Seven tracks down Channel 5’s Suspects

Seven Network in Australia has acquired British procedural Suspects, which goes out on Viacom’s UK free-to-air network Channel 5.

The deal with distributor FremantleMedia International is for the first four seasons of the show, which launched on Channel 5 in February last year and has become its highest rated drama in five years.

Seven will play it on 7TWO, one of the commercial broadcaster’s digital channels.

FremantleMedia-owned Newman Street produces the series, which is filmed in a fly-on-the-wall style and includes improvised actor dialogue.

“Suspects is an exciting addition to 7TWO’s dominant UK drama slate,” said Seven’s head of scheduling – digital channels, Brook Hall. “We expect Australian audiences will embrace premiere episodes of this addictive new crime drama.”

The most recent season of Suspects launched on Channel 5 on Tuesday, January 13 in a 10pm slot and took more than one million viewers, which FMI said was “well above” the usual slot take.