The CW Acquires Rights to Four Series, Including ‘Swamp Thing’ and ‘Tell Me a Story’
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The CW has acquired four series for broadcast and streaming: DC Universe’s “Swamp Thing” and CBS All Access’ “Tell Me a Story” will be making their network TV debuts on The CW, while foreign shows “Coroner” and “Dead Pixels” will be making their first stateside appearance.
Premiere dates for all four shows will be announced at a later date.
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The horror-tinged “Swamp Thing” centered on the titular DC superhero, while the psychological thriller “Tell Me a Story” anthology series took classic fairy tales, such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” and reimagined them with dark, twisted spins.
The hourlong Canadian “Coroner” drama, which originally began airing on CBC last year, centers on Dr. Jenny Cooper (Serinda Swan), a recently widowed, newly appointed coroner who investigates any suspicious, unnatural, or sudden deaths in Toronto. British sitcom “Dead Pixels,” which began airing on E4 last year, centers on three friends who are obsessed with a popular (fictional) massively multiplayer online video game.
The “Swamp Thing” and “Tell Me a Story” pickups aren’t especially surprising, given that The CW is jointly operated by ViacomCBS and AT&T, which owns DC Universe. That said, the four pickups nonetheless indicate that networks are turning to new sources, such as streamers and international networks, to keep their content flowing due to the widespread production shutdowns caused by current events.
The CW’s pickups coincided with CBS All Access’ cancellation of “Tell Me a Story,” which ran for two seasons.
“The brilliant Kevin Williamson brought our favorite fairy tales to life in an anthology format that twisted and subverted the stories we all know into modern thrillers,” Julie McNamara, EVP and head of programming for CBS All Access, said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to work with such an elite and talented group of creative minds like Kevin, Aaron Kaplan and the team at Kapital Entertainment, as well as the amazing cast of ‘Tell Me A Story,’ who did a phenomenal job personifying and reinventing beloved characters from these six fairy tales.
A source told IndieWire that the show’s second season will remain exclusive to CBS All Access through Q4 2020.
Like “Tell Me a Story,” “Swamp Thing” will also be making its The CW debut after its cancellation. Though “Swamp Thing” was widely praised by critics — it’s sitting at 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes — the show was cancelled shortly after its premiere last June.
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