Disney+ is considering more comedy series from the U.K., Eric Schrier, global head of originals, said this morning.
The president of Disney TV Studios and global original television strategy at Disney Entertainment said the move was in part a response to the serious nature of the current global discourse, adding: “We believe the world can use comedy right now. »
Speaking to Content London, Schrier said there were “a number of dramas in development in the UK – limited and non-limited – and comedies, which haven’t been a trend in recent times”.
During his speech, Schrier played a trailer for the Disney+ comedy-drama Alice and Stevewhich stars Jermaine Clement and Nicola Walker as a pair of middle-aged platonic friends whose relationship is tested when he begins dating his 26-year-old daughter. Baby reindeer director Clerkenwell Films produces, with Tom Kingsley directing and Sophie Goodhart writing and creating.
Schrier called the show “a super unique concept,” while urging the producers in the room to pitch ambitious ideas to his local leaders. “You have to build risk into the system,” he added. “You can’t just buy the ‘right’ things. If failure isn’t part of your business model, you won’t succeed in a creative business.”
He emphasized Rivalsthe comedy series adapted from the late Jilly Cooper’s Rutshire Chronicles novel series as a “huge hit” that helped establish Disney+ in the UK “and beyond”.
The news also comes just hours after Deadline revealed that Nicholas Hoult and Daisy Edgar-Jones are starring in Mosquitoa British comedy presented as a sardonic look at a young couple’s relationship.
Schrier’s comments follow Disney CEO Bob Iger signaling earlier this year that the US studio was poised to significantly increase the amount it produces in local markets, as it enters what Schrier called “phase two” of Disney+’s evolution. Iger had told investors that Disney was already “starting to expand more aggressively in very, very targeted markets outside of the United States.”
Disney+ launched 100 series in more than 20 territories this year, with the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Italy, Korea, Turkey and Brazil among the priority territories. Schrier recently told us about Disney’s ambitious production plans in the Asia-Pacific region in an exclusive interview alongside Carol Choi.
Disney has positioned Hulu as its international hub for more adult-oriented content after dropping the Star brand and replacing it with the American streamer’s moniker. Schrier said Hulu allows international commissions to be more “bold” than other Disney brands’ pricing.
He asked producers to stay away from content aimed at kids and family, which is primarily developed in-house, and explained, “We’re really looking to do Hulu originals around the world to show adults” that Disney+ can “still do bold things.”
Free partnerships
Elsewhere in the presentation, Schrier discussed recent content exchange deals between Disney+ and ITV in the UK, Atresmedia in Spain and ZDF Studios in Germany, calling the free streamers “really powerful entities in their markets.”
He also noted that in the United States, Hulu streams ABC and Fox content the day after linear premieres. He said: “We see this as a very productive way to deliver content to subscribers.”
For this reason, Disney+ has established “partnerships with everyone around the world”, with each territory or co-production approached by letting the market “dictate… project by project”.
Interestingly, he said the content partnerships showed that Disney didn’t always view exclusivity as “the most important thing”, but that producers were still more interested in the high upfront fees offered for global rights. “Netflix changed its business model when it decided to buy global rights,” he added. “That seems to be the preferred route.”
Schrier also took advantage of his speech to announce The devil in my DMsa four-part Hulu true-crime series exploring the intersection of social media and crime by following four stories where an online interaction became the breeding ground for a real-life crime.
British producer Lightbox, behind the original Disney+ Camdenputs on a show. Sean Doyle, executive director of Unscripted at Disney+, ordered the show, with Suzanne Lavery and Lightbox co-founders Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn executive producing, and CamdenToby Trackman is the lead director.
