US TV Shows Which Still Don’t Yet Have A UK Broadcaster
Here in the UK, we do get a lot of US tv shows imported to our shores. However, there are always a number of series which have been oddly overlooked. That can sometimes be understandable, especially with newer shows, where any potential UK broadcaster may want to hold back and make sure the series has landed a second season before they commit. But there are also a number of shows which already have multiple seasons in the bag, and yet still have not made the voyage across the Atlantic. With that in mind, here is our round-up of some of the US tv series which have yet to land a UK broadcaster.
Legacies – 2 Seasons (Renewed for Season 3)
A spin-off series from ‘The Vampire Diaries’ and ‘The Originals’, ‘Legacies’ tells the story of the next generation of supernatural beings at The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. It’s here that Klaus Mikaelson’s daughter, 17-year-old Hope Mikaelson; Alaric Saltzman’s twins, Lizzie and Josie Saltzman; and other young adults – including political scion MG and the mysterious Landon Kirby – come of age in the most unconventional way possible, nurtured to be their best selves… in spite of their worst impulses.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? ITV2 previously aired ‘The Vampire Diaries’ whilst ‘The Originals’ was bounced around between Syfy UK and Netflix. It’s possible that could be the reason this spin-off hasn’t landed a home. I can see a UK broadcaster looking at ‘Legacies’ and not wanting to pick up a spin-off if they have no connection to the previous two dramas, which rather limits potential buyers. The only obvious broadcaster for it right now would be Netflix UK, who already have all seasons of ‘TVD’ and ‘The Originals’. If they aren’t interested (although, I’m not sure why they wouldn’t be…) then I’m not sure who else might want to take it.
Prodigal Son – 1 Season (Renewed For Season 2)
From Emmy Award-nominated executive producers Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter (‘Riverdale’, ‘The Flash’) and writers Chris Fedak (‘Deception’, ‘Chuck’) and Sam Sklaver (‘Deception’, ‘Bored to Death’), ‘Prodigal Son‘ is a fresh take on a crime franchise with a provocative and outrageous lead character and a darkly comedic tone.
Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne, ‘The Walking Dead’) has a gift. He knows how killers think, how their minds work. Why? Back in the 1990s, his father was one of the best, a notorious serial killer called “The Surgeon”. That’s why Bright is the best criminal psychologist around; murder is the family business. He will use his twisted genius to help the NYPD solve crimes and stop killers, all while dealing with a manipulative mother, annoyingly normal sister, a homicidal father still looking to bond with his prodigal son and his own constantly evolving neuroses.
Meet the “happy” family… Dr. Martin Whitly (Emmy Award and Golden Globe nominee Michael Sheen, ‘Masters of Sex’, ‘Frost/Nixon’) is intelligent, wealthy and charismatic, and also happens to be a predatory sociopath who killed at least 23 people. Bright’s mother, Jessica Whitly (Bellamy Young, ‘Scandal’, ‘Criminal Minds’), an elegant and WASPy New Yorker, wields sarcasm like a samurai sword and has an opinion on every aspect of Bright’s life. Perhaps Bright’s only ally is his sister, Ainsley Whitly (Halston Sage, ‘The Orville’), a TV journalist who wishes her brother would “take a break from murder” and have a normal life.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? You have two British actors in the lead roles, so you’d think it would be a shoo-in for a UK pick up. Whilst it airs on FOX in the US, it is made by Berlanti and Warner Bros, with WB also as the distributor. That means, although we have a FOX UK channel, they would probably have to work out a separate deal to air it in the UK. This could be one of those situations where the UK broadcasters wanted to see how the first season went before jumping on board, but now it has a season two pick up, I’m hoping we will see it over here.
Evil – 1 Season (Renewed for Season 2)
‘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 carpenter as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Their job is to assess if there’s a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
The drama comes from ‘The Good Wife’ creators Robert and Michelle King, with Katja Herbers (‘Westworld’), Mike Colter (‘Luke Cage’), Michael Emerson (‘Lost’, ‘Person Of Interest’) and Aasif Mandvi (‘Blue Bloods’, ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’) starring.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? I rather understand why the UK broadcasters might have been a little hesitant to jump on this show as a new series. It’s something of an odd concept and really could have gone either way. Thankfully, it has become a decent hit for CBS and has been renewed for Season 2, so that may push someone to give it a UK home.
A Million Little Things – 2 Seasons (Renewed for Season 3)
A Million Little Things
They say friendship isn’t one big thing, it’s ‘A Million Little Things‘, and that’s true for a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way, they discover that friends may be the one thing to save them from themselves.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Despite having some well-known faces, such as ‘Grimm’s David Giuntoli and ‘Hawaii Five-0’ star (and Cylon) Grace Park, I think the main problem for this show the type of drama it is… It seems to be similar in tone to something like NBC’s ‘This Is Us’, and whilst that show was a juggernaut hit in the US, it really struggled to find an audience in the UK. Other than Amazon or Netflix, I can’t really see on which UK channel a drama like this would work.
In The Dark – 2 Season (Renewed for Season 3)
‘In The Dark‘ follows Murphy (Perry Mattfeld), a hard-living, hard-drinking, disaffected twenty-something with a penchant for cigarettes and casual sex. She’s also blind. Murphy lives with her supportive best friend, Jess (Brooke Markham), and – more reluctantly – her trusty guide dog, Pretzel, whose presence she resents. Murphy’s closest friend is a sweet teenager named Tyson (Thamela Mpumlwana), who she befriends after he saved her from a violent mugging. Her life comes crashing down when she stumbles upon what she’s sure is the lifeless body of Tyson in the alley outside her apartment. But when the police arrive there is no body to be found – and with Murphy not exactly sober, the police aren’t especially inclined to investigate. Murphy is determined to find the truth, no matter the risk… even if it means she has to sober up a little.
The series comes from CBS Television Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Red Hour Films, with executive producers Corinne Kingsbury, Jon Collier (‘Bones’), Ben Stiller (‘Zoolander’), Jackie Cohn, Nicky Weinstock and Michael Showalter (‘The Big Sick’).
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Unclear at this point. Seems like an interesting little murder/mystery series which would fit right in on somewhere like Alibi or Sky Witness. It’s one of those shows that seems to have slipped through the cracks so far. However, with potentially a lot of delays coming for new seasons of existing shows due to the filming shutdowns caused by the global pandemic, this is one that may just manage to find a UK home to fill out someone’s schedule.
Nancy Drew – 1 Season (Renewed for Season 2)
‘Nancy Drew’ is set in the summer after high school graduation when the 18-year-old Nancy (newcomer Kennedy McMann) thought she’d be leaving her hometown for college. But when a family tragedy holds her back another year, she finds herself embroiled in a ghostly murder investigation – and along the way, uncovers secrets that run deeper than she ever imagined.
The series comes from the duo behind ‘Gossip Girl’ & ‘Runaways’, Josh Schwartz & Stephanie Savage. Schwartz & Savage serve as exec producers alongside Melinda Hsu Taylor and Lis Rowinski. ‘The Magicians’ writer Noga Landau penned the pilot script.
Why hasn’t this been picked up? Whilst Nancy Drew is a something of a “known brand”, I think it would be fair to say, it’s a character that is probably better known in the US than the UK. It does feel like a show which has E4 or Netflix written all over it though. The series only launched in 2019 in the US, so it could be another one of those which the UK broadcasters took a “wait and see” attitude towards, but now it has a second season, there is some possibility we may see a UK pick up.
In addition to all these shows, there are a number of series which got cancelled after one season in the US, such as the ‘Party Of Five’ reboot, the ‘Suits’ spin-off ‘Pearson’, and Stephen Dorff fronted drama ‘Deputy’. Under normal circumstances, it’s unlikely these would get any UK interest. However, as I mentioned above, the global pandemic has thrown a huge spanner in the works for the upcoming Autumn/Fall season, with many dramas likely return much later than normal. This leaves a large gap in the schedules for UK broadcasters that buy in a lot of US imports, such as Sky. It’s possible we may see some of these one-season shows be picked up to plug those holes, as it would allow them to air content which is new to the UK, without having to commit to picking up future seasons. We will have to wait and see though.
