GENRE REPORT
TV DRAMA
MEGHAN LYVERS, DIRECTOR OF ORIGINAL DRAMA, SKY UK&I
What shows are emblematic of Sky drama? We’ve just launched Gangs of London Season 2, very local, London is its hometown, but it’s also noisy and has global appeal. It’s an epic franchise with high production values, a unique universe, a large, diverse cast and also really modern in its casting. At the other end of the spectrum, we’re into production on Season two of The Lazarus Project, a returning series with a different flavour, sci-fi but very grounded in terms of characters and voice. Joe Barton who created that series is phenomenal. And it’s a surprising casting, Caroline Quentin is terrific.
‘this is something I really love, this is an idea or the seed of an idea, what do you think?” But what do audiences want to watch? Dancing Ledge ceo Laurence Bowen observes
two heightened areas of demand from audiences. “On the one hand people want escapism. They want to go into genre worlds and live in a different space,” he says. “On the other side they want very strong, emotional, visceral experiences that give them a dopamine hit and allow them some catharsis.” Dancing Ledge leans towards the second sort, “emotionally true, strong point of view stories.” Crossfire, The Responder, The Salisbury Poisonings. Lucy Bedford, head of drama at Tiger Aspect,
picks up on the need “to make shows that feel culturally urgent, really motivated, around talent that has something to say.” Tiger Aspect is working with Lenny Henry on Three Little Birds, set in the late 1950s “talking about leaving one country and trying to start a life in another country – a show about our complex relationship with immigration in the UK.” Shows that might have been considered more
‘risky’ and were certainly more unusual in the past are now in the mainstream, with a thirst for new and distinctive voices. Hill at ITV points to Maya Sondhi’s DI Ray as indicative of the broadcaster’s commitment. “It’s absolutely a part of what you
“WE’VE ALWAYS KEPT THE SHOW ON THE ROAD, ALWAYS WORKED ALL HOURS AND WEEKENDS IN ORDER TO DELIVER. I THINK WE‘VE GOT TO GET A BIT KINDER”
What titles have you got for 2023? Other shows coming up include A Town Called Malice, a love letter to the 80s, that follows a London family involved in the crime business, a family show with incredible production values. Everything about it is just delightful, a fun series and also very diverse. And Mary & George, a period project with Julianne Moore in the lead and Oliver Hermanos directing. It’s a telling of Mary Villiers’ story, with a modern voice, that we haven’t heard before. The Lovers, with Roisin Gallagher and Johnny Flynn is a romantic comedy. It’s a series that also puts Belfast on the screen in a very beautiful way and broadens the genre offering.
What will you be looking for? While we’re not making high volume, it’s exciting for us to have that variety of series. We are increasing our investment in series. We want to make sure that ideas really resonate first and foremost with that local audience, whether that be here in the UK or in Germany or Italy. But of course, we’re developing series that have themes that are very relevant, or characters that are grappling with things in their own lives that audiences beyond that one market can identify with. We always want to take on ambitious projects, whether in concept, execution, tone or casting.
Winter 2022
televisual.com 51
BAD SISTERS
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