BBC America ‘Preys’ for Hit From Across Pond
Related: Launch a Network? F--k, That’s Difficult
BBC Americahas brought British drama Prey stateside. Set in Manchester, the fidgety-camera thriller depicts a grim female detective chasing down a constable colleague charged with the murder of his family. Brit culture doesn’t always play in the States, but creator Chris Lunt says a good man-against-world story will fly anywhere. “Thrillers are kind of a universal language,” he said. “We can all get behind the idea of an innocent man being blamed for a crime he didn’t commit.”
Working in Lunt’s favor, he learned his craft from watching—and studying—American crime dramas such as 24, Boardwalk Empire and The Shield. “I’m told I write more like an American drama writer than a British drama writer,” he says.
The six-episode series previously aired on ITV. A new season is a possibility. “I don’t want to keep doing the same thing,” says Lunt, “but my relationship with ITV is great, and potentially there’s a new take on it, perhaps.”
Broadcasting & Cable Newsletter
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below
Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.