It’s LA Screenings week, which means the proportion of English-first persons on studio lots is even smaller than usual. For the unfamiliar, this is a time when the international sales divisions of those producing for television put on their finest and expense accounts are far less scrutinized as buyers from networks and platforms around the globe descend upon this challenged town to get a close look at what’s new and upcoming so they can fill out their own schedules the same way their U.S. brethren did during last week’s upfronts. Plenty of fancy parties, multimedia presentations and making sure carousers safely get back to their hotel rooms in one piece. I’ve personally chauffeured dozens of such VIPs to and from even when that wasn’t my primary job because, as we were constantly reminded, their money makes most of what we enjoyed possible.
At least, that’s the way it all used to be. Networks used to announce a lot more original scripted material than they did last week, and unlike this year a goodly amount were actually fresh concepts. This year, scant few programs were announced at all and the majority that were were spin-offs of existing series that joined their mother ships in their respective lineups. On the international side, that typically means that said mother ship’s licensee gets right of first refusal on the spin-off, far more often than not making this week’s rubber stamps. If CBS could see fit to slot in SHERIFF COUNTRY alongside FIRE COUNTRY, why would a silly little network in Central Europe want to do anything differently? And rest assured that subtle judgment would be delivered by just about anyone who was interacting with these valued clients.
The esteemed group at Sony Pictures Television have been among the most forward-facing of these studios in recent years, making full use of their storied lot and a relatively cooler Westside location to regale and cajole. They’ve had the luxury of alliances and orders with pretty much the gamut of possibilities out there as well as established franchises that would allow them to unveil some somewhat lesser profile projects, many championed far more by the global community than Stateside. Heading into this week’s festivities, that seemed to be what their newly promoted kings of this revenue line were pretty much stuck with, as DEADLINE’s Jesse Whitlock reported earlier this month:
This year, there’s a new look team at the top, with Mike Wald and Jason Spivak taking center stage following Keith Le Goy’s elevation to Sony Pictures Television Chairman. “We can’t wait to welcome partners from around the world to the lot, to reconnect, and to present this fantastic slate,” said Wald and Spivak. This year, Sony’s slate will comprise American Hostage, Outlander: Blood of My Blood, Lord of the Flies, Playing Gracie Darling, The Lady and Titanic Sinks Tonight.
No, you didn’t miss those titles last week, because none of them were ordered by any who presented. Of that list, only the OUTLANDER spin-off currently has a U.S. home (it will launch on Starz in August) , while THE LADY will reach us via Britbox International. At least it has the pedigree of Sony’s UK partner Left Bank TV which gave the world THE CROWN, attached to it and staying in that lane– as the studio hype asserted, THE LADY tells the story of the Duchess of York’s former aide, Jane Andrews, whose rags to riches tale fell apart when she was convicted of murder. Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex) stars as Andrews and Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) plays Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
But that all changed with this surprising development released as the attendees were getting their first refills at the perpetually open bar as THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s veteran Rick Porter related:
The studio behind SWAT – and the show’s lead actor – are taking another shot at keeping the franchise going.
Sony Pictures Television has greenlit a spinoff of the crime procedural titled SWAT Exiles. Like the recently ended CBS series, Exiles will star Shemar Moore, reprising his role as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson as he works with a team of young recruits. Sony will also distribute the series worldwide and will shop it to potential buyers in the near future. Jason Ning (The Brothers Sun, Mrs. Davis) will be the showrunner on the spinoff as part of a recently renewed overall deal with Sony (Ning is also working on the studio’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon series, which is in development for Amazon’s Prime Video, with Ron Moore). Ning will executive produce SWAT Exiles with SWAT EPs Shemar Moore, Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty of Original Film, and James Scura.
Yes, that’s the very same show that CBS had to cancel no less than three times before finally parting ways after eight seasons, with last Friday night’s 2-hour finale supposedly the end to a saga of perhaps the ultimate Little Engine That Could from a supplier that has well earned their reputation of never fully accepting a cancellation. And in Moore, a CBS favorite thanks to his prior associations on such staples as THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS and CRIMINAL MINDS, they had a particularly convincing champion. Even when he’d keep his shirt on, he’d command a room with his determined enthusiasm, which proved to be infectuous with both buyers and sellers. Having seen this force of nature myself on several occasions, I can attest to his talents. And as DEADLINE’s Lynette Rice explained in her story from Monday, Moore has now put a label on those qualities:
While recognizing he may “catch some flak” from the industry and fans, Shemar Moore on Monday spoke out about his upcoming S.W.A.T. spinoff while using a Tom Brady analogy to explain why he’s going it alone this time.
In a lengthy Instagram video, Moore acknowledged that “nobody likes change” and “you can’t win without taking your lumps” before talking about his decision to do S.W.A.T. Exiles. Moore will reprise his character as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson but the new iteration will focus on his leading “a last-chance experimental SWAT unit made up of untested, unpredictable young recruits.” None of his co-stars were mentioned in the announcement that came late Sunday from Sony Pictures TV Studios. In a video for his 4.4 million followers, Moore acknowledged his talented former castmates but when on to explain how he’s the quarterback, aka “Tom Brady of S.W.A.T.”
“That’s not arrogant. That’s not ego, it’s a fact,” said Moore. “Tom Brady might be the quarterback, but you know, people get traded. Tight ends get traded. The running back gets traded, the receivers get traded but the teams keep pushing with their quarterback and I’m that guy, so proud so grateful, not gonna apologize for nothing. Busted my ass for 31 years to do what I do, and excited for the future.”
Translated: Who needs an expensive cast of modestly popular co-stars when we all know the only reason anyone–dare we even say his enthusiastic boss–wants to tune in? As Rice reported:
Sony’s plan that was masterminded under the leadership of President Katherine Pope is to produce and distribute the 10-episode series globally by “finding the right homes and partners for these new stories to reach the passionate S.W.A.T. fanbase and attract new viewers.
Perhaps the biggest reason to root for this all to work out is the fact that TV INSIDER’s Meredith Jacobs led with in her story:
Development is currently underway with production set to begin this summer in Los Angeles. This preserves jobs for the 200-person local production crew who have been instrumental to the success of the original series for its eight seasons.
With Pope now relegated to reporting into longtime international czar and one-time Tony Robbins doppelganger LeGoy, who steered the majority of the sales that established the franchise during its CBS days, she also has a pretty good idea how to save her own job.
And as Porter reported, within said lengthy video Moore pretty much laid out Sony’s playbook:
Moore…called out potential new homes for the series: “Hey, Netflix, how you doing?” Moore said. “Netflix, if you’re interested in a show that is in autopilot that the world is watching, we’d love to come play. NBC, Fox, ABC, hey, you want to come flirt with me? You’re invited to the barbecue. Pick your favorite restaurant. I will pay the bill.”
And those are the meetings that Wald, Spivak, LeGoy, Pope and just about anyone with a Sony badge will be scrambling to have this week, among others. Because, yeah, keeping 200 rank-and-file folks working in Los Angeles in 2025 IS a damn good cause. So while there’s no ticking clock on production with the necessity of meeting a fall delivery date, there’s arguably as much pressure on Team Sony to put this one in the end zone as anything they’ve sold.
For that reason above all, I’m personally rooting for this gambit to pay off. And hey, Team Sony, I’m still within walking distance of the lot, just in case you need an extra hand to serve Moore’s barbecue or an in-house Uber driver. Thanks to your prior decisions, I now also have actual paid experience with those tasks.
Until next time…