Sky Living to rebrand as Sky Witness, picks up Patrick Dempsey drama

This is one for UK readers.

Sky Living has always been a bi of a strange channel. Acquired from Flextech many years ago, it kept the Living moniker even though much of its content has been swish American shows in the crime drama genre (hello Elementary).

Now the network is sorting the channel out. According to Deadline, the channel will be renamed as Sky Witness in August. Along with the name change, the network will invest heavily in new programming.

The broadcaster has acquired a number of new titles including Fox’s Ryan Murphy-produced 9-1-1, Shonda Rhimes’ legal drama For The People, Alan Cummings’ Instinct and MGM’s ten-part, Patrick Dempsey-fronted The Truth About The Harry Quebert Affair.

The Harry Quibert Affair sounds an interesting one. The 10-part drama, which is produced by The Handmaid’s Tale producer in association with Eagle Pictures and Barbary Films, stars New Girl’s Damon Wayans Jr, Snowden’s Ben Schnetzer, Let The Right One In’s Kristine Froseth and Designated Survivor’s Virginia Madsen. Masters Of Sex duo Lyn Greene and Richard Levine are writing.

The Hitchcockian psychological thriller has elements of horror and murder mystery and is set in Maine. It follows a literary icon, Harry Quebert, who finds himself indicted for murder after the body of a young girl is found on his property.

We’ll be keeping an eye on that one.

Advertisement

Cardinal renewed for a fourth series

The Canadian series Cardinal proved to be a medium-sized hit when it aired on BBC Four last winter.

It followed Detective John Cardinal (Billy Campbell) and Lise Delorme (Karine Vanassee) as they joined forces to hunt down a killer in a small Northern Ontario town.

Adapted from author Giles Blunt’s award-winning Forty Words for Sorrow, the first of the John Cardinal Mysteries book series. Series two has already aired in its native Canada (it’s one of the country’s most-watched shows), and whispers suggest that it will be making its way onto our screens later in the year.

However, series three is about to air in Canada, and before that event series makers Bell Media announced this:

Ahead of its Season 3 premiere on CTV, internationally successful, critically acclaimed, and award-winning drama CARDINAL (CTV) has been renewed for Season 4 with stars Billy Campbell and Karine Vanasse.

It looks like there will be plenty more Cardinal for us, then.

[via TV, Eh! and The Medium Is Not Enough]

FOR ALL OUR REVIEWS OF CARDINAL CLICK HERE