Australia’s ‘House Of Gods’ Started Out As “‘The Sopranos’ In A Mosque,” Channeled ‘Succession’ & Ended Up In A Category All Of Its Own

deadline.com:

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films making noise in their local territories.

The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track.

So we’re going to do the hard work for you. This week we’re coming to you early, with our pick from Australia, House of Gods, playing in International Competition at Series Mania this coming week.

The series follows an Australian-Iraqi family, whose progressive patriarch challenges a conservative rival to become head cleric at a mosque in the suburbs of Sydney. Name: House of GodsCountry: AustraliaNetwork: ABCProducer: Matchbox PicturesInternational sales: NBCUniversal Global TV DistributionFor fans of: The Sopranos, Succession, Ali’s Wedding Osamah Sami took the idea for House of Gods to Sheila Jayadev on the last day of filming Ali’s Wedding, his rom-com that was picked up by Netflix. “Hey, I’ve got a new one for you,” Sami recalls telling his producer. “It’s going to be like The Sopranos but inside a mosque.” Over almost seven years of development, the title remained but the narrative evolved and started to echo another HBO classic.