Programming Profile

Producers and distributors are coming up with a wide range of scripted and unscripted content to take audiences through the rest of summer and into autumn.

Current affairs documentaries are hot for producers at the moment, with plenty of shows in this genre making it into July’s Hot Properties playlist.

The first is Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell, available from Amcomri-owned distributor Abacus Media Rights. The investigative doc revisits the life of imprisoned socialite Maxwell and her alleged involvement in her former boyfriend Epstein’s sex-trafficking crimes before his death in 2019. Already bought by NBC’s Peacock in the US, the three-parter is produced by Blue Ant Media.

Equally of-the-moment is Stuck in the Suez, commissioned by French network RMC Découverte and made by local indie Factual Factory with funding from UK distributor BossaNova, which is handling sales. The doc examines the crisis that ensued when gigantic container ship the Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March this year.

Away from current events, commissioners are preparing to mark the 20-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the US on September 11, 2001, and the start of the subsequent War on Terror. 9/11: Minute by Minute, which takes a blow-by-blow look at one of the most tragic days in US history, is distributed by London’s Parade Media Group.

Similarly, Afghanistan – The Wounded Land (4×52’/1×90’), from LooksFilm, focuses on the aftermath of 9/11 as the US linked Afghanistan to the attacks. Beginning in the 1960s, the show examines how international perceptions of the South Asian country have damaged its growth and how it is trapped in a cycle of repeating history.

Elsewhere in documentaries, Apennine Mountains – The Wild Heart of Italy explores the mountain range and shows how it acts as the pulsating heart of the country. The 2×45’ show comes from Germany’s Autentic Distribution.

Also in nature is Surviving Australia, from Red Arrow Studios International. The 4×60’ series is made by local prodco Wildbear Entertainment and first aired on Australia’s Nine Network. It takes viewers through a variety of natural dangers that are contained within Australia’s 60,000km coastline.

Meanwhile, unscripted formats have seen a resurgence on this month’s list, with classic The Dating Game among the titles being showcased. Having debuted on US screens in 1965, it remains one of the most popular dating formats and has aired in 34 countries around the world. In the show, which is distributed by Sony Pictures Television Formats, one romantic hopeful is separated by a wall from three people and has to choose one to date based on their answers to a range of questions.

A more recent format on sale is Your Home Made Perfect, which uses virtual reality to show participants what their dream home could look like. The third season of the show, originally made for UK pubcaster the BBC, is on sale by global distributor Banijay Rights.

Another BBC show on the list is renovation format Saved and Remade (15×60’), in which experts repurpose rundown objects and heirlooms provided by members of the public to give them new life. Made by Glasgow-based Red Sky Productions, the show is sold by London’s Beyond Rights.

Meanwhile, Outback Car Hunters (10×60’), from DCD Rights, follows car enthusiasts GT and Dave as they journey into Australian outback to find abandoned or forgotten classic cars and decide which ones to invest their money into. The series was originally made for Discovery.

The final unscripted shows on the July playlist deal with the supernatural. Hotel Paranormal, from Blue Ant International, tells stories of people who have apparently encountered the occult while on a trip. Similarly, season three of Help! My House is Haunted, from London-based distributor Passion, tackles supposedly haunted family homes. The series, which has had two seasons since 2018, is available now on Discovery+.

In the world of scripted, crime is a trend that shows no signs of going away. Whitstable Pearl, from AMC Studios, has already been sold into multiple territories. Set in the picturesque UK coastal town of Whitstable, it stars Kerry Godliman (After Life) as a cafe owner drawn into crime-solving.

German series Wolfsland (8×90’) tells the tale of a detective wanting to leave her past behind by moving to a small town. Despite her best intentions, trouble has a way of finding her in the form of her ex-husband. The series is on sale by Germany’s Studio Hamburg Enterprises.

Swedish police drama Huss, from ZDF Enterprises, is based on the novels by Helene Tursten. The feature-length film – which centres on Katarina Huss, a newly qualified Swedish police officer who is drawn into corruption – is the first in a series of five titles inspired by Tursten’s novels.

A trio of Asian crime series also make it onto the list, with season four of Korean show Voice exploring the idea of solving crimes using superhuman hearing. When a serial killer starts using the same skill to murder people, protagonist Kwon Joo faces her toughest test yet. The show debuted in 2017 and is distributed by Korea’s CJ ENM.

Japan’s Stolen Identity, meanwhile, features a protagonist who becomes the target of a serial killer when the murderer stumbles upon her boyfriend’s lost phone. Released in 2018, the feature film is sold by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television.

Also from Japan is Tokkai – Bad Loan Special Collection Unit (12×50’), a thriller about high-end debt collectors who take on powerful criminals. The series, set in the 1990s, is sold by Japanese network Wowow.

Continuing the crime theme is Left for Dead: The Ashley Reeves Story. Distributed by Cineflix Rights, the film dramatises the true story of Reeves, who was left unable to walk or talk after a brutal assault. Tracking her inspiring journey to recovery and justice, it was made for the Lifetime network in the US.

The final crime offering is Welsh series The Museum, which was made for local broadcaster S4C. It tells the story of a woman who accepts a job as the director of a museum, only to discover that her son’s friend is attempting to rob the place on her first night. The series is sold by the UK’s ITV Studios.

Elsewhere in scripted, comedy-drama series Finding Alice stars Keeley Hawes and Joanna Lumley and is made by StudioCanal-owned Red Productions. The series debuted in January on ITV in the UK. When Alice finds her husband dead at the bottom of the stairs just after they moved into their dream home, she embarks on a journey of discovery that unearths painful secrets. StudioCanal distributes the series.

Men in Charge (4×90’) follows a former footballer attempting to prove to his ex that he is responsible enough to play a role in their children’s lives as she battles for sole custody. The series is sold by Germany’s Bavaria Media International.

In kids’ content, Angry Birds Slingshot Stories (10×1’) is available from UK distributor Cake. The short animations imagine what life outside of the popular game app is like for the birds, and has already been renewed for a second season.

Finally, The Inbestigators is an Australian series about a group of kids who start a detective agency to get extra pocket money. Sold by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation, the show is already available on Netflix outside of Australia and New Zealand and has two 20-part seasons of 15-minute episodes.

Enjoy the Hot Properties playlist for July 2021!