Epix orders originals

US pay TV network Epix is set to move into original production after ordering shows including a comedy from Lionsgate and a spy thriller from Paramount.

The Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM joint-venture channel has previously focused on movies but, according to The New York Times, is now set to make its own original dramas.

Comedy Graves will follow the life of a former US president, played by Nick Nolte, who attempts to correct errors made during his tenure, with Lionsgate producing.

Berlin Station is from Viacom-owned Paramount and features a CIA agent’s attempts to discover the source of a leak at the agency’s German office.

Both shows will premiere next year on Epix, which launched in 2009. Mark Greenberg, the channel’s CEO, said the move had been planned for some time.

“Clearly, there are a lot of people looking at this space, but there is no doubt about it: we think we can do things with a different flare, in a different way,” he added.