SkyShowtime, the European streaming joint venture of Comcast and Paramount Global, unveiled a lineup of original and exclusive series on Sunday that will premiere on the service later this year and in 2024.
CEO Monty Sarhan announced during a keynote appearance at the Marché du Film in Cannes that a total of 10 SkyShowtime originals from different regions and countries would premiere on the service in 2023. Among them are shows from the three regions of Scandinavia , Iberia and Central and Eastern Europe. The streamer, which serves a total of 22 markets, described that as “a staggering and almost unheard-of feat for a service less than a year old.”
SkyShowtime, among others, will debut later this year Codename: Annika, the first original from Scandinavia. The Finnish-Swedish production, which previously had the working title ID cardwas part of a deal the streamer struck with Warner Bros. early this year. Discovery for exclusive rights across Europe on 21 HBO Max European originals. Codename: Annika is a crime drama series centered around Finnish art fraud investigator Emma, who goes undercover to infiltrate a Stockholm auction house to investigate the company’s connection to a notorious money launderer known as “Blanko”. The streamer did not immediately give an exact launch date.
Other originals covered by the WBD deal include Polish drama Warszawiankawhich will be available to the public on June 19, as well as Czech and Slovak comedy The winner and Spanish serials Mentiras Pasajeras (Ephemeral Lies) coming later this year.
Meanwhile in Spain, SkyShowtime will debut the Spanish original Las Invisibles (The Invisible Ladies) on June 5. Starring Lolita Flores, Maria Pujalte, Yoshira Escárrega, Paula del Río, Paula Mirá, Yaël Belicha and Elena Irureta, it revolves around a group of maids who work in a luxury hotel on the Mediterranean coast. They are trying to “restructure their own lives that are interspersed with those of the resort’s wealthy visitors,” according to a show description.
Originals already available on SkyShowtime include Spanish series Bose And Los Enviados (The Envoys).
Additional new series coming to SkyShowtime later this year include the ‘mystery-of-the-week’ show Poker facethe Peacock hit made by Rian Johnson with Natasha Lyonne (Russian doll, Orange is the new black) as Charlie who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying, and Djangothe Western-style series and a reimagining of the classic 1966 film in select Central and Eastern European territories, Scandinavia, Portugal and Spain.
Also, SkyShowtime will launch Showtime comedy later this year The curse, with Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie. The series explores how a supposed curse disrupts a newly married couple’s relationship.
Plus, SkyShowtime said it would exclusively premiere the latest Taylor Sheridan series Special Ops: Lioness, with Zoë Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Laysla De Oliveira and Morgan Freeman. The series follows the Lioness Engagement Team as they help bring down a terrorist organization from within.
“SkyShowtime is dedicated to Europe, and we are proud to be able to launch original programming in all of our markets,” said Sarhan. “To premiere such a robust and impressive run of 10 original series in our first year is virtually unheard of for a new streaming service.”
