Fremantle Taking Remastered ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’ Around The World As It Closes Deals In Canada & Israel
EXCLUSIVE: After Homicide: Life on the Street landed on Peacock several weeks back, Fremantle has struck its first major deals for the remastered version of NBC’s iconic police series, while senior international exec Bob McCourt has teased a potential remake.
Israel’s YES and Canada’s Bell Media have picked up Homicide, with more deals close, we understand. Starring Andre Braugher, Yaphet Kotto and Melissa Leo, the show based on David Simon’s book ran for more than 100 episodes and seven seasons in the 1990s and is considered by many to be a precursor to Simon’s The Wire. The HD remastered version launched on Peacock over the summer, and Fremantle, which holds non-U.S. rights, is prioritizing at MIPCOM Cannes, according to Fremantle Commercial and International COO McCourt, who said Homicide “revolutionized the crime genre.”
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“We’ve known for a year that this is coming and have been soft-pitching it to the broadcasters who originally took it back in the day,” said McCourt. “The activity around Peacock’s launch has helped with the press, and we are now actively pitching and selling.”
There were 167 buyers of the original series including Sky Italia, the UK’s Channel 4 and Foxtel in Australia. CHCH-Hamilton previously had rights in Canada.
Along with traditional networks, FAST channels also are showing plenty of interest, McCourt added. He pointed out that some of these channels insist on buying HD shows for their newer-version TVs, such as Samsung TV Plus, which is where the remastered Homicide can come in.
Adapted from The Wire creator Simon’s Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, the series from Oscar nominee Paul Attanasio followed fictional Baltimore detectives, some of whom turned to violence. It featured an ensemble cast that also included Ned Beatty and Richard Belzer and made a star of Braugher, who died late last year.
RELATED: Remembering André Braugher: A Film & TV Career In Photos
McCourt said the tragic death of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine icon and multiple Emmy winner had “put Homicide back on the map” and “given a bit more focus around the project.” At the same time, hit 1990s shows such as Seinfeld, Friends and Twin Peaks have been given fresh leases of life on streaming services.
Showrunner Tom Fontana told Deadline: “The joy of streaming is that a series like Homicide can come alive again, both for our original audience and an entirely new generation. I think the stories we tell are as relevant as ever and our characters are as compelling as any on television.”
Remastering opportunities
Homicide was remastered in conjunction with U.S. rightsholder NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution, which saw each individual ep painstakingly reworked into HD while the team set about securing rights for the hundreds of songs that play throughout the long-running series — no easy feat given that many of the tracks were not cleared for streaming.
“The difference [between the old and new versions] is night and day,” McCourt explained. “It is the most incredible remastering, so we were really pleased with the results, and Peacock was very happy with the launch.” Peacock does not release viewing figures.
Elsewhere, Fremantle “did a big exercise” recently during which it explored its catalog for other remastering opportunities, McCourt said. Since then it has also remastered UK police series The Sweeney and is considering doing the same for Minder, the comedy-drama starring Dennis Waterman.
This came after the super-indie made a similar play with Baywatch several years back, handing that iconic David Hasselhoff starrer a fresh lease of life. It now is being rebooted for Fox with a sizable commitment. Regarding a Homicide reboot, McCourt told Deadline to watch this space. “On the back of this remaster there will be definite interest in the whole concept,” he said. “There is nothing happening yet, but as it starts launching internationally, I’m sure there will be talk of a format reboot.”
McCourt stressed that the move to remaster Homicide is sensible in a risk-averse environment, with buyers looking for cheaper alternatives to splashy limited series, while procedurals are in vogue. A number are being taken to MIPCOM this month including an NCIS spinoff and Fifth Season’s Saint Pierre.
“We’re hearing all the time that mainstream procedurals are cutting through,” added McCourt. “You can guarantee viewership because these shows are well known, easy to market and people can dip in and out.”
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