IMDb TV expands originals slate

Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara

Amazon-owned free streaming service IMDb TV has greenlit several original series, including a high school drama based on the memoir of Grammy-nominated recording artists Tegan and Sara.

Set against a backdrop of 90s grunge and rave culture, High School follows twin sisters as they try to find their own identities whilst growing up together.

Clea DuVall will write and direct multiple episodes of the half-hour coming-of-age series, which comes from Amazon Studios and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.

High School is part of an overall deal for television between Amazon Studios and Plan B Entertainment, which is also producing The Underground Railroad for the tech giant’s subscription streaming service. The memoir, also titled High School, was published in 2019.

DuVall recently directed and co-wrote holiday comedy Happiest Season on Hulu. She co-created, executive produces and voices the character of Elsa in Fox’s comedy series Housebroken. She is also known for her on-camera roles in shows and movies such as The Handmaid’s Tale, Veep and Argo.

Tegan and Sara, aka identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin, are a Canadian indie pop band who formed in the late 1990s. The Quins will executive produce the series alongside DuVall and Plan B.

“We apologise in advance to our mother for forcing her to relive this period of time with us again,” the twins said in a joint statement.

“Tegan and Sara’s honest, vulnerable, and deeply engaging memoir has captivated readers and we look forward to their authentic voice and Clea’s unique perspective being brought to life in this adaptation,” added Lauren Anderson and Ryan Pirozzi, co-heads of content and programming at IMDb TV, in a joint statement.

High School will stream exclusively on IMDb TV and comes as the free streamer expands its original programming slate with series including unscripted titles Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary, Bug Out and a project with interior designer Jeff Lewis.

Luke Bryan: My Dirt Road Diary will be a five-part miniseries following the country music star as he experiences the ups, downs, triumphs and tragedies along the road to unprecedented success.

Through original home videos, interviews and other personal footage, the docuseries, from director Michael Monaco, is set to premiere this summer on IMDb TV. Bryan and Kerri Edwards serve as executive producers in association with Endeavor Content.

Bug Out, meanwhile, comes from producers The Cinemart and is described as an unconventional true-crime docuseries about the theft of US$50,000 worth of rare live insects from a Philadelphia bug zoo.

The third unscripted series on IMDb TV’s slate is the first streaming original home design series from interior designer Lewis, who will showcase unique home design, celebrity clientele and never-before-seen design innovation in the as-yet-untitled show.

In each episode Lewis is put to the test balancing high-maintenance celebrities and ambitious home design projects while juggling his staff and personal life.

It is executive produced by Lewis, Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan in association with Fly on the Wall Entertainment. Billy Taylor serves as the series showrunner.

“These projects mark an impressive and exciting growth moment for IMDb TV. The calibre of talent and the variety of content is a brand hallmark for us as we look to diversify the entertaining and broadly appealing offerings available on the service,” added Anderson and Pirozzi.

The shows join other recent IMDb TV commissions such as Sprung, a drama about a convicted criminal who is released from prison during a global pandemic.