Mipcom: Crime comedy by award-winning writer John Banas (City Homicide) is produced by Screentime New Zealand and Mastiff Denmark.
MTG Group’s streaming service Viaplay is co-producing with New Zealand broadcaster TVNZ in association with Acorn Media Enterprises and Acorn TV. Acorn Media Enterprises handles North America, UK and Australia (second window) and Banijay Rights the rest of the world.
Set against the dramatic backdrops of Queenstown and Copenhagen, the 8x1h show Straight Forward is a mix of crime caper and a voyage of discovery, as a Danish woman attempts to leave her criminal past behind her by moving to a small New Zealand town to start a new life - going straight.
Takis Candilis, Head of Scripted at Banijay Group said: “This is a compelling story that delivers an enticing and unusual blend of New Zealand and Scandinavian narrative and will have wide appeal to viewers around the world. We are very pleased to see such like-minded partners on board at the outset and to have three Banijay Group production companies working seamlessly together to create a true international co-production.”
The series will premiere exclusively on Viaplay across Scandinavia in 2018. At Mipcom MTG Group had several Nordic shows on sale at the market such as Alex, The Lawyer, Occupied 2, Stella Blomkvist, Hassel, the kids series Pals, the documentary Superswede and recently commissioned Conspiracy of Silence and Embassy Down. In total the group has over 50 original scripted drama projects in its pipeline.