ITV, Virgin Media TV, SBS Australia acquire Ozark co-creator’s new drama Safe Harbor

Safe Harbor will debut this spring

LONDON TV SCREENINGS: UK commercial broadcaster ITV, Virgin Media Television in Ireland and Australian public broadcaster SBS have all picked up Safe Harbor, the latest drama from Ozark co-creator Mark Williams.

The 8×60’ series is being shopped by Scandinavian distributor Eccho Rights here in London this week and deals have been sealed with the international broadcasting trio.

Featuring an international cast including Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), Colm Meaney (Hell on Wheels), Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones), and Martijn Lakemeier (Maxima), the series will premiere on ITV’s streamer ITVX and Virgin Media Television this spring, with SBS set to air it later in the year.

Safe Harbor, commissioned by Dutch streamer Videoland and Belgium’s Streamz, is a coproduction from Mediawan-owned Submarine in the Netherlands, Munich- and London-based Night Train Media and Zero Gravity Management, the LA production label run by Williams, who wrote, co-directed and executive produced the series.

The eight-parter is based on an idea from Submarine co-founder and executive producer Femke Wolting. Herbert L Kloiber and James Copp are executive producers for Night Train Media.

Inspired by true events, the plot follows a gifted hacker and his ambitious best friend who are intent on cracking into the tech billionaires’ club. Marco and Tobias are plucked from quiet obscurity and plunged headfirst into the chaos of organised crime when they cross paths with the Irish mob.

Williams is best known as the co-creator, alongside Bill Dubuque, of Netflix drama series Ozark. The critically acclaimed show, starring Jason Bateman and Laura Linney, ran for four seasons from 2017 to 2022.