US streamer Topic picks up trio of premium foreign scripted dramas

The Minister

First Look Media-owned North American streamer Topic has acquired Icelandic political thriller The Minister, Canadian dark comedy Happily Married, and Russian drama An Ordinary Woman, following a deal with UK-based distributor Cineflix Rights.

Sagafilm’s 8 x 60-minute series The Minister has already appeared on RUV Iceland, DR Denmark, NRK Norway, SVT Sweden, and YLE Finland and stars Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald) as a populist Icelandic prime minister whose worsening mental health condition threatens the stability of the government and the lives of those around him.

Meanwhile, Productions Casablanca originally produced the 10 x 60-minute series Happily Married for Radio-Canada and Tou.tv-Extra. Set in 1974, the series tells the story of two couples in crisis whose search for marital bliss leads to them becoming the most infamous criminals in Quebec history.

Topic has also picked up season one and two (17 x 60-minutes) of An Ordinary Woman the Russian drama from 1-2-3 Production and Look Film which tells the story of a woman living a seemingly normal life in Moscow, but is actuallyrunning a clandestine network of prostitutes. However, her secret career is threatened following the death of one of her ‘girls’.

“Interest in foreign-language dramas has never been higher, and all three series feature taut, multi-layered contemporary stories with brilliant ensemble casts to create top-notch entertainment. We’re thrilled to be signing this deal with Topic to bring these riveting stories to US audiences for the first time,” said James Durie, head of scripted at Cineflix Rights.

“After screening these critically hailed titles from Iceland, Canada, and Russia, we knew Topic would be the perfect home. We’re excited to be working with Cineflix Rights in bringing these acclaimed series to Topic’s North American audience”, added Ryan Chanatry, Topic’s general manager.