As we head towards spring and there are finally signs of Covid restrictions lifting, the world of production is also returning to normal with a wide range of drama, factual and formats being unveiled.

Factual producers have clearly been influenced by the attention given to key public health workers over the past year and have been spotlighting those who work on the front lines.

March’s Hot Properties playlist on C21 Digital Screenings highlights this trend and others by showcasing new projects from top global distributors.

One such offering is Nightwatch, a factual series following emergency responders in New Orleans who work the night shift and do much more than save lives. The series is made by 44 Blue Productions for A&E Network and distributed by A+E Global Content Sales.

Another factual show in a similar vein is an original production from Canada’s Knowledge Network called Search & Rescue: North Shore, which focuses on rescue teams in Vancouver and is distributed by Blue Ant International.

The final Hot Properties frontline documentary for March is Stone Men from German distributor Autentic. The series follows workers who risk their lives on a daily basis to mine marble, one of the world’s most valuable types of rock.

Another effect of the pandemic has been the rise in escapist viewing, as people look to evade their day-to-day reality via TV. This trend looks set to continue, with five new aspirational documentaries on the list.

French independent distributor Ladies First is showcasing Fresh Cut (52×30’), a visually spectacular series that has run to four seasons to date. The show looks at the flower industry and gives viewers inspirational ideas to try themselves.

With people still stuck at home, aspirational property programmes are still getting traction. Super Rich Sleepovers (3×60’) was originally broadcast in the UK on Channel 5 and sees actress Sally Lindsay spend 36 hours in some of the most opulent homes in the country. Similarly, London-based distributor Passion is offering to take viewers to the most spectacular houses in Australia and New Zealand with Lap of Luxury: Ultimate Escapes Down Under.

Viewers also get the chance to escape to sunnier climes with two-parter A Taste of Italy With Nisha Katona from London’s DCD Media Rights, which was shown on the UK’s Channel 4 in February. Canada’s Gusto Worldwide Media is also serving gastronomic content, in the form of recently finished cooking format CombiNation Plates. In it, chefs Bianca Osborne and Craig Wong attempt to fuse together two different cuisines to create amazing dishes.

After the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president at the end of January, Nordic Entertainment Studios UK is offering Vice President Kamala Harris: Chase the Dream. Another topical documentary is The Enemy Within: Neo-Nazis & the German State which covers the return of the far right to the country and was made by local video news agency Ruptly.

London-based distributor Drive is offering a docuseries about indigenous people, another global topic in recent months. Maxima: This Land of Mine shows an illiterate Peruvian farmer taking on a multinational mining corporation to protect her environment.

UK independent distributor Cineflix Rights is shopping The Day Will & Kate Got Married, marking the 10-year anniversary of the 2011 royal wedding.

Finally in factual, US distributor AMC Studios has Ride With Norman Reedus, in which the Walking Dead star explores US cities with a celebrity guest on a motorbike. The series has had four seasons on US channel AMC.

Format buyers might be interested in Red Arrow International’s February acquisition of German format Stealing The Show!. Already renewed for a second season by ProSieben in its home country, the gameshow sees three celebrities and a member of the public compete for the prize of hosting the next episode.

Another new format is District Z from French prodco Satisfaction and distributed by Sony Pictures Television Formats. A team of five celebrities have one night to steal as much money as possible from the mysterious Professor Z, while avoiding his army of zombies.

Original reality format Love Story of My Parents, from Yomiuri Telecasting in Japan, brings families together as the children watch the story of how their parents met and fell in love, covering all the bumps along the way.

In the children’s section of the playlist, one series shows the increasing importance of kids’ programming that addresses mental issues. Distributor Cake presents Pablo, which was originally shown on UK channel CBeebies and Ireland’s RTÉ Jr. The animated show follows a small boy on the autism spectrum and is said to be the first series to feature an autistic child as the main character.

Super Shiro, another Japanese production, distributed by TV Asahi, centres on an ordinary family dog who periodically becomes a superhero, unbeknownst to his owners. The first 48-episode season finished in September 2020 on TV Asahi.

As for drama, new show continue to tackle worldwide issues such as the plight of indigenous peoples. Operation Buffalo tells the story of British nuclear bomb tests in the Australian outback in the 1950s and shows how the welfare of Aboriginals in the region was utterly ignored. Directed by Peter Duncan, the series aired on Australian channel ABC TV in May 2020.

With the pandemic highlighting mental health issues, two series on the subject are on the market. Turkish drama The Red Room is about an Istanbul clinic where vulnerable women go to recount their harrowing stories and is based on the real experiences of a Turkish psychiatrist. The series is available from Sweden’s Eccho Rights.

Another mental health-focused series, In Treatment, comes from Paris-based Federation Entertainment. The series is based on BeTipul, an Israeli series that ended in 2008, and follows a psychiatrist who receives therapy himself in his spare time.

Comedy shows are among the escapist programmes to have grown in popularity. People are still looking for a laugh to get away from the day-to-day, and buyers will be interested in location-based comedy LOL ComediHa!, a dialogue-free Canadian series that twists everyday situations.

Interns, meanwhile, is a French drama from StudioCanal in which the doctors in charge of the intern department find themselves quarantined at home for 24 hours. Paris-based 31 Juin Films produced the series for Canal+. In addition, US movie Save the Wedding sees a wedding planner forced to get along with the best man of one of her clients and is distributed by Nicely Entertainment.

Historical drama Leonardo, meanwhile, chronicles the life and work of Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci, as well as exploring the mystery behind his relationship with model Caterina da Cremona. The series was first aired by Italian pubcaster Rai and is distributed globally by Sony Pictures Television.

Another offering from Germany is Zoo Doctor: Wild Side of Life, produced for MDR/ARD by Saxonia Media and shopped by Bavaria Media International. The series has had six seasons in Germany and centres on a busry zoo vet trying to work and raise her family.

Finally, crime drama seems to be maintaining its popularity. Transatlantic producer and distributor Entertainment One is offering Cruel Summer, a mystery suspense drama that takes place over three summers in a small Texas town and was made by Jessica Biel’s Iron Ocean Films for Freeform.

ITV Studios’ Grace stars John Simm as a tortured police detective in the UK seaside city of Brighton and airs on UK broadcaster ITV later this year.

Standing Tall, meanwhile, follows an Italian police officer investigating the death of his estranged son and is distributed by Germany’s ZDF Enterprises, having originally aired on Italy’s Rai earlier this year.

Finally, German series Marnow Murders, made by Polyphon Film for NDR/ARD and distributed by Studio Hamburg Enterprises, centres on two detectives who track down a serial killer during one of the hottest summers on record. The series was launched at last year’s Berlinale.

Enjoy the Hot Properties playlist for March 2021!

As we head towards spring and there are finally signs of Covid restrictions lifting, the world of production is also returning to normal with a wide range of drama, factual and formats being unveiled.

Factual producers have clearly been influenced by the attention given to key public health workers over the past year and have been spotlighting those who work on the front lines.

March’s Hot Properties playlist on C21 Digital Screenings highlights this trend and others by showcasing new projects from top global distributors.
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