Deadline Dozen Scripted Features ‘Baywatch’, ‘Einstein’ & ‘Maya’

Welcome to our selection of the most scorching titles headed to MIPCOM this year, The Deadline Dozen. Our editorial team has carefully researched and selected the projects we expect to drive the chatter on the Croisette and beyond.

Day two of our Deadline Dozen brings scripted. For the best unscripted fare, click here.

BAYWATCH

FREMANTLE

Length: 12 x 60’

Producers: Fremantle, Fox Entertainment

Networks: Fox (U.S.), Prime Video (various)

It’s back, and it’s lighting up the beaches of Cannes this MIPCOM. One of the most iconic series of all time — conjuring up those famous images of David Hasselhoff and his fellow lifeguards running along sunshine-soaked shores — is being remade and shopped to buyers this fall.

Baywatch is, of course, the globally recognizable show about lifeguards patrolling the beaches of LA and Hawaii, which three decades ago made heroes of its stars and creators. After nearly 250 episodes across 11 seasons, Baywatch gave the world the likes of Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson and Alexandra Paul.

The revamped Baywatch promises unmistakable red swimsuits and an all-new cast of lifeguards, who will continue to patrol the world’s most famous stretch of sand, delivering high stakes rescues, explosive drama and plenty of beachside heat. The ensemble cast includes Stephen Amell in the lead role of Hobie Buchannon, alongside Jessica Belkin as Charlie Vale, Shay Mitchell as Trina, Hassie Harrison as Nat, Thaddeus LaGrone as Brad, Noah Beck as Luke, and Brooks Nader as Selene.

The Fox reboot is being showrun by Matt Nix (Burn Notice),while many of the original creators are back to EP, including Michael Berk, Greg Bonann and Doug Schwartz, alongside new EPs Dante Di Loreto and Mike Horowitz. McG is also exec producing and will direct the series premiere episode.

Fox holds domestic rights, while Fremantle is hoping this one will make waves abroad, having already sold to a number of key Prime Video territories. Expect billboards galore in Cannes. This one is sure to make a splash.

THE INTERROGATOR

LIONSGATE

Length: 12 x 60’

Producers: Lionsgate Television, Fox Entertainment Studios

Network: Fox (U.S.)

What’s not to like about this one? A U.S. crime-of-the-week story from the mind of Stephen Fry, and with the likes of Jenna Elfman and Michael Beach in starring roles.

The Interrogator centers on former MI6 agent Conrad Henry and his team of outsider geniuses, who are brought in to solve cases after conventional policing and security hasn’t worked. Fry — considered a polymath for his abilities to act, write, orate and present — plays Henry, whose quirky charm, superior intellect and mind-bending behavioral maneuvers mean he can unpick the minds of world’s most dangerous criminals.

Fry is no stranger to Fox, having acted in Hart Hanson’s drama Bones, and he writes The Interrogator with William Harper and Matt Pyken attached. Input from Fire Country’s Harper was also key to securing the straight-to-series order back in February, and the series is now heading for the 2026/27 broadcast U.S. season with The Lost Symbol writer-producers Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie on board as showrunners.

Appearing alongside Fry are Elfman, Beach, Jessica Sula, Maria Zhang and Luke Kleintank, the latter of whom also acted in Bones, though his time on that show did not overlap with Fry. Kleintank plays Voss, a former Special Forces operative and army whistleblower with the strong moral code who becomes a member of Conrad’s team of advisors. Zhang plays optimistic puzzle master Florence, and Sula is Conrad’s estranged daughter and criminal psychologist Astrid. Beach is a jack-of-all-trades AV and IT expert and also best friend to Conrad, while Elfman plays his handler and boss Woodrow.

Though Fox has made it a policy to have more ownership of its originals, Lionsgate is shopping the show at MIPCOM. There’s potential for this one to sell well, given the popularity of hits like Ludwig, the BBC drama that stars British actor David Mitchell (who, like Fry, was a member of student sketch group the Cambridge Footlights) as a genius puzzle solver who helps police.

SHAKA ILEMBE

STUDIOCANAL

Length: 24 x 60’ (Two seasons of 12 episodes)

Producer: Bomb Productions

Network: MultiChoice (pan-Africa)

This time last year, Deadline profiled Shaka iLembe, the South African-shot story of King Shaka, the famous pre-colonial era Zulu ruler. Despite the show breaking viewing records on MultiChoice, no distributor had acquired the rights, and director Angus Gibson even told us that a U.S. network exec had loved a screener but nevertheless refused to believe audiences would follow a Zulu-language title. “We need some courageous broadcasters over there,” he said.

Since that interview, France’s Canal+ acquired MultiChoice and significantly restructured the business. Part of that process has seen MultiChoice titles join the catalog of Canal+ producer-distributor StudioCanal.

Ahead of the third and final season of Shaka iLembe, which is due to debut on Mzansi Magic, a network that’s part of MultiChoice’s M-Net, in Africa, StudioCanal will debut the first two seasons to international buyers as a key MIPCOM launch.

The show, set in the 18^th and 19th centuries, stars Lemogang Tsipa as Shaka, a king in southeastern Africa’s Nguni Kingdoms. It traces his rise from boyhood, through the founding of the Zulu nation, and to his life as a legendary battlefield strategist and a visionary leader who shaped the course of African history. Starring alongside Tsipa are Nomzamo Mbatha, Wiseman Mncube, Dawn Thandeka King, Sthandiwe Kgoroge, Mondli Makhoba and Mpilo Mbatha.

Season 3 will round out the story, and buyers will be able to communicate interest to StudioCanal sales folk on the ground in Cannes, as they also negotiate deals for the first two runs.

StudioCanal will no doubt be flagging that Shaka iLembe, told in the isiZulu language, is the most-awarded show in the history of the South African Film & Television Awards, and is a big ratings hit.

The European sales house has also been keen to frame the series as “what can be achieved when Africa’s most consequential history gets the epic, cinematic treatment and care it deserves,” and compares it to other epic series such as Shōgun and Game of Thrones.

THE DEATH OF SHERLOCK HOLMES

SPHERE ABACUS

Length: 6 x 60’

Producer: Silver Reel

Networks: Sky, SRF (Switzerland), ARD Degeto (Germany)

U.K.-based distributor Sphere Abacus, known best for selling Heated Rivalry, is changing up the pace with The Death of Sherlock Holmes. The show, which is among Sphere Abacus’ big MIPCOM market launches, stars Rafe Spall as the world’s most famous detective, and begins with one of his most iconic moments: The apparent death of Holmes at the hands of arch nemesis Professor Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.

Here’s where the twist comes in: While the world assumes he has perished, the show reveals what happens in the three years between his disappearance in 1891 and return in 1894. Sherlock Holmes writer Arthur Conan Doyle left this period untouched, which gives The Death of Sherlock Holmes showrunners Claudia Bluemhuber and Pierre Monnard plenty of space to flex their creative muscles. Same goes for writers André Küttel and Simone Schmid.

Bluemhuber from Switzerland-based Silver Reel created the show alongside Küttel and Monnard on the back of International Emmy-winning fantasy show Fallen. She set up a co-production that includes Sky and SRF in Switzerland, Germany’s ARD Degeto and the Bell Media-owned Sphere Abacus. The series will broadcast on Sky in the U.K. and Ireland and also goes out on Sky in Switzerland and Germany. FFF Bayern from Germany and Italy’s IDM Film Commission are supporting the series.

A 2027 launch date is planned as Trying star Spall’s next leading role. Starring alongside him is Deleila Piasko, a Swiss actress best known for her role in Netflix’s World War II drama Transatlantic.

The story is set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, as Holmes is found barely alive in the ice. A local woman, Alma (Piasko) and her son find him. Soon the village doctor is found murdered and the townsfolk turn on the boy, leaving the stranger as his only hope. Though Holmes remembers nothing, flashes of his razor-sharp skills of deduction begin to show.

MAYA

BANIJAY RIGHTS

Length: 6 x 60’

Producer: Two Brothers Pictures

Networks: Channel 4 (U.K.), Starz (U.S.)

Maya is notable for bringing together two of the U.K.’s top talents: Daisy Haggard and Bella Ramsey, and networks from Britain and the U.S. in the shape of Channel 4 and Starz.

The series follows devoted single mother Anna (Haggard) and her headstrong teenage daughter Maya (Ramsey), as they are forced into witness protection to escape danger. Leaving London behind, they move to a small rural town in Scotland, intent on leaving the trauma behind, but a pair of hitmen are determined to track them down. It’s a claustrophobic plot that gives Haggard and Ramsey space to show off their acting chops.

Haggard is the creator and also makes her directorial debut alongside Jamie Donoughue (Doctor Who). She’s known for the BAFTA-nominated Back to Life, which she starred in and co-wrote with Laura Solon. The actress and writer has a long connection with Maya producer Two Brothers Pictures, stretching back to 2019 with Back to Life and then with 2023’s Boat Story, and she worked with Ramsey on Netflix animation Hilda.

Ramsey is one of TV’s hottest actors right now, with previous roles including the fiery Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, survivalist Ellie in The Last of Us and drug addict Kelsey in Time. This year, they starred in George Jaques’ Sunny Dancer, about a teenage cancer survivor sent to a ‘chemo camp’, which premiered at the Berlinale. They reprise their role in HBO’s The Last of Us next year.

For Fleabag and The Tourist producer Two Brothers, the show is the first hitting the international market since its parent, All3Media, was acquired by Banijay. All3Media International has since been wound down as a brand and Banijay Rights will be shopping Maya in France this year.

ALIBI

YES STUDIOS

Length: 7 x 15’

Producer: Plus6Four Entertainment

Network: TVNZ (New Zealand)

Easily one of the more unusual scripted formats hitting the market this year is Alibi, a short-form crime drama out of New Zealand. Despite its short episode length, the show is designed for streaming services and even TV networks, but not microdrama platforms, having been created before the vertical video craze took off.

The show is being billed as a “non-linear murder mystery”. The first six episodes can be watched in any order before the truth is revealed in the seventh and final one. Set in a small fictional town called Awatahi, the show explores the murder of 17-year-old Jodie Hunter. Each of the six main suspects get their chance to give their version of events on the day of Jodie’s death, effectively supplying their own alibis.

Given the shape of the show, Israel’s Yes Studios will be shopping both the finished tape and format, with show co-creator David de Latour saying it “holds the potential to translate perfectly to different locations around the world”.

“Episodes can be joined together for a range of more traditional slots, while digital and VOD platforms could create a real buzz about the audience’s ability to watch episodes in any order they choose,” says Sharon Levi, Yes Studios’ managing director.

De Latour made the show alongside Gareth Williams and Hannah Marshall, the latter of whom is the co-creator of the Kiwi drama Ms. X. Marshall and de Latour are the directors, and the cast includes Madeleine Adams (Shortland Street), Joel Tobeck (Avatar: Fire and Ice), Xavier Horan (Shortland Street) and Melanie Vallejo (All Her Fault).

For Yes, which is the sales arm of Israeli network Yes TV, representing the rights marks a move in third-party distribution. To date, it has primarily sold Yes shows such as Fauda, Shtisel and Your Honor.

Yes has experience in scripted format sales, earlier this year selling Israeli comedy drama Significant Other to Babylone Hills Productions and Screenline Productions to make a French version. It had already been made for ITV in 2022.

Though most of the headlines about shortform content have been about vertical video and microdrama, buyers could be taken by the unique nature of the format. Alibi was made back in 2021, but five years later comes the chance for the international market to find out whodunnit.

HIGH VALLEY

ZDF STUDIOS

Length: 6 x 45’

Producer: Studio Zentral

Network: ZDF (Germany)

One only needs to look at the success of Disney+’s Rivals to see that shows featuring horses and high-stakes are always a hell of a lot of fun.

In Germany, ZDF has landed on the next potential big one with High Valley, which is set against the striking backdrop of a renowned equestrian center as main character Ina shows extreme grit and determination to break into a seriously elite world.

Ina (Lili Epply) seeks a fresh start at the prestigious Hohenfelden Equestrian Centre after a life-changing falling-out with her mentor. There, she encounters a community shaped by financial pressures, personal dependencies and long-buried secrets. As she fights for her sporting future, growing evidence suggests that she is connected to the owner, Cora, through a deadly secret. The question posed by the show is how far she is willing to go to achieve her lifelong dream.

Epply plays the lead in this fast-paced romp, which also stars Heino Ferch, Karoline Eichhorn, Joshua Hupfauer, Jörg Schüttauf, Jasmin Great and Margarita Broich.

Through its authentic portrayal of professional equestrian sport, the show aims to offer a rare glimpse into a fascinating world, one that’s defined by prestige, pressure to perform and tradition.

High Valley is penned by best-selling German author Juli Zeh alongside Lukas Becker, while Zeh also serves as creative producer in her TV debut.

All of this could add up to a show that makes a big noise in Cannes at a time when high-octane drama like High Valley very much feels like it has a place in international TV.

ZDF Studios drama boss Sebastian Krekeler has previously said he is confident the series will “captivate audiences far beyond the German-speaking market.”

UP TO NO GOOD

Sony Pictures Television

Length: 6 x 60’

Producers: Playground, Sony Pictures Television

Network: Channel 4 (U.K.)

Glenn Close is Up To No Good in a new drama for Channel 4 in the U.K., which Sony Pictures Television will launch internationally at MIPCOM.

Close is the star of big-ticket movies, including Fatal Attraction and Dangerous Liaisons, and more recently appeared in Spain’s international Oscar submission and festival favorite La Bola Negra. Here, she lends her star power to a U.K.-produced TV drama. She is joined by a host of well-known British actors in the show.

Close plays Maud Oldcastle. She is described as brusque, cantankerous, ruthless — and also a killer. When a suspicious young detective, played by Bridgerton star Claudia Jesse, begins investigating a death in Maud’s building, she starts to believe there is more to her than meets the eye. Maud is then forced to reckon with her crimes, both present and past.

The series is based upon Helene Tursten’s short story collections An Elderly Lady Is Up To No Good and An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed.

Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) stars as Maud’s sister. The cast also includes Richard E. Grant (Saltburn), Gloria Obianyo (Andor), Anita Dobson (EastEnders), Ben Crompton (Game of Thrones), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education), Mathew Baynton (Ghosts), Iain Glen (The Rig) and Meera Syal (The Wheel of Time).

Nina Raine and Moses Raine, previously best known as playwrights, penned the scripts, making their debut as a TV writing duo.

The first artwork for the series shows a formidable-looking Close standing near London’s Royal Albert Hall, as the series was filmed in the English capital.

Lee Haven Jones (A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story) directs the series, which was developed and produced by Colin Callender’s Playground label for Sony Pictures Television. Sony has worldwide rights excluding the U.K.

EINSTEIN

PARAMOUNT GLOBAL CONTENT DISTRIBUTION

Length: TBC

Producer: CBS Studios

Network: CBS (U.S.)

Einstein is set to touch down in Cannes, as Paramount launches its latest CBS series internationally.

The titular character, played by Matthew Gray Gubler, is not the famous and iconic physicist, but his grandson, Lewis. Brilliant but lacking direction, he has a comfortable job as a professor — until his antics land him in trouble with the law. As a result, he has to help a local detective, Teri (played by Melissa Fumero), solve her most puzzling cases.

Gubler stars and is also a producer. He is best-known for playing criminal profiler Dr. Spencer Reid in another CBS procedural, Criminal Minds. He also directed episodes of that show.

Einstein is an hour-long quirky procedural, which is familiar ground for CBS. Previous examples include Elementary and Elsbeth, the latter of which is still going strong on the network, which is also the home to the NCIS franchise and shows including FBI.

Einstein is produced by CBS Studios and has had an interesting journey to market. Having picked it up for its 2025-26 season, CBS then pushed it to the following 2026-27 season. During that time the female lead Rosa Salazar exited, by all accounts a mutual decision, and Fumero came on board.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Fumero’s character, Teri, is a detective inspector for the New Jersey State Police. Sharp and disciplined, she demands a lot from her colleagues and feels conflicted about working with Einstein.

The series is an English-language adaptation of Martin Ritzenhoff and Matthias Dinter’s German TV movie and series, which played on public network Sat.1. It sold widely internationally.

Monk creator Andy Breckman is behind the U.S. version and is also an exec producer on the show. A Monk connection can also be seen in the casting — Tony Shalhoub, who played Adrian Monk in the USA Network show and Peacock TV movie, has a recurring role in Einstein, playing the lead character’s father, and as such, the son of the great scientist. Other series regulars include Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Capt. Frost.

Paramount Global Content Distribution is handling international sales. It is well-versed in launching procedurals. It is a tough sales market, but the genre remains popular with international buyers.

THE ROCKFORD FILES

NBCUNIVERSAL GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION

Length: 13 x 60’

Producer: Universal Television

Network: NBC (U.S.)

The Rockford Files is a modern-day take on the classic series of the same name. David Boreanaz steps into the shoes of Jim Rockford, a role that James Garner memorably held in the NBC series and CBS TV movies.

Rockford, once again, is a charming and rough-around-the-edges P.I. He is back to solving cases after being released, having been wrongly jailed. The show, which filmed in Atlanta and Los Angeles, is set in and around L.A., and Rockford soon finds himself in the crosshairs of both the criminals and the cops.

Garner died in 2014, aged 86. SEAL Team alum Boreanaz has spoken about how he reached out to the late star’s daughter, Gigi, about taking the role. She gave him her blessing, writing on X: “He wanted to know how I felt about the reboot, etc… [I said] If anybody can do it, he can!”

Michaela McManus (One Tree Hill) plays Kate, an East Hollywood detective whose romantic relationship with Rockford got complicated after he publicly accused fellow officers of framing him. Felix Solis (The Rookie) plays Nitty, Rockford’s best friend who has turned his life around and become a successful South LA defense attorney. Jacki Weaver (Clipped) play Rockford’s longtime trailer park neighbor; she’s a tough, outspoken activist and think-tank analyst.

Boreanaz’s son, Jaden, also appears in the show. In the pilot episode, he shows up as a character who has an issue with Rockford and ends up roughing him up.

The Rockford Files hails from writer Mike Daniels, producers Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

NBCUniversal Global Distribution is selling the show. It is an interesting proposition for international buyers, with built-in name recognition from older viewers who remember the first show, or have watched it since. Boreanaz is also well-known, with SEAL Team selling widely.

QUEEN SILVIA

BETA FILM

Length: 6 x 60’

Producers: Pyjama Pictures, Unlimited Stories

Networks: Prime Video (German-speaking territories & Nordics), Sat.1 (Germany)

Royal romance will be in the air at MIPCOM, with Queen Silvia set for a world premiere screening in Cannes’ Grand Auditorium.

The series is based on the real-life story of Sweden’s Queen Silvia and King Carl Gustaf. Prime Video has the show for the DACH region and Sat.1 is its German free-TV home. Beta Film has landed the international rights and is across sales everywhere else.

Royal drama always resonates, and this one has the added benefit of being based on true events. It tells the story of how the reigning couple first met and fell in love.

It’s a dramatic tale. German-Brazilian interpreter Silvia Sommerlath met Carl Gustaf, the Crown Prince of Sweden, while she was working at the ill-fated 1972 Munich Olympic Games, where he was a guest of honor.

The drama starts at the Games, where Silvia ended up working in the crisis management team and crossed paths with the crown prince because he was a VIP guest. The first season focuses on the first four years of their relationship, from the day they met until the day before their marriage.

Alicia von Rittberg (Call My Agent! Berlin) plays Silvia and Edvin Endre (Vikings) is Gustaf. Both will be attending MIPCOM to promote the series. Showrunner Carsten Kelber will also be in town.

The series is set across Munich, Stockholm and, appropriately given the world premiere in Cannes, the French Riviera.

Miguel Alexandre, Lisa Hofer and Pauline Wolff shared writing duties on the six-parter with Germany’s Pyjama Pictures and Sweden’s Unlimited Stories the production companies. Alexandre (Gran Paradiso), directs.

Beta Film, meanwhile, has history with royal drama. It distributes the popular Dutch series Maxima and it has shopped RTL Germany’s Sisi into over 120 countries. There is also Maxima spin-off The Other Royals – A Maxima Story coming next year, and Ludwig, about King Ludwig II, is in the works and set to be one of the biggest-ever period dramas out of Germany.

NUMBER 10

ITV STUDIOS

Length: 6 x 60’

Producer: Hartswood Films

Network: Channel 4 (U.K.)

Have you ever wondered what’s going on behind the most famous door in Britain?

Sherlock creator Steven Moffat had spent years pondering this question and is exploring the answer with Number 10, Channel 4 and Hartswood Films’ upcoming drama about the inner workings of 10 Downing Street, home to the U.K. prime minister of the day.

Starring Rafe Spall as the PM alongside the likes of Jenna Coleman and Katherine Kelly, Number 10’screators stress that “the government will be fictional, but the problems will be real.”

“Number 10 is about the building and everyone inside — not just the Prime Minister in the attic, but the conspiracy theorist who runs the café in the basement, the man who repairs the lift that never works, and the madly ambitious ‘advisors’ fighting for office space in cupboards,” the logline reads. “Oh, and the cat, of course.”

The ensemble cast also features Joe Wilkinson, Akshay Khanna, Abigail Lawrie, Laura Haddock and Jing Lusi, and is penned by Moffat. Ben Palmer (The Inbetweeners) directs.

Moffat and his long-time collaborators at ITV Studios-owned Hartswood Films have always shown keen interest in the inner workings of national institutions and this one looks set to uncover one of the biggest and most secretive, a setting that fascinates people from around the world, especially considering its occupant has changed so much over the past decade.

Having been showrunner on Doctor Who and co-created Sherlock, Moffat has previously said of Number 10: “For me it’s all about famous doors.” With plenty opportunities for some fun marketing at MIPCOM, he and ITV Studios will be hoping his passion is shared by the people that matter in Cannes.