EXCLUSIVE: Sony Entertainment Television has acquired the exclusive first run UK broadcast rights to TV Land’s new single-camera comedy Younger and the sixth and final season of Betty White comedy Hot In Cleveland after agreeing a “wide-ranging” deal with international distributor Endemol Shine International, TVWise has learned.
Created by Darren Starr, Younger follows Liza, a 40-year old woman who pretends to be 26 in order to get a job in the highly competitive world of publishing – and succeeds. Now working under the prickly Diana, Liza has to figure out how to balance her real life with bestie Maggie, and her “pretend” life with new friend and coworker Kelsey…all while embarking on an exciting and somewhat confusing relationship with sexy tattoo artist Josh. The comedy series stars Sutton Foster (Bunheads), Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire), Debi Mazar (Entourage), Miriam Shor (GCB) and Nico Tortorella (The Following).
Created by Suzanne Martin, Hot In Cleveland revolves around three best friends from the LA entertainment industry whose lives are changed forever when their plane, which was headed for Paris, unexpectedly lands in Cleveland. Finding themselves in this new promised land and loving their new home, the women find themselves living under one roof and battling the sassy caretaker of the property they have rented. The series stars Betty White, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick and Valerie Bertinelli.
This deal with Endemol Shine International comes as Sony Entertainment Television is making more of a play for exclusive first run U.S. series. They started down that path when the acquired and aired the second through sixth seasons of Community, which was distributed by sister company Sony Pictures Television. Since then have aired such series as Serangoon Road, Franklin & Bash and Ghost Hunters. Notably, they also stepped in and became the UK broadcaster of Hot In Cleveland in 2012 after Sky Living dropped the comedy.
Both Younger and Hot In Cleveland are set to be key pieces of Sony Entertainment Television’s Autumn/Winter schedule alongside the first season of USA Network drama Satisfaction (arguably the channel’s most significant acquisition), which they picked up in August in a deal with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and is currently airing on Wednesday nights at 9pm. Premiere dates for Younger and the final season of Hot In Cleveland have not yet been set. Representatives of Sony Entertainment Television did not respond to TVWise’s request for comment.
