Author: Lacey Rose

July 25, 2016 6:31am PT by Lacey Rose

‘American Crime Story’  Ray Mickshaw/FX

The first season, ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson,’ will be available globally on Netflix (excluding Canada) in 2017.

Netflix is hoping American crimes have worldwide appeal.

The streaming service announced its first global pact with 20th Century Fox TV Distribution Monday, which will make it the exclusive global streaming home for FX’s anthology American Crime Story. The first season, The People v. O.J. Simpson, will be available globally on Netflix (save for Canada) in 2017. All future seasons will become available to streaming viewers after their broadcast window on FX.

The news comes several months after American Crime Story, a co-production between FX Productions and Fox 21 TV Studios, wrapped its critically praised first season, and fresh off earning 22 Emmy nominations in mid-July. The series, which counts Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and Ryan Murphy as exec producers, concluded its 10-episode run as cable’s most-watched new series of 2016, and has plenty of hype surrounding season 2, which will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“We’re excited to evolve our relationship with Fox and to bring their lauded content to our members around the world,” noted Netflix’s VP of global television Sean Carey, with 20th Century Fox TV Distribution’s exec VP worldwide pay TV and SVOD adding: “We’re extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Netflix on this groundbreaking deal. We are very proud of the first installment of this franchise, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, which has received extraordinary critical acclaim and perfectly captured the cultural Zeitgeist.”

In recent years, FX Networks CEO John Landgraf has been publicly critical of Netflix’s practices, be it the service’s lack or ratings or its unwillingness to attach network branding to programming running in its second window on Netflix. One has to assume this deal was too lucrative to turn down.

Netflix FX Network FX

March 30, 2016 8:25am PT by Lacey Rose

Nancy Daniels and Tyler Perry  Newscom; Getty Images

The mogul will write, direct and executive produce ‘Too Close to Home,’ about a young woman who is forced to return to her trailer-park beginnings after her political career is derailed by a sex scandal.

This story first appeared in the April 8 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

TLC is hoping Tyler Perry can do for it what his other series have done for corporate cousin OWN.

This summer, the Discovery-owned outlet will launch its first scripted series, an eight- part drama written, directed and executive produced by the Atlanta-based mogul. With the working title Too Close to Home, the series will center on a young woman who achieves unparalleled success on the Washington political circuit, only to see it slip away when her affair with a married senator makes headlines. She is forced back to her trailer-park beginnings, where her past and its players resurface.

Casting has not begun, but TLC president Nancy Daniels says her desire is “to have the cast reflect the country.” Perry will be intimately involved in that part of the process, as he is in all other elements of his projects.

Daniels first approached Perry, impressed by his breadth and ability to tell soapy stories that would fit at a network better known for Gosselins, Duggars and the Long Island medium. That Perry has been a vital piece of OWN’s turnaround — primetime viewership has increased about 30 percent in the past two years, thanks in large part to the mogul’s four series — made the move all the more appealing. Like much of cable, TLC has seen its ratings slip by double-digit margins in the past year.

To be sure, Daniels got the blessing of OWN executives before moving forward with a project from the network’s most successful (and prolific) contributor. “We’ve been in lockstep,” she says, emphasizing how important it is for the company to maintain Perry’s collection of series at OWN.

With the move, Silver Spring, Md.-based TLC joins a lengthy list of cable networks that, eager for higher CPMs and critical cachet, have dipped their toes into the scripted space. For Daniels, ordering Too Close to Home also was about finding new ways to cut through the clutter in an increasingly crowded landscape.

Still, she insists the decision wasn’t made lightly — and though other scripted ideas have been bandied about at TLC, Daniels is cognizant both of her network’s brand and the genre’s considerably higher price tags. “It’s why we’re not running in with 10 new scripted series at once,” she says. “This is an experiment for us, but when you go with somebody like Tyler it’s a safer bet.”

March 09, 2016 12:59pm PT by Lacey Rose

Carpool Karaoke  CBS/Screenshot

Corden is not expected to host the standalone series, but is likely to make appearances on the show.

James Corden is taking his viral sensation Carpool Karaoke on the road.

The Late Late Show host and his executive producer Ben Winston are said to be out shopping an original series centered on his signature late night segment to SVOD and cable buyers. Though Corden is not expected to host the standalone series, he’ll be heavily involved as an executive producer and is likely to make appearances on the show.

No surprise, the unscripted project, which will be produced by CBS Television Studios and Winston’s Fulwell 73 production company, has quickly garnered heavy interest from multiple players and is likely to result in a bidding war. In success, the hope is to carve out a second window in syndication, too. The current round of presentations, which Winston (of THR’s Next Gen class of 2015) is believed to be driving, is expected to wrap by week’s end, with a host to be decided once a network is attached.

That Corden and his Late Late Show studio would look to capitalize on the popularity of the franchise is a no brainer. The segment, which has featured the Tony-winning host crooning with such talent as Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson and One Direction, has already logged 412 million YouTube views and heaps of critical praise. Adele’s installment from January became late night’s biggest viral success ever with more than 84 million YouTube views.

News of the project comes as Spike TV, home of another popular late night segment turned standalone series Lip Sync Battle, is set to air a knock-off titled Caraoke Showdown. Much like the Late Late Show segment, the project will take place in a car and features celebrity guests belting out familiar tunes with host Craig Robinson.

Watch Corden and Adele sing everything from “Hello” to the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” in the most-watched Carpool Karaoke to date: