‘The Nanny,’ ‘Married…With Children’ Among FAST Channels in Sony-Pluto Europe, U.K. Deal – Global Bulletin

Naman Ramachandran
·4 min read
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CHANNELS

Paramount‘s free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) provider Pluto TV has launched four new channels in collaboration with Sony Pictures Television (SPT). The new channels will bring SPT content to Pluto TV across Europe and the U.K. Audiences in the U.K., Italy and Spain get a channel dedicated to classic sitcom “Married… with Children,” the classic SPT series which follows the misadventures of misanthropic women’s shoe salesman Al Bundy, played by Ed O’Neill. Viewers in the U.K. and Spain will get “The Nanny,” which follows cosmetic saleswoman Fran Fine (Fran Drescher) as she navigates her new job as a nanny for the three children of a Broadway producer.

Sitcom “The Jeffersons,” which follows the life and family of George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) as he decides to move to New York’s posh Upper East Side and adjusts to the unexpected pitfalls that his new address will bring him, gets a dedicated channel in Italy. And 1980s hit sitcom “Who’s The Boss?” starring Tony Danza as Tony Micelli, and his daughter Samantha (Alyssa Milano), who work for a busy ad executive, as housekeepers and caretakers of her son, recently launched in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Pluto TV has 68 million monthly active users.

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COMMISSION

BBC Drama and BBC Cymru Wales have co-commissioned drama “Lost Boys and Fairies.” Leeds-based indie Duck Soup Films will produce as their first commission for BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The 4×60’ drama series, created and written by Welsh writer Daf James, follows Gabriel, a singer and artiste-extraordinaire at Cardiff’s queer club-space Neverland and his partner Andy, as they adopt their first child. But Gabriel has a history and he will need to embark upon a journey of self-discovery and attempt to repair his relationship with his dad before he can truly begin to parent seven-year old Jake.

Filming will commence next year in Wales. James developed the project with Duck Soup Films as part of BBC Writersroom’s TV Drama Writers’ Program 2019. “Lost Boys and Fairies” is created, written and executive produced by James. Executive producers are Jessica Brown Meek, Rebekah Wray-Rogers and Libby Durdy for Duck Soup Films and Jo McClellan for BBC. The series was commissioned by former director of BBC Drama, Piers Wenger and Nick Andrews, head of commissioning for BBC Cymru Wales, as part of the BBC’s Small Indie Fund which supports the growth of small independent production companies with turnovers below £10 million ($12,130). It will be distributed by All3International.

*****

BBC has unveiled a new comedy thriller, called “Black Ops” and starring Gbemisola Ikumelo (“Brain in Gear”), Hammed Animashaun (“Black Mirror”) and Akemnji Ndifornyen (“Famalam”).

Set in East London, the six-part series tells the story of two Met Police recruits who hope to clean up their local area “but are unwittingly thrust into the murky world of deep cover infiltration.”

Ikumelo and Ndifornyen create and exec produce the show. Joe Tucker (“Witless”) and Lloyd Woolf (“Witless”) co-write and exec produce. Josh Cole is executive producer for BBC Studios. Gregor Sharp and Seb Barwell commission for the BBC.

The six part thriller is being produced by BBC Studios Comedy Productions and Mondo Deluxe for BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Ben Gregor (“Bloods”) directs “Black Ops,” which will launch next year on BBC One and iPlayer.

ON TOUR

Building on its experiential output, which has included interactive versions of “Moneyheist,” “Stranger Things” and “Bridgerton,” Netflix is launching a series of free walking tours this summer in collaboration with Sandeman’s New Europe Tours.

Taking place in London, Paris and Madrid, the tours – and billed as a city stroll “through the eyes of your favourite Netflix characters” – the tours will be available from July 11-17, showcasing locations from Netflix shows and films including “Emily in Paris” and “Moneyheist.”

Tours can be booked via http://netflix.neweuropetours.eu/.

ANIMATION

Children’s media company Sixteen South Originals has unveiled the trailer and first episode for its upcoming comedy “The Coop Troop.”

The show, which premiered on Thursday at Annecy festival in France, was created by Sixteen South’s Colin Williams and children’s author Alex T. Smith. It is a co-production with Mikros Animation IP (formerly known as Technicolor Animation Productions), France télévisions and China’s Tencent Video.

The show tells the story of a group of anthropomorphic friends known as The Coop Troop and comprised of a rabbit, chicken, pig, lamb and egg. “The Coop Troop’s mission is to help any animal with a problem – and they’re kept very busy by the precious, pampered pets of neighbouring town, Animauville,” reads the official logline.

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