The LA Screenings Are Back: Talent Returns & Slates Get International As Buyers Head For Studio Showcases

As buyers touch down at LAX for the annual LA Screenings, it will be a case of a return to the norm following the unusual circumstances of last year. The Hollywood labor strikes not only threw confusion on what would be a realistic purchase, but also stopped acquisitions executives getting face time (and a quick selfie) with acting and writing talent — something many value as part of their buying process.

There will be no such issues this year, and the studio sales bosses are relishing a return to the norm. “We’re really excited, it feels like we’re really back after the strikes and firing on all cylinders,” says David Decker, President of Content Sales for Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). “We have an abundance of titles that run the gamut of broadcast and streaming in drama and comedy. We’ll be showing the best of what WBD stands for.”

Lisa Kramer, President, International Content Licensing, Paramount Global Content Distribution, certainly sees more of a straightforward ride than twelve months ago. “Last year we screened against the backdrop of picketers and this year we embrace the industry back at work,” she says. “The excitement shared about the series is palpable and something the clients truly appreciate. The LA Screenings last year was a bit different, but we were still able to present a great slate for the buyers.”

“A bit different” feels a bit of an understatement. For one European network buyer, the past few years have been a tad traumatic. “The post-Covid screenings, with masks, antigen tests and then no talent are memories I’ve tried to suppress,” they say, speaking anonymously.

Past is the past

But the good news is the studios believe the past is firmly the past.

“This is the rumble before the storm — we love this time of year,” says Keith Le Goy, Chairman of Worldwide Networks & Distribution for Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE), with a smile. “All of our people come, the buyers come and we get to show off. We’re a Hollywood studio — we love showing off.”

“There’s a lot of excitement about the market at Fox,” adds David Smyth, Fox Entertainment Group’s Executive Vice President of Content Sales and Partnerships. “We’ve announced a reorganization of the network, studio and distribution team, which speaks to the growing opportunity to produce and license content around the world. That’s feeding through to buyers.”

The strikes certainly impacted how acquisitions were approached last year. As we reported at the time, there was hesitancy to commit to deals lacking clear production timelines, though the more international nature of distribution slates in this modern era helped offset. The Hollywood studios feel they managed the worst of it, in any case.

“Although the strikes delayed the shoot start dates for a few of our new series, our production studios were some of the first up and running after the strikes ended. As such, we are lucky to have a robust content offering for our clients again this year for Screenings,” says Belinda Menendez, President and Chief Revenue Officer at NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution.

Canadian networks, whose schedules are closely tied to what happens at the annual Upfronts, are already in town screening titles from the main studios and the various indie players in town to capitalize on those international check books. Once we begin to hear what CBC, Global and co have acquired, we can begin to build the picture on what the breakout titles might be this year.

NBCU will be offering the likes of cat-and-mouse drama The Day of the Jackal, starring Eddie Redmayne; suspenseful horror Hysteria! starring Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen; the Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman starrer Teacup; true-crime limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, whose ensemble cast includes Kevin Hart, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle and Taraji P. Henson; and darkly comic ‘coming of rage’ thriller Sweetpea, starring actress-of-the-moment Ella Purnell. On the comedy front comes workplace sitcom St Denis Medical, from the team behind Superstore; multi-cam Happy’s Place; Laid, based on the Australian series of the same name; mockumentary Mr. Throwback starring NBA superstars Steph Curry; Sky’s irreverent British comedy Mr. Bigstuff, starring Danny Dyer and Ryan Sampson as a pair of estranged brothers; and BBC Natural History Studios title The Americas, narrated by Tom Hanks. There will also be trailers and sneak peaks at films such as Despicable Me 4 and animated science fiction adventure film Wild Robot with Lupita Nyong’o as the voice of the main character.

Sony, the most truly indie of the U.S. studios, once again released its slate early to cheers from buyers. Among the buzziest titles is BBC series Dope Girls. As we revealed in February, Sony’s distribution arm worked with stablemate Bad Wolf in the UK to fast-track a pilot-style episode for the LA Screenings. “In collaboration with Jane Tranter and Bad Wolf team, we targeted the opportunity as the time to unveil it to the world,” says Le Goy.

The show, about a female underworld boss in early 20th Century Soho in London, will be joined by the likes of Amanda Seyfried-starrer Long Bright River; medical drama Doc, starring Molly Parker; Australian drama The Narrow Road to the Deep North, starring Jacob Elordi; and Blueprint’s next instalment in the Scandal franchise, A Very Royal Scandal, starring Michael Sheen and Ruth Wilson. The lineup also includes Stags from Sex Education producer Eleven, Fable Pictures’ series Mr Loverman, which will screen at Tribeca; and animated series Universal Basic Guys. The presentation will also include a teaser trailer for Outlander: Blood of My Blood. “Not everything will be for everyone, but something will be everything for someone,” says Le Goy. “The landscape of buyers and demand has changed the type of stories that attract a viewer or subcriber is vast array of things.” 

WBD, another player that doesn’t own a U.S. broadcast network, is bringing a slate that Decker calls “both what you’ve come to expect and so much more” over two full days on Monday and Tuesday at the famous Stephen J. Ross Theater on the lot. The Burbank-based seller has the likes of Fox drama HI-Surf, which caught some buzz at the Upfronts; MGM+’s Emperor of Ocean Park starring Forest Whittaker; CBS’s latest Chuck Lorre comedy Georgie and Mandy’s First Marriage; Zachary Quinta-starring NBC procedural Brilliant Minds from Uber-producer Greg Berlanti; Max’s J.J. Abrams show Duster; animated series Creature Commandos and Kite Man: Hell Yeah!; and Colin Farrell’s take on The Penguin for Max. From Max’s Latin American wing comes Spanish-language drama Like Water for Chocolate, a remake of the classic film of the same name. There is expected to be chatter around some of Max’s original series from Europe and more from Latin America, though that hadn’t be confirmed at press time.

Paramount’s slate includes the latest offer from the NCIS universe, NCIS: Origins, set in 1991, narrated by Mark Harmon and starring Austin Stowell as a young Agent Gibbs. Another CBS Studios title, Watson, is being billed as medical drama with an investigative spine set a year after the death of Sherlock Holmes at the hands of Moriarty. Happy Face, the true-life story of Melissa Moore based on the true-crime podcast of the same name; and Average Joe is billed as a “darkly comedic, intense” drama set in ‘The Hill’ district of Pittsburg. Away from America and out of Iceland comes The Darkness, a detective drama from CBS Studios, Stampede Ventures and Truenorth about a shocking murder case. There is also plenty of curiosity about The Gray House, the American Civil War limited series from Kevin Costner’s Territory Pictures, Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment and Big Dreams Entertainment whose distribution plans has intrigued watchers domestically and internationally. “Paramount Global Content Distribution has a collection of content that is diverse and broad and will showcase different aspects of our company,” says Kramer. “We have something for everyone — every buyer and every viewer.”

Fox Entertainment Group, a younger distributor than some of its Hollywood brethren, is co-producing the likes of Fox network shows Rescue HI-Surf (WBD), Doc and Universal Basic Guys (Sony), but won’t be shopping them. However, buyers will be welcomed to party on the lot on Sunday (May 19), where they will be greeted by new shows such as Denis Leary comedy Going Dutch, about a loudmouth U.S. Army Colonel who is reassigned to the Netherlands. It also has high hopes for Fox Nation docu-drama series Martin Scorsese Presents: the Saints, plus new seasons of unscripted shows such as I Can See Your Voice, LEGO Masters and Next Level Chef. “We’re no different from several others in LA at the moment, with a much wider mix of genres on display and in a richer mix in terms of storytelling,” says Smyth. “There is a wider demand for different content, and more outlets where it can be commissioned.” He adds that buyers have been professing a more towards more episodic content and away from serialized — something that is true depending on what type of networks you’re thinking about.

As with last year, Disney Entertainment’s plans are being kept more under wraps than the other studios. We know buyers from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America will be flying for screenings between May 20-22, with a cocktails party being held on the Tuesday — the first the House of Mouse has held since 2018. Regional teams are understood to be deciding what gets screened, with some showcasing local productions. Disney declined to put an exec up for this piece, which I’m writing during the busy Upfronts week. One series trumpeted at Disney’s Upfront on Tuesday was High Potential, about a single mom whose incredible mind leads her to be employed by the police and paired with a by-the-book detective, which was initially for the 2023-24 season. Hulu drama Paradise, starring Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden, was also previewed alongside Disney+ show Agatha All Along and others.

Among the shows listed above, we hear there is buzz developing around Long Bright River, the Sony-sold Peacock series about the opioid crisis; young adult horror Hysteria!, also for Peacock; Duster, which reunites Lost creator Abrams with star Josh Holloway and is described by one buyer as “hotly anticipated”; Watson, which is from Craig Sweeney, the showrunner from Elementary; and — unsurprisingly given its parent series’ global success — NCIS: Origins, which tells the story of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs when he was a young recruit. Dennis Quaid true-crime drama Happy Face is also attracting attention.

‘A Better Slate Of Rights’

When the content world pivoted towards streaming, it completely upended the LA Screenings ecosystem, as buyers could no longer expect to be the exclusive local owner of Hollywood shows and films. However, now that the pendulum is swinging back the other way, new rules are forming. One buyer on their way to Los Angeles today tells Deadline the studios are “offering a better set of rights” this year, though some, such as Disney and Amazon MGM, are still focused on second window deals after exclusive streamer runs. Buyers often observe the lack of network pilots at the Screenings and one says U.S. dramas in particular are losing some appeal, which is being offset by international shows and more serialized shows with big-name casts.

Dermot Horan, the long-serving Director of Acquisitions and Co-productions at Ireland’s RTÉ, agrees, saying the “stand out” shows he’s searching for “don’t need to be from the U.S.,” noting he bought Australian comedy Colin From Accounts from Paramount after an LA Screenings viewing. Other buyers talk about the variety of options from indies selling their wares in Hollywood next week.

For example, Fifth Season will be hosting a cocktail to celebrate its TV team on the rooftop of the company’s new office near the Sawtelle Japantown district to gain face time with clients. “Buyers right now have shorter shopping lists and don’t need to go to as many stores, so you have to make their time meaningful and be respectful of what they’re trying to achieve,” says Prentiss Fraser, President of TV Distribution at the Severance and Tokyo Vice company. Key to the slate will be Australian drama Strife, which is getting a second season, and Clive Owen drama Monsieur Spade. Conversations begun around Fifth Season’s Apple TV shows See, Roar and Servant at the London TV Screenings. Bespoke screenings will take place over the weekend and the company has taken a booth at the Century Plaza, where international distributors have been shopping their wares over the past three before the main event takes place next week.

ITV Studios, which is among the biggest makers of U.S. programming, will be in LA with new EVP Global Sales & Commercial Strategy Tom Clark overseeing a slate of nine scripted titles, including the Fox and Corus drama Murder in a Small Town, which counts Jeff Wachtel among producers, stars Rossif Sutherland as a detective and Kristin Kreuk as his partner dealing with a surprising string of murders in a usually quiet Sunshine Coast community. There will also be a look at The CW, Roku and Stan’s Good Cop Bad Cop, a comedic crime procedural starring Gossip Girls alumna Leighton Meester, Clancy Brown (Dexter: New Blood) and Luke Cook (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina); and a full episode of Austin, an Australian ABC comedy starring British comedic actors Ben Miller (Bridgerton, Death in Paradise) and Sally Phillips (Veep, Bridget Jones’s Diary). ITV’s sales arm will be holding a party at the London for around 200 buyers, with an entirely scripted slate of nine series in total.

Besides the LA Screenings, the calendar is incredibly full with UK events Content London and the London TV Screenings bringing buyers to England twice in a matter of months, and Series Mania, Canneseries and MIPCOM Cannes taking them to France throughout the year. That’s not to mention the myriad smaller content markets and the NATPE gigs. It’s a lot for acquisitions execs to take in. “The buyers are overwhelmed,” says the head of one major international distributor.

ITV Studios’ Clark, a former Disney and AirBnb exec, says the Hollywood events provide a specific opportunity to meet clients from Asia, Latin America and Europe in one place. “The year is populated by key events such as MIPCOM in October, but LA Screenings is an efficient way to get in-person time with people from all over the world,” he says. “It makes sense to tie yourself to the established markets.”

He adds it has been hard to unpick the labor strikes of 2023 with the declines to TV ad spend and streaming profitability strategy shifts, and says having an international focus has helped them “grow even though it’s been a tough period of the industry.” It’s a similar story at Fifth Season, which has invested heavily in international programs and on local producers such as Canada’s Blink49, and even at the major studios, all of whom have at least some international programing on show this year.

However, even though the Screenings are a very different affair to the broadcast- and cable-focused days from the early 2010s and before, there is still an excitement by the thought of a sprinkle of stardust. As such, all the studios will be packing their lots full of showrunners and actors to promote their wares in a big way. “Last year, they were sorely missed and we’re glad we now have agreements with all guilds and unions,” says Decker. “We’re back full steam with great roster of talent.”

“I’ve always valued access to showrunners, writers and talent at the LA Screenings,” says Katie Keenan, Group Director of Acquisitions at Sky for the UK, Ireland and Europe. “To see a show you think could work for you and then get the opportunity to hear from the creative brains behind it on how it will develop over a season, and sometimes the ambition over many years, gives you a different level of confidence in a project.”

Keenan heads into the Screenings having just closed a deal to bring the Walking Dead universe, including the Rick Grimes and Michonne series The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, to the Sky pay-TV and Now streaming platforms in the UK. Like Horan, she notes how the acquisitions job has evolved into a year-round activity thought the LA Screenings remain “an important moment in the calendar. “The screenings have evolved just as the industry has,” she explains. “There are more international shows screened that may have more or less relevance depending on which market they are available in. We’ve evolved as well — Sky has pushed into original content, which now sits side by side with the best of the U.S.”

“The LA Screenings are reflective of what’s happening in our industry,” said Paramount’s Kramer. “For example, when there are straight-to-series orders there will be fewer pilots to screen, but as development has become more year round, we do embrace other opportunities for our clients together.”

And while London has become a major international distribution hub and bespoke events gain traction, for the UK-born Le Goy, next week holds a special place in the calendar. “The London TV Screenings are great and there are more moments for us to reach clients throughout the year, but there is one moment when you really want to showcase your slate: The LA Screenings.”