Beverly Hills – July 31 2015 – BBC AMERICA today announced two new co-productions – the first co-developed series under the wide-ranging, creative partnership between BBC Worldwide and AMC Networks that was announced late last year. Undercover, a gripping political thriller from acclaimed writer Peter Moffat (Silk, Criminal Justice) starring Sophie Okonedo (Criminal Justice) and Adrian Lester (Hustle), and Thirteen, a compelling contemporary mystery from rising star Marnie Dickens, will both air on BBC AMERICA in 2016.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles, Sarah Barnett, President and General Manager, BBC AMERICA, also announced the first tranche of an extensive original scripted development slate including:

  • Dirk Gently, an adaptation of Douglas Adams’ (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) wildly successful comic novel, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, is an anthology series set in the unexpected world of the hyper, absurd, ridiculous Dirk Gently.  With an utterly fresh, comically self-aware tone, this series is equally sincere in its danger, humor, violence and drama.  Penned by Max Landis – the mind behind cult classic Chronicle – this series is produced by IDW, Circle of Confusion and Ideate for BBC AMERICA.
  • An untitled project from prolific filmmaker Sebastian Silva. Using unconventional storytelling – including real people – Silva explores humorous, absurd and uncomfortably raw stories of 21st century dating in our impulsive era of swiping and liking. Sebastian Silva is the writer/director of 2015 Sundance and Berlinale selection Nasty Baby starring Kristen Wiig and Golden Globe®-nominated The Maid. A24 is attached to produce.
  • Moths, follows a young American woman whose reckless quest for thrill and adventure takes her to the epicenter of Tokyo’s Shibuya sub-culture scene. After an unthinkable crime occurs, she finds herself face-to-face with an unfamiliar, ancient and intractable world. Tony Wood and Cineflix are attached to produce.
  • The Greater Good from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Dana Shapiro (Murderball) is the provocative, fictionalized story of Cora Jones, lone survivor of the Jonestown massacre where 918 of her fellow cult members died. She was saved, she believes, to rid the world of false prophets but, as her own fame as an atheist preacher grows, she begins to morph into the very thing she’s been railing against. This compelling drama about faith, family, hubris, paranoia and healing is also a cautionary tale about the rise and fall of an American leader. It is produced by Lakeshore Entertainment (Underworld).
  • An untitled comic-noir thriller from Anders August set in a 1950s resort follows the social climbing of a disarming young woman who turns out to be a dangerous sociopath. Anders August wrote the Oscar-nominated film The Pig and was executive producer of Follow the Money which premiered at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival. Michael London (The Illusionist, Sideways) is attached to produce.

An untitled project from Anna Winger.   A family drama, an amped up adventure, and a celebration of the city of Berlin today, this journey is a darkly humorous exploration of colliding worlds, the unifying bonds of loss, and the dangerous pursuit of answers in a utopian city. Anna Winger is the creator of international series, Deutschland ’83.