Mr and Mrs Murder seals international sales
Fremantlemedia Australia has announced international sales of Mr & Mrs Murder following the MIP TV event in Cannes.
- Published by David Knox
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Fremantlemedia Australia has announced international sales of Mr & Mrs Murder following the MIP TV event in Cannes in April, through distributor DCD Rights.
Acorn Media Group, a subsidiary of RLJ Entertainment Inc., has acquired all rights for North America as a new addition to their high quality crime library. Their commitment extends to Season 2 subject to Network Ten confirmation of re-commission.
In addition Pay TV operator Viasat, part of Modern Times Group, have acquired the series for the whole of Scandinavia and will programme the series on their Viasat Crime channel. SPI Intil Film Box Channel have acquired Middle East and Africa, and Czech, Hungary and ex Yugoslavian states. The series will be aired on Filmbox Premium Movie channels across CEE.
The 13-part murder mystery series, produced by Fremantle Media Australia (FMA) in association with Bravado Productions, has been transmitting on Network Ten since 20 February to ratings consistently above the network slot average as well as extensive critical acclaim, with the final episode aired primetime on Wednesday 15 May.
Mr & Mrs Murder stars Shaun Micallef and Kat Stewart as Charlie and Nicola Buchanan, crime scene cleaners whose unique quirks and talents solve the most baffling murder mysteries. Through 13 one hour, self contained episodes, the series follows the pair as they pursue clever killers and misguided murderers into fascinating aspirational worlds of musical theatre, the seaside elite, high fashion, modern art, gourmet restaurants and hip hotels.
Nicky Davies Williams, CEO, DCD Rights, said: “Mr & Mrs Murder has delivered strong ratings and critical acclaim in Australia and we are delighted with the first international deals for the series which show US and European appetites for high quality witty drama from down under. We anticipate further deals to be announced soon and are delighted to have such a strong North American partner where we have had considerably success with our drama catalogue across all media and networks”.
Mark Stevens, President, Acorn Brands, RLJ Entertainment, Inc., said “We are thrilled to be working with DCD to bring another highly-entertaining series to mystery lovers in North America. Mr & Mrs Murder’s innovative and witty approach will be an exciting addition to the genre.”
Jason Stephens, FMA Creative Director and Mr & Mrs Murder Co-Creator and Executive Producer, said “We are thrilled that North American and European audiences will have the chance to enjoy our unique take on the crime genre, and hope that it is as well received as it has been in Australia.”
DCD Rights’ drama catalogue includes award winning Australian drama such The Slap, The Straits, The Strange Calls, A Moody Christmas and Rake”.
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11 Responses
I just found this show on Acorn tv. I loved it so much. I was so bummed that the series had ended. I will miss Mr and Mrs Murder.
Come on now. Stories like this are so misleading when they sing the praises of what was a fairly mediocre show, achieving international sales.
Is it going to be seen on prime time television and watched by millions? No. It will simply become another bargain basement purchase and if it’s lucky may be shown on some hardly watched cable network, with dubbed dialogue and watched by nobody.
well that’s great news, hope it does well overseas and they do a 2nd season.
Love this show, can’t wait for season 2!
I’m in Spain at the moment and last night Rush was on, dubbed. And the other night Masterchef from 2011 was on (subtitled). So I guess they can show them whenever they like.
@ David – thanks for letting me know =) I wish international companies such as Acorn would keep their website up to date on everything they do so people such as myself don’t look like idiots for being misinformed.
@ Gonzo – from what I can find out, Acorn more so sell TV-on-DVD’s rather than selling content to U.S. TV networks so more than likely it’ll go straight to DVD and will sit on U.S. shelves collecting dust. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong but that was all I could find out about them over my morning coffee.
Acorn used to be a DVD company but now they buy all rights, and discussing with US broadcasters.
Excellent show. I do hope they bring it back for another season.
I feel for DCD having to put out a release like this. The two sales are to tiny European cable channels and the US part is simply an agent agreeing to try and sell the show in the States (good luck!).
Given the size of the distribution deficit required for Aus dramas, DCD will have lost a lot of money on the show (nice work by Fremantle passing this one onto a little guy), especially since it’s highly unlikely it will get recommissioned
Good work to all involved and well deserved. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love this show! I hope this development is given a healthy amount of weight when channel 10 think about committing to season 2.