Home to the Taylor Sheridan stable and to the “Star Trek” franchise, Paramount+ is looking for “populist” dramas that hold a wider sway and can span several seasons, said Paramount TV president Nicole Clemens at her keynote at MIA Market in Rome on Tuesday.
“We’re not looking for shows that just play to New York and Los Angeles,” Clemens explained. “That doesn’t mean they’re not edgy, that doesn’t mean [they can’t be] dark. But we want to have a broader, propulsive appeal. Something like populist literature would be a good [description.]”
Pointing toward the recent “Frasier” reboot, Clemens described her company’s half-hour remit as “big, loud, funny, hard comedy,” and if that comes with recognizable star or brand name I.P. – or both, as luck would have it for the Kelsey Grammer-led reboot – then all the better.
More importantly, the shows would have room to grow over several years.
“Because we’re a newer service, we really want to do ongoing returning series,” Clemens continued, nixing the idea of the anthology model. “We’re not looking for limited series in the U.S. … We are really looking for contemporary ongoing [titles].”
Of course, Paramount Television Studios will continue developing and producing scripted fare – including limited series – for other streamers, with third-party sales accounting for 70% of the studio’s business, per Clemens. While talking up the new seasons of “Jack Reacher” and “Jack Ryan,” as well as the upcoming James Patterson adaptation “Alex Cross” – all delivered for Amazon Prime – Clemens also teased an as of yet unannounced project for Apple.
The exec was more forthcoming about two other Apple projects, giving a peak at new footage of the Taika Waititi directed “Time Bandits” remake as part of a sizzle reel that played ahead of her talk, promising that the psychological and supernatural thriller “Before” would offer lead actor Billy Crystal “a role that I don’t think we’ve ever seen him in before.”
