News round-up: Blue Ant unveils royal slate; NBC orders O’Malley sitcom; OWN unscripted renewals

Born To Be King

Blue Ant unveils royal slate

Canada’s Blue Ant International is launching Born To Be King (working title), a new documentary about Britain’s King Charles III, as part of its MIPCOM slate.

Produced by Touchdown Films, the 1 x 60-minute doc tells the story of the new monarch, with “unique, unprecedented and unlimited access to a fascinating well of footage to show a definitive story of the man behind the crown.”

Also headed to market is King Charles’ Grand Design, an exclusive access documentary about a secret project that King Charles has been championing for over a decade—the purchase and ambitious restoration of Dumfries House.

Adding to Blue Ant’s royal-themed offerings on this slate is Prince Andrew: Banished, which chronicles the events that led to Prince Andrew’s sex trafficking allegation scandal.

These titles join more than 1100 hours of content across factual, specialist factual, high-impact documentaries, kids and scripted, being brought to MIPCOM.

Untitled Mike O’Malley sitcom

NBC orders O’Malley sitcom

NBC has handed a series order to an untitled comedy series from Mike O’Malley.

Produced by Lionsgate Television and Universal Television, the series stars Jon Cryer, Donald Faison, Abigail Spencer, Finn Sweeney and Sofia Capanna.

It tells the story of Jim and Julia who, after an amicable divorce, decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when the owner of his favourite sports team enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart.

OWN unscripted renewals

OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has ordered more than 85 hours of content, with pick ups for additional seasons of four returning shows.

Belle Collective, Love & Marriage: DC, Love & Marriage: Huntsville and Put A Ring On It will all be back with new seasons in 2023, beginning with Love & Marriage: DC in January.

“At the center of our programming is our purpose: to make sure our audience is reflected and sees themselves-their stories, families and community in a nuanced and layered way. The success of these shows tells us that we are meeting this goal, and it’s deeply gratifying,” said Tina Perry, president, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.