Safety first in a new era for scripted

We may have passed through the era of ‘peak TV’ at the end of 2023, but we’re quickly onto the next scripted TV epoch, if Broadcast’s Mipcom Hot Picks are anything to go by.

Of the titles that distributors have indicated they are prioritising for the Cannes marketplace, the biggest proportion (45%) are scripted – both from the UK and around the world.

Global companies see a chance to fill a gap in the market created by the reduction in US programming caused by the creative strikes. However, there are fewer splashy tentpoles being launched in Cannes, save perhaps Beta Film’s $50m (£38bn) big bet Rise Of The Raven and Lionsgate TV’s Spartacus: House Of Ashur.

The message is safety – distributors are selling the shows on which they feel cautious buyers will be most willing to take a punt.

This means audience-friendly genres like crime series, detective dramas or thrillers, with well-known IP at the centre. A lot of people in the industry rail against the perceived lack of risk, but ultimately serving audiences should be commissioners’ guiding light.

And there are some eye-catching concepts out there. A+E Networks’ investigative journalism thriller The Kollective is exciting, while Disney is betting on Disney+’s glossy UK original Rivals to wow acquisitions executives.

NBC Universal-distributed Lockerbie: A Search For Truth thrusts a well-grazed documentary subject into the drama sphere and Newen Connect’s Cat’s Eyes aims to capitalise on the popularity of Japanese manga in live-action – Netflix can attest to the difficulty of that.

Making this selection was not easy. Broadcast has been stringent in picking the 20 titles we feel offer something refreshing for buyers, that are creatively stimulating and provide distributors the best option for doing business – All3Media chief Jane Turton said on one recent panel that the super-indie couldn’t afford to have “vanity projects sitting on a shelf”.

But as Mipcom turns 40, the industry does not feel too creatively hamstrung. Eras come to and end, but a new one is beginning.

• John Elmes is the international editor of Broadcast