Netflix joins ITV thriller

Netflix has agreed its first coproduction deal with UK commercial broadcaster ITV on a forthcoming drama from StudioCanal prodco Red Production Company.

Paranoid, written by Bill Gallagher (The Paradise), tells the story of a female doctor who is murdered in a rural children’s playground surrounded by eyewitnesses.

The eight-part drama follows a group of detectives who embark on what seems to be a straightforward murder investigation, but as they delve deeper into the case they are quickly drawn into a dark mystery that takes them across Europe.

The show will air on ITV in the UK while Netflix will make the series available via its service outside of the UK later this year. The deal was confirmed to C21 by StudioCanal.

The show is distributed by StudioCanal’s sales arm and has been written by Bill Gallagher (The Paradise) and produced by Tom Sherry (Prey). Paranoid’s directors are Kenny Glannan and John Duthie, while the lead director is Mark Tonderai (The Five, House at the End of the Street, Whisper of Fear).

Yesterday Netflix rival Amazon joined European satcaster Sky on its Roman drama Britannia, marking the first coproduction between the two firms.

The series, written by Jez Butterworth (Jerusalem, Spectre), is set in 43AD as the Roman Imperial Army returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia. The drama is produced by Vertigo Films and All3Media-owned Neal Street Productions.