Sky follows up The Five with The Four

Sky has ordered another original drama from best-selling novelist Harlan Coben (pictured), The Four.

The pay TV operator has greenlit the series for its flagship Sky 1 channel after its successful launch of another Coben series, The Five.

Despite the numerical link, the two series are unrelated.

They do share the same producer/distributor credits, with Red Production Company making the eight-part series, and its parent firm, StudioCanal, selling it internationally.

The new series is a standalone offering that ‘tells the chilling story of an idyllic family community irrevocably shattered by secrets, lies, suspicions and misguided trust’. Danny Brocklehurst (The Driver) will pen the show.

Coben said: “I never wanted to make a sequel to The Five – that story has now been told – but rather, to start fresh and bring a whole new crime drama to the screen. Working with Nicola and Sky again was essential to ensure that creatively, The Four is brought to life in the way that we have imagined.”

Cameron Roach, senior commissioning editor, Sky Drama, said: “The world-class storytelling of Harlan, combined with strong screenplays from Danny Brocklehurst and high-quality production from Red, is an intoxicating combination. We are looking forward to The Four gaining its own place in the Sky original drama portfolio.”

Coben and Red earlier this year created Final Twist Productions, which is based in the US.