UKTV has acquired three brand new US series for its Alibi channel, including Why Women Kill starring Lucy Liu (Elementary), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Killing Eve).
The other shows are Tommy, led by Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), and Evil, starring Katja Herbers (Westworld), Mike Colter (The Good Wife), Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show) and Michael Emerson (Lost). All three have been acquired from the ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group
Why Women Kill is a dark comedy from Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) and details the lives of three women living in three different decades: Beth Ann Stanton (Ginnifer Goodwin) – a housewife in the ‘60s, Simone Grove (Lucy Liu) – a socialite in the ‘80s, and Taylor Harding (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) – a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages.
The series examines how the roles of women through the ages have changed, but how their reaction to betrayal… has not.
Evil is a psychological mystery that examines the origins of evil along the dividing line between science and religion.
The series focuses on a sceptical female psychologist who joins a priest-in-training and a contractor as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings.
Their job is to assess if there is a logical explanation or if something truly supernatural is at work.
Tommy is described as “equal parts political, procedural and family drama” and centres on a former high-ranking NYPD officer who becomes the first female chief of police for Los Angeles.
A true-blue New Yorker, Abigail “Tommy” Thomas (Falco) uses her unflinching honesty and hardball tactics to keep social, political and national security issues from hindering effective law enforcement in the Southland.
UKTV head of acquisitions Emma Sparks said: “It is a very exciting time for acquisitions at UKTV, and to be able to work with ViacomCBS on this great collection of content is just the beginning.
“Evil, Why Women Kill and Tommy are brilliant additions to the slate of shows we have acquired for Alibi this year.”
Emma Ayech, Alibi’s channel director added: “These shows are a great addition to the Alibi schedule, each series will hopefully give viewers a little escapism – from the brilliance of Edie Falco in Tommy to the dark comedy of Why Women Kill, and the mystery of Evil.
“These series continue to build the quality and breadth of drama that audiences can find on Alibi, perfectly complementing the British and US dramas, and UKTV Originals we’ve had on Alibi this year.”
“These series have all the best elements of ViacomCBS’s world-class programming, including dynamic casts, big characters and compelling stories told by the top producers in the industry,” said Barry Chamberlain, President, International Sales, ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
“As the most comprehensive supplier of Hollywood content to the world, ViacomCBS is in a unique position to provide U.K. broadcasters with stable and consistent programming that will help grow audiences for years to come.”