DirecTV does relationship deal

US satellite TV provider DirecTV has ordered a new 10-part season of short films for its Audience Network (fka The 101 Network).

The deal will see screenwriter Neil LaBute (In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things) write, direct and produce the standalone shows.

Each episode will use a similar narrative to explore the complexities of human relationships. Production is due to start later in September, with the shows slated for broadcast in the late fall.

The shows are the second collaboration between DirecTV’s Audience channel and LaBute, who wrote the upcoming 10-part restaurant-based drama Full Circle, which premieres in October.

Chris Long, senior VP of original content and production at DirecTV, said: “We’re proud that Neil has chosen DirecTV as the first place to write, produce and direct his own material. We’re striving for the least possible distance between the artist’s vision and the final product.”