Irish dark comedy crime drama Obituary has been picked up by several global broadcasters and platforms following the series’s RTE and Hulu debut, including Netflix in Ireland and the UK.
IFTA-nominated series Obituary, co-produced by Galway based Magamedia and APC Studios (UK), has been sold by APC to Netflix (Ireland/UK), Britbox (Australia), TVNZ (New Zealand), Proximus (Belgium), RTS (French-speaking Switzerland), RTP (Portugal), BluTV (Turkey & Cyprus) and TET (Latvia).
These first global deals follow the show’s debut on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player in Ireland and on streaming service Hulu exclusively in the U.S. last year, to great ratings and critical acclaim. A second season is underway.
Obituary was made in association with Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán and The Wrap Fund and stars a stellar ensemble cast including recent Rising Star Award winner Siobhán Cullen (The Dry, Bodkin) who plays the lead role of Elvira Clancy, an underpaid obituarist working at a small-town newspaper who becomes a serial killer.
Cullen was joined by Michael Smiley (Bad Sisters, Bloodlands, Gunpowder Milkshake) as Elvira’s protective and troubled father Ward Clancy, Ronan Raftery (The Rook, Mortal Engines, The Terror) as ambitious new crime correspondent Emerson Stafford, Danielle Galligan (Shadow and Bone, Lakelands, KIN) as Elvira’s explosive childhood friend and love rival Mallory Markum, and David Ganly (Moon Knight, Body of Lies) as Elvira's disenchanted newspaper boss Hughie Burns.
The six-part one-hour episode series is written by award-winning Irish scriptwriter Ray Lawlor (Le Ceangal), lead directed by John Hayes (Dublin Murders, Bancroft) with Oonagh Kearney (Vardy vs Rooney) directing second block and produced by Nell Green (The Outfit, The Undeclared War). APC Studios’ Laurent Boissel and Magamedia’s Paddy Hayes are executive producers of the series, which was filmed in County Donegal.
Paddy Hayes and Laurent Boissel, co-executive producers, said: “We are incredibly proud to have secured a raft of global sales for our own drama series following its acclaimed debut on RTE and Hulu. We are excited to unleash this high concept drama on an unsuspecting international audience!”
