Drama round up: Netflix orders Brazilian thriller; ViacomCBS acquires NBCU’s ‘FBI’; Starzplay renews ‘BMF’

Olhar Indiscreto

Netflix orders Brazilian thriller

Netflix has commissioned Olhar Indiscreto, an original Brazilian psychological thriller set to debut next year.

Produced by Mixer Films, the series is created and written by Marcela Citterio, with a cast headed by Débora Nascimento. Luciana Oliveira directs, with a screenplay adapted by Camila Raffanti.

It tells the story of Miranda (Nascimento), a voyeur and hacker who spends her days peeking through the window at the life of Cléo (Emanuelle Araújo), a luxury prostitute and resident of the building opposite.

One day, Cleo knocks on her door and asks Miranda to take care of her dog while she takes a trip. On this same day, the hacker’s fate changes forever and she meets the man of her dreams. However, nothing is what it seems to be.

“When the possibility of playing Miranda in the series came up, I read the synopsis and, immediately, I was blown away by the complexity of the character. I hadn’t done a psychological thriller like this yet, and I’m sure this story is going to mess with many people’s heads”, said Nascimento.

FBI

ViacomCBS acquires NBCU’s ‘FBI’

ViacomCBS has acquired CBS drama FBI from NBCUniversal in a multi-year content licensing agreement featuring exclusive domestic streaming rights for the Dick Wolf and Wolf Entertainment series.

As part of the deal, ViacomCBS also secured non-exclusive media rights for its portfolio of US cable networks.

The first three seasons of the show have been made available to stream on Paramount+ for subscribers in the US, while the fourth and current season will continue to air on the CBS Television Network and be available to stream live and on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+.

“CBS is the proud home of Dick Wolf’s signature FBI series and we look forward to growing its considerable audience even further with more viewer touch points domestically and globally,” said George Cheeks, president & CEO of CBS, and CCO, news & sports for Paramount+.

Starzplay renews ‘BMF’

International SVOD service Starzplay has ordered a second season of original crime series BMF, from executive producer Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson.

Produced by through Jackson’s G-Unit Film and Television in association with Lionsgate Television for Starz, the series is inspired by the true story of two brothers who rose from the decaying streets of southwest Detroit in the late 1980s and gave birth to one of the most influential crime families in the US.

“Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson continues to find and cultivate stories like BMF that are culturally relevant, bringing the network important untold stories that are incredibly diverse both in front of and behind the camera,” said Jeffrey Hirsch, president and CEO of starz. “Following such a strong debut, we’re excited to see what Curtis, Randy [Huggins, the showrunner] and the award-worthy cast deliver in the second season.”

Walter Iuzzolino

Walter Presents inks Mediaset deal

Global non-English language drama brand Walter Presents has struck a multi-territory deal for more than 100 hours of content from Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset.

The streamer has ordered five Mediaset shows for the 2022/23 period – The Silence Of Water, Rosy Abate, Codename Solo, Love And Sacrifice, and Winds Of Passion.

All will be made available on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel in the US and Canada, as well as on Comcast Xfinity X1 and Roku in the US, while The Silence Of Water will also launch in Australia on Stan and in New Zealand on TVNZ.

Walter Iuzzolino, curator and co-founder of Walter Presents, commented: “Mediaset have a long legacy of bringing popular and entertaining programming to Italian audiences, and with an ever-growing appetite for Italian content worldwide, I have no doubt that English-speaking audiences will eat up these five unique series.”