In a coup for the AMC Networks-owned streaming service which specialises in British content for North American audiences, Acorn TV has acquired exclusive US and Canadian rights to BBC One Irish detective drama Bloodlands.
Created by Hat Trick International, written by Chris Brandon (Red Rock) with executive producer Jed Mercurio – behind global hits Line of Duty and Bodyguard — the four-part Northern Ireland-based crime thriller stars James as a veteran detective going into his own dark past to try an solve a cold case.
When an expensive car containing a suicide note - but no body - is pulled from the sea, veteran Northern Ireland police detective Tom Brannick (Nesbitt) instantly sees the connection to an infamous cold case that holds enormous personal significance for him - a notorious and long-buried series of mysterious disappearances. Bloodlands follows Brannick’s obsessive campaign to identify and unmask the semi-mythical figure behind these events – a figure code-named Goliath, after the giant shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath that dominate the Belfast skyline. It’s a case that comes from the dark past of both Brannick and his country.
The Acorn TV Original will make its US and Canadian premieres soon after BBC One’s UK premiere this coming autumn. Bloodlands marks the first commission for Jed Mercurio’s production company, Hat Trick Mercurio Television (HTM). Commenting on the launch, Acorn TV SVP of programming Don Klees said: “After Acorn TV’s success with Line of Duty, we’re thrilled to partner with Jed Mercurio again as well as Hat Trick and talented writer Chris Brandon to bring this excellent crime thriller to US audiences. With a powerhouse lead performance from James Nesbitt and a riveting script, we can’t wait for US audiences to see Bloodlands.”
Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, added: “I’m delighted that Bloodlands has landed in the US and Canada on Acorn TV. Created by the exceptional combination of Chris and Jed and starring multiple-award-winning James Nesbitt, Bloodlands is a prime example of the type of dynamic and suspenseful drama that audiences throughout the world are eager to see.”
When an expensive car containing a suicide note - but no body - is pulled from the sea, veteran Northern Ireland police detective Tom Brannick (Nesbitt) instantly sees the connection to an infamous cold case that holds enormous personal significance for him - a notorious and long-buried series of mysterious disappearances. Bloodlands follows Brannick’s obsessive campaign to identify and unmask the semi-mythical figure behind these events – a figure code-named Goliath, after the giant shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath that dominate the Belfast skyline. It’s a case that comes from the dark past of both Brannick and his country.
The Acorn TV Original will make its US and Canadian premieres soon after BBC One’s UK premiere this coming autumn. Bloodlands marks the first commission for Jed Mercurio’s production company, Hat Trick Mercurio Television (HTM). Commenting on the launch, Acorn TV SVP of programming Don Klees said: “After Acorn TV’s success with Line of Duty, we’re thrilled to partner with Jed Mercurio again as well as Hat Trick and talented writer Chris Brandon to bring this excellent crime thriller to US audiences. With a powerhouse lead performance from James Nesbitt and a riveting script, we can’t wait for US audiences to see Bloodlands.”
Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, added: “I’m delighted that Bloodlands has landed in the US and Canada on Acorn TV. Created by the exceptional combination of Chris and Jed and starring multiple-award-winning James Nesbitt, Bloodlands is a prime example of the type of dynamic and suspenseful drama that audiences throughout the world are eager to see.”
