Paramount Global’s Paramount+ streaming service has unveiled its first slate of unscripted original U.K. series ahead of the launch of the streamer in Britain this summer.
Among them are shows about paranormal cases, the rise of technology giants and the mysterious disappearance of a Malaysian Airlines flight in 2014.
Ben Frow, chief content officer U.K. at Paramount, previously known as ViacomCBS, had in the past said that the streamer would feature premium local unscripted content from the U.K. alongside hit shows and movies from the conglomerate’s various brands and studios.
“We begin our rollout of U.K. factual commissions for Paramount+ with a slate of unscripted series from the local production community that illustrates the breadth of premium content that will be available on Paramount+,” Frow said on Tuesday. “We continue to work with some of the best production talent in the industry and look forward to sharing details of more original series from U.K. indies over the coming weeks.”
Below is a closer look at the U.K.-commissioned unscripted series for Paramount+, overseen by Daniel Pearl, vp, U.K. originals, Paramount+, unveiled as part of the slate.
Haunted (working title)
From Story Films in association with All3Media International, this show “details the most intriguing, terrifying and enduring paranormal cases in Britain and America.” Made with a true-crime storytelling sensibility, the four hourlong episodes will “explore and unpack cases that have captured the public imagination for many years,” combining personal testimony with archive and dramatic reconstruction. “These stories of hauntings, poltergeists and exorcisms will take us on an exhilarating journey.”
Rise of the Tech Titans (working title)
Produced by 72 Films, in association with All3Media International and Night Train Media, this hourlong show will tell the story of the rise of Big Tech and “the handful of young upstarts who created the modern world.” The four episodes will “chart the events that led to a group of founders being able to take their vision to stratospheric levels and reveal how their decisions would go onto shape how we live.”
The Box (working title)
Produced by Top Hat Productions, in association with All3Media International and Night Train Media, the project consisting of three hourlong episodes follows Police Detective Chris Loudon’s mission to expose the truth behind one of America’s worst serial killers. Loudon discovers a box of evidence seized decades ago and untouched; in it are dozens of photos of young women. The detective “unravels a terrifying murder mystery created by a monster hiding in plain sight in small-town America, where women’s reports of sexual assault were all too frequently dismissed throughout the 1970s,” explains a show description.
MH370: The Lost Flight (working title)
Produced by Vice Studios, this investigative documentary will “uncover groundbreaking evidence surrounding the disappearance of Malaysian flight MH370 in 2014.” In three 50-minute episodes, produced for Paramount+ in the U.K. and SBS in Australia, in association with Vice World News, the project will tell the story of the flight’s disappearance through the eyes of the victims’ families. “With candid testimony from those most impacted, across four continents, and filmed over 12 months, Vice Studios will chart the innumerable twists and turns of this devastating tragedy and unveil new evidence that dispels previous theories surrounding the missing flight.”
Chalet Girls (working title)
Produced by Curve Media, this eight-episode hourlong series will take viewers on an “access-all-areas look inside the pleasure-seeking world of luxury ski resorts,” promises the show description. “From chalet girls and mixologists to ski instructors and chefs returning to this exclusive location every season – they work hard and party even harder.”
