Euro pubcaster collective New8 unveils WWII drama, Icelandic crime series among eight new copros
DR Drama’s Generations follows the discovery of a mummified infant’s body
SERIES MANIA: European broadcasting collective New8 has unveiled a slate of eight new projects, including a Belgian drama set during the Second World War and an Icelandic crime series that centres on the killing of a champion racehorse.
The New8 partnership began in 2023, bringing together public broadcasters from across Europe including SVT (Sweden), DR (Denmark), YLE (Finland), RÚV (Iceland), NRK (Norway), VRT (Flanders, Belgium), NPO (Netherlands) and ZDF (Germany).
Since then, the group has collaborated on eight original series designed to reflect the values of public service media and appeal to a broad audience across national borders. Each title is introduced into the partnership by a lead broadcaster and then supported by other partners who serve as coproducers.
The second slate of eight projects unveiled here in Lille includes Breendonk (6×54′), which is produced by De Mensen for VRT and Streamz and distributed by Studio TF1.
It tells the story of two young lovers with opposing views on the Second World War. One, driven by a fierce sense of justice, joins the resistance, while the other dreams of escaping to a safer future for them both. But their love is put to the ultimate test in 1942 when a failed resistance mission forces one into hiding and leads to the arrest of the other and his father, who are both taken to Breendonk, a notorious SS prison camp overseen by Flemish guards.
Phoenix (6×45′) is from Les Films du Cygne, Storia Télévisions and Maze Pictures for ZDF. It follows young people from different European countries who have kidnapped the children of the CEOs of the ‘Four Wastes’ (four companies that pollute the world the most) in the run-up to an economic summit in the French Alps. Together with their victims, they are hiding in the mountains near the conference venue with the aim of forcing the bosses to save the climate.
The Machine (6×54′), made by Hollands Licht for NPO/BNNVARA, is a story of power, profit and purpose. When a long-time employee unexpectedly becomes CEO of an Amsterdam-based global travel empire, the company seems almost unrecognisable from the adventurous start-up she helped build with her friends two decades before. Can she revive the company’s original values or will she be consumed by its relentless drive for profit?
Produced by Klynge and Scanbox for NRK, Henki (6×45′) opens in 1985 when a 28-year-old gay bartender is fired after disclosing that he is infected with HIV. Angered and humiliated, he decides to take his case to court. But what he thought would be a fight for justice turns into three years when his life is laid bare for the Norwegian people to scrutinise and moralize over. He eventually wins in the Supreme Court but dies shortly after the verdict.
Swedish drama Cold Song (6×45′) is described as a suspense-filled drama about a restaurant owner and her husband who organise a surprise birthday party for the woman’s mother. But when their nanny disappears, the family is forced for confront hidden secrets and guilt. It is produced by Miso Film.
DR Drama’s Generations (6×60′) begins with the discovery of a mummified infant’s body during a renovation in a Frederiksberg apartment. An 87-year-old resident unexpectedly confesses to the crime, triggering a journey into family secrets long buried.
Death of a Horse (6×52′), produced by Act4 for RÚV, is pitched as a classic crime story with an unusual twist: the victim is a horse. When Blesi is found dead after unexpectedly becoming a champion racehorse, the police refuse to investigate, leading Blesi’s owner to mount her own investigation. But the eccentric community of Icelandic horse farmers doesn’t want the scrutiny and soon lives are at stake – some of them human.
Finally, The Dark Ones (6×45′) is about the dangerous beings that invade people’s lives on an island in the North Sea. They are neither monsters nor demons but the worst possible versions of ourselves, doppelgangers who have made all the wrong decisions and would do anything to start all over again. Now they are here to swap places with us, and the only one who can stop them is a young woman who is searching for her origins. The series is produced by Network Movie and Studio Zentral for ZDF.
Marianne Furevold-Boland, head of drama at NRK, said: “In a time of great change, it is more important than ever for us as public broadcasters to deliver unique, engaging and diverse content that sparks conversations and reflections across borders. New8 provides us with a valuable opportunity to strengthen this ambition. Together, we are building a creative force that will greatly benefit both the production community and our shared audience.”
Elly Vervloet, international drama executive at VRT, added: “Through New8, we can strengthen the production of top drama series that embody shared public values and elevate local creative talent to a global stage. As public broadcasters, we need to push the boundaries of drama and tell thrilling, recognisable and thought-provoking stories that make a difference.”
The first eight coproductions from New8 were SVT’s Vanguard, NPO’s Elixir, YLE’s Queen of Fucking Everything, NRK’s Holmlia Love, DR/ZDF-led Other People’s Money, VRT’s This is not a Murder Mystery and ZDF’s Push and Kabul.
