a gripping drama starring Sam Shepherd, Sissy Spacek and Kyle Chandler with echoes of Cape Fear, Body Heat and Fatal Attraction.

Show: Louis Theroux: By Reason of Insanity (2×60′)
Initial TX: March 22
Channel: BBC2
Producer: BBC in-house
Distributor: BBC Worldwide
They say: Two-part documentary featuring the titular presenter immersing himself in the world of Ohio’s State Psychiatric Hospitals, meeting patients who have committed sometimes horrific crimes while in the grip of mental illness.
We say: Theroux doing what he does best, using his disarmingly innocent style of questioning to put people in all walks of life at their ease, in this case challenging notions of how we define insanity.

Show: 1992 (10×50′)
Initial TX: March 24
Channel: Sky Italy, UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, HBO Nordic, Telenet for Belgium/Netherlands
Producers: Sky Italia and Wildside
Distributor: Beta Film
They say: Based on an idea by Italian actor Stefano Accorsi, the programme is set in Italy in the midst of the political turmoil of the early 1990s and follows a young police detective attempting to root out corruption and organised crime.
We say: Written by Stefano Sardo, Alessandro Fabbri and Ludovica Rampoldi, who all worked on the Italian version of In Treatment, with the latter also credited on Sky Italia original hit Gomorrah, which was also coproduced by Beta Film and sold into 30 countries.

Show: Killing Jesus (1×180′)
Initial TX: March 29
Channel: National Geographic Channel
Producer: Scott Free Productions
Distributor:
They say: Historical drama based on a book of the same name co-authored by Fox News commentator Bill O’Reilly about the events leading up to the death of Christ.
We say: A third adaptation of an O’Reilly story, following on from the success Nat Geo enjoyed with Killing Lincoln and Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus eclipsed its predecessors becoming the channel’s most watched broadcast ever.

Show: Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (1×120′)
Initial TX: March 29
Channel: HBO
Producer: Jigsaw Productions
Distributor: Content Media
They say: Based on Lawrence Wright’s book Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Beliefs, this one-off doc explores the controversial organisation and its roots, as well as some of its most famous members such as John Travolta and Tom Cruise.
We say: Celebrated documentarian Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Mea Maxima Culpa, We Steal Secrets) turns his attentions to the L Ron Hubbard church, its beliefs and methods, relying on interviews with ex-members.

Show: The Dovekeepers (2×120′)
Initial TX: March 31
Channel: CBS
Producers: CBS Television Studios, LightWorkers Media
Distributor: CBS Studios International
They say: Based on Alice Hoffman’s bestselling historical novel about a group of women in ancient Israel who were among 900 Jews forced from their homes by the Romans and ensconced themselves in a mountain fortress.
We say: Executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey follow up their huge success with History’s The Bible and upcoming NBC sequel A.D. with a religious tale told from perspective of the women at the heart of it.

Show: Find My First Love (2×60′)
Initial TX: March 31
Channel: FYI
Producer: Nerd TV
Distributor: Red Arrow International
They say: Reality show employing investigators and researchers to trace people’s ‘one who got away’ and arrange a meeting to see if the romance can be rekindled.
We say: An interesting case not only because, unusually, a US factual cablenet has let the producer hang onto format rights but also because it’s one of the first of a new wave of ‘authentic’ factual shows as the US moves away from glossy, heavily constructed reality.