At TCA – FX Announcements:

FX CROSSES THE BRIDGE

Network Orders Drama Pilot Based on International Hit Series

BEVERLY HILLS – July 28, 2012 – FX has placed an order for its next drama series pilot, The Bridge, based on an international hit series, which will be adapted for American television by Meredith Stiehm (Homeland) and Elwood Reid (Hawaii Five-O), announced John Landgraf, President and General Manager, FX Networks.

Adapted from the Scandinavian series Bron, The Bridge centers on two detectives from the United States and Mexico who must work together to hunt down a serial killer operating on both sides of the border after a dead body is found on the bridge connecting El Paso and Juarez.

“We really loved the Scandinavian drama and Meredith’s and Elwood’s script adaption is very compelling and true to its progenitor,” said Landgraf. “This show will introduce two distinctive and truly great characters to American audiences in Sonya North and Marco Ruiz, an American and a Mexican cop whose shotgun partnership leads them on a vast, complicated personal and professional journey.  We believe setting this series in the U.S. and Mexican border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez will make the American adaptation both riveting and relevant.   We are proud to partner with Shine America on what we believe will be a truly great television series.”

Stiehm and Reid worked together as Executive Producers of the CBS hit Cold Case, which Stiehm created. They are Executive Producers of The Bridge, alongside Executive Producers Carolyn Bernstein, Lars Blomgren, and Jane Featherstone.  The Bridge is co-produced by Shine America and FX Productions.  Production of the Pilot episode of The Bridge begins this fall.

“The Bridge started as a successful drama series produced by our sister company in Sweden and it has since enjoyed tremendous success around the world,” says Carolyn Bernstein, Shine America’s Executive Vice President of Scripted Programming. “We are thrilled to be developing it with FX, whom we consider the ideal partner to bring this ground-breaking series to an American audience. Meredith and Elwood have written a captivating pilot script that is respectful to the DNA of the original series, but takes it in a bold new direction.”

Originally debuting Sweden in September 2011, Bron centers on a murder investigation following the discovery of a body on the Öresund bridge between Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmö, Sweden where a detective from each country has to work together to solve the mystery. The series was originally created by Hans Rosenfeldt, Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein and is a Filmlance and Nimbus Film Production. Lars Blomgren is Executive Producer, Anders Landstrom and Bo Ehrhardt producers. The Bridge has now been sold in 55 territories including the UK where it is currently BBC4’s highest rated program of 2012.

About SHINE AMERICA

Shine America is a world leader in producing and distributing compelling scripted and unscripted television and digital content, building brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. Shine America is known for popular and award-winning original series including The Biggest Loser, Tabatha Takes Over, Shear Genius, and The Buried Life; adaptations of Shine Group formats MasterChef, One Born Every Minute and Parental Control; long-running scripted hits The Office, Ugly Betty, and The Tudors; and over 20 groundbreaking original online series on MSN, Yahoo!, YouTube premium channels and other platforms, many of these produced in partnership with global brands such as Toyota, Kraft Foods, Subway and Microsoft. Through its distribution arm, Shine International, Shine America distributes its extensive library of programming and formats to more than 150 countries.

About FX Productions

FX Productions co-produces the award winning hit drama series Sons of Anarchy, and critically acclaimed hit drama series Justified.  FXP produces the critically acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, Legit (January 2013), and the late night comedies BrandX with Russell Brand and Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (August 2012).

 

About FX

FX is the flagship general entertainment basic cable network from Fox. Launched in June of 1994, FX is carried in more than 98 million homes. The diverse schedule includes a growing roster of critically acclaimed and award-winning hit dramas series including Sons of Anarchy, Justified and American Horror Story, and acclaimed hit comedy series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League, Louie, Archer, Wilfred, BrandX with Russell Brand, Totally Biased withW. Kamau Bell and Legit. Its library of acquired box-office hit movies is unmatched by any ad-supported television network. The network’s other offerings include the acquired hit series Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother, and live sports with UFC and NCAA football.

Source: ©2012 FX Network. All Rights Reserved.