1 July 2020
UKTV has acquired three brand new US drama series from the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group for leading crime drama channel Alibi - Why Women Kill, starring Lucy Liu (Elementary), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve), Tommy, led by Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), and Evil, starring Katja Herbers (Westworld), Mike Colter (The Good Wife), Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) and Michael Emerson (Lost).
Why Women Kill is a dark comedy from Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) and details the lives of three women living in three different decades: Beth Ann Stanton (Ginnifer Goodwin) - a housewife in the '60s, Simone Grove (Lucy Liu) - a socialite in the '80s, and Taylor Harding (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) - a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages. The series examines how the roles of women through the ages have changed, but how their reaction to betrayal... has not.
Evil is a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion. The series focuses on a sceptical female psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and a contractor as they investigate the Church's backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Their job is to assess if there is a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
And finally, multiple Emmy Award-winner Edie Falco stars in Tommy. Equal parts political, procedural and family drama, the series centres on a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles. A true-blue New Yorker, Abigail "Tommy" Thomas (Falco) uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to keep social, political and national security issues from hindering effective law enforcement in the Southland.
The deal was brokered by UKTV's head of acquisitions Emma Sparks and ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group's Matt Downer.
Emma Sparks said:
It is a very exciting time for acquisitions at UKTV, and to be able to work with ViacomCBS on this great collection of content is just the beginning. Evil, Why Women Kill and Tommy are brilliant additions to the slate of shows we have acquired for Alibi this year.
Emma Ayech, Alibi's channel director added:
These shows are a great addition to the Alibi schedule, each series will hopefully give viewers a little escapism - from the brilliance of Edie Falco in Tommy to the dark comedy of Why Women Kill, and the mystery of Evil. These series continue to build the quality and breadth of drama that audiences can find on Alibi, perfectly complementing the British and US dramas, and UKTV Originals we've had on Alibi this year.
Why Women Kill is produced by Imagine Television Studios and CBS Television Studios. Creator Marc Cherry serves as executive producer alongside Imagine's Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo, Acme Productions' Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis, and Marc Webb.
Michelle King, Robert King, Liz Glotzer and Rockne O'Bannon serve as executive producers for Evil and the series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with King Size Productions.
Tommy comes from Paul Attanasio, the creator of BULL and "Homicide: Life on the Street." Attanasio, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Tom Szentgyorgyi, Christine Moore and Kate Dennis (pilot only) serve as executive producers. The series is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Atelier Paul Attanasio and Amblin Partners. All series are distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
Barry Chamberlain, President, International Sales, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group said:
These series have all the best elements of ViacomCBS's world-class programming, including dynamic casts, big characters and compelling stories told by the top producers in the industry."
As the most comprehensive supplier of Hollywood content to the world, ViacomCBS is in a unique position to provide U.K. broadcasters with stable and consistent programming that will help grow audiences for years to come.
Why Women Kill, Evil and Tommy will air on Alibi from the end of the year. US drama Stumptown is currently airing Wednesday's at 9pm, starring Cobie Smulders, Jake Johnson and Michael Ealy.
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For more information and schedule specifics, please contact:
Kerry Goode, Head of Network Communications, UKTV
Gem Pinkney, Publicity Manager for Alibi
Notes for Editors:
Evil - 13x60mins
Why Women Kill - 10x60mins
Tommy - 12x60mins
About Alibi
Sky 132/826, Virgin 126/200, BT 312/382, TalkTalk 312, TV Player
On demand on Sky, Virgin, BT and TalkTalk
Alibi is the only TV channel dedicated to crime drama, investigating the best selection from the genre and premiering hit series from around the world such as Harrow, Waco and I Am The Night. Alibi stepped into UKTV Original crime drama series with guaranteed thrills, twists and turns including last year's hit Traces, starring Molly Windsor and Martin Compston and We Hunt Together following this year.
Now in its 13th series, Murdoch Mysteries has found a safe space on the channel while some of British TV's best-known detectives, including Miss Marple, enjoy a trip down memory lane. Hit British crime dramas including Death in Paradise, Father Brown and Silent Witness give the viewers another chance to catch their favourite shows.
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 25 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands - Dave, Gold, W, Drama, Alibi, Eden and Yesterday - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to audiences through UKTV Play, Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView, Freesat and Amazon Fire. The broadcaster is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers.
UKTV is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.