Streaming service Hulu has doubled down on foreign-language drama, picking up Scandinavian thrillers from the creators of The Killing and The Bridge. The SVOD service has acquired Below The Surface and Midnight Sun from international distributor Studiocanal.
It is Hulu’s latest foreign-language imports following deals to bring shows such as Spanish drama Grand Hotel, Swedish thriller Wallander and Israeli terrorism drama Prisoners of War (Hatufim), the inspiration for Showtime’s Homeland, to the U.S.
Below The Surface is an eight-part drama produced by Studiocanal-backed producer SAM Productions, which was established by The Killing creator Søren Sveistrup and Borgen creator Adam Price. Starring Johannes Lassen, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen and Paprika Steen, it follows a terrorism plot that sees 15 people taken hostage on a subway train beneath Copenhagen.
Midnight Sun, created by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein, the team behind Bron, which was adapted as The Bridge by FX in the U.S, is a high concept thriller set in a small mining community in northern Sweden, where a series of brutal murders conceal a secret conspiracy. It is produced by Atlantique Productions, the Olivier Bibas and Jimmy Desmarais-run firm behind the Transporter TV series, and Swedish firm Nice Drama for Canal+ and SVT.
Separately, Hulu has also acquired four-part British drama Trust Me, which stars Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker as a nurse with a secret. The series was produced by Happy Valley indie Red Production Company and aired on BBC1 earlier this year.
The shows mark the first TV deal between Studiocanal and Hulu. Studiocanal’s head of international sales Beatriz Campos said: “With the expanding popularity of foreign language series in this key market, we are thrilled to close such a substantial package of premium dramas with an exciting blend of European languages which will be showcased exclusively to U.S. audiences for the first time. Renowned for delivering the best in international drama, Hulu is the perfect home for these contemporary series, which all deliver acclaimed creative talent both on and off screen, intriguing globally-relevant storylines and compelling characters.”