France TV Distribution takes on Girlsquad

France TV Distribution has acquired the sales rights to pubcaster France Télévisions’ forthcoming drama series Girlsquad.

Katia Raïs

Produced by Kelija Productions, Girlsquad (10×22’) is a crime- and feminism-themed drama from writer Estelle Surbranche and directed by Zoé Cauwet.

It was shot in October and will launch on France Télévisions’ streaming service Slash.

Katia Raïs, producer and general manager at Kelija Productions, said: “When novelist Estelle Surbranche pitched the Girlsquad show concept to me, I saw it as an opportunity to develop a crime fiction show starring young adults.

“But I also saw it as a chance to revive the teen dramas that were popular from 2000 through 2010 – Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, for example – most of which were products of the US. This time, however, the series would be set in a French, female-oriented, post-#metoo feminist context.

“Besides aspiring to be an action-packed, entertaining and fanciful thriller, Girlsquad also aims to capture the modern-day world. The show tackles head-on the topics that are on young people’s minds today: sexuality, the fear of being different, violence, the pressure of being beautiful and ‘normal,’ the tyranny of social media, physical hang-ups and environmental issues.”