UKTV has acquired the UK premiers of The Hunting Party, the new hit crime procedural which debuted on NBC in the US, and Allegiance, the police drama set in British Columbia which aired its second season on CBC in Canada, for its dedicated crime pay channel U&alibi.
The deal with NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution also includes the UK linear premier of US true crime series Deadly Waters with Captain Lee (8 x 60), which sees Below Deck’s Captain Lee unravel the secrets of remarkable homicide investigations on rivers, lakes and even the open seas, and expose the murky, maritime clues that sunk the perps and ultimately led to their capture. Produced by Critical Content for Oxygen True Crime in the US, UKTV has acquired the series for its free-to-air entertainment channel U&W and free streaming service U.
UKTV and BBC Studios’ Senior Global Acquisitions Manager, Harriet Armston-Clarke, secured the deal, overseen by Melanie Rumani, Global Head of Acquisitions.
The Hunting Party (10 x 60’) is the new hit US high-concept crime procedural about a small team of investigators who are assembled to track down and capture the most dangerous killers America has ever seen, all of whom have just escaped from a top-secret prison that’s not supposed to exist. The cast includes Melissa Roxburgh, Nick Wechsler, Patrick Sabongui, Josh McKenzie and Sara Garcia. Co-showrunners JJ Bailey (creator) and Jake Coburn are writers and executive producers. Thor Freudenthal is director and executive producer. Keto Shimizu is writer and executive producer.
Allegiance (20 x 60’) is a high-octane police drama uniquely set in Surrey, British Columbia. Commissioned by CBC, Allegiance premiered in winter 2024 to become CBC’s most-watched new series of the 2023-2024 season and just recently aired season two. The series focuses on identity and belonging, policing and politics, and finding truth within the heart of a flawed justice system, starring Supinder Wraich (Sort Of) as Sabrina Sohal and Enrico Colantoni (English Teacher) as Vince Brambilla.Season 2 welcomes Samer Salem (The Expanse, The Boys) to the ensemble cast as a series regular, portraying Detective Corporal Zak Kalaini. Plus, showrunners Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern (Flashpoint, X Company) are back at the helm of Allegiance, a series created by Anar Ali (Transplant). Stephanie Morgenstern, Mark Ellis and Anar Ali serve as Executive Producers alongside Lark Productions’ Erin Haskett, Nicole Mendes, David Valleau, Tex Antonucci and Season 2 director, Nimisha Mukerji.
"The Hunting Party and Allegiance have had viewers gripped in North America and we’re thrilled to have secured the UK premiers of these exciting new crime procedurals."
Melanie Rumani, Global Head of Acquisitions, UKTV and BBC Studios, said: “The Hunting Party and Allegiance have had viewers gripped in North America and we’re thrilled to have secured the premiers of these exciting new crime procedurals for our U&alibi viewers in the UK. I’m also confident that fans of true crime and Below Deck will love setting sail to uncover crimes at sea in Deadly Waters with Captain Lee on U&W.”
The Hunting Party is produced by All J Entertainment, Jake Coburn Productions, and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Allegiance is a CBC Original series from Lark Productions in association with Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. Deadly Waters with Captain Lee is produced by Critical Content for Oxygen. NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is handling global sales for all three titles.
The Hunting Party and Seasons 1 and 2 of Allegiance will make their UK premier on U&alibi later this year. Deadly Waters with Captain Lee will make its UK linear premier on U&W and U in May.
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Picture caption: The Hunting Party, Series 1
Copyright: NBC Universal
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For more information please contact:
yvette.dore@uktv.co.uk Corporate Communications Manager, UKTV
About UKTV
UKTV has been at the forefront of branded television for over 30 years, entertaining the nation with programmes they love. Its leading brands – U&Dave, U&DRAMA, U&W, U&YESTERDAY, U&eden, U&GOLD and U&alibi - span comedy, entertainment, natural history, factual and drama, and are delivered to UK viewers through free streaming service U, Sky, Virgin Media, NOW, Freeview, Freesat and Freely; and to Irish viewers through Sky, Virgin Media, Eir, Vodafone and NOW. Channel & content availability varies by platform. UKTV’s content is also available to UK viewers via dedicated FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Freevee, Pluto TV and Virgin Media.
UKTV is a significant investor in British creativity and is committed to working with new and established writers, directors and programme-makers. The broadcaster is part of BBC Studios, the UK's most-awarded production company, a world-class distributor with international branded services, and a commercial subsidiary of the world's leading public service broadcaster, the BBC.
About NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution is responsible for the licensing and distribution of NBCUniversal product to all forms of television and new media platforms in the U.S., Canada and in over 200 territories internationally. NBCUniversal’s content portfolio includes a vast and diverse library of more than 6,500 feature films and 170,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, kids, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming from Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Universal Television, UCP, Universal International Studios, Sky Studios, Universal Television Alternative Studio, NBC Late Night properties, DreamWorks Animation, Telemundo, Universal Pictures Content Group, as well as locally produced content from around the world, and more. Global TV Distribution is a division of Comcast NBCUniversal.