EXCLUSIVE: Boutique streamer Topic has greenlit a documentary about a Scandinavian prison project in the U.S.
and acquired dramas from the UK, Finland and Russia, as it sets a path to growth for 2022 and narrows focus to “elevated crime and suspense.”Alongside three Scandinavian broadcasters, First Look Entertainment’s SVoD has commissioned Prison Project: Little Scandinavia, exploring a Pennsylvania institution which is about to experiment with a Scandi-style approach to incarceration.The unit will open early next year and the show will air a few months later, showcasing an approach for which inmates have to behave as good neighbors and treat everyone with respect and dignity.
But how will a traditionally punitive prison system cope with this shift?“Incarceration is such a massive social issue here and this series is a really great entrée into that for viewers,” Topic GM Ryan Chanatry told Deadline.Topic is in a prime position to showcase these docs to a wider North American audience, added Chanatry, who wouldn’t disclose subscriber numbers but said the SVoD is growing month-on-month, avoiding the pitfall of poor churn.“There are lots of shows that wouldn’t really resonate [in the U.S.] but this one takes a U.S.
lens in a really interesting way, allowing viewers to see us reflected in something often considered ‘strange’ or ‘socialist’.”Chanatry also unveiled a string of foreign drama acquisitions including UK Channel 4’s Deceit, Finnish series Pieces of my Heart and Russia’s Six Empty Seats, along with a second series of Germany’s Pagan Peak.
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