EPIX Orders Second Seasons of Hit Original Series ‘Berlin Station’ and ‘Graves’
From Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, Berlin Station Stars Richard Armitage, Richard Jenkins, Rhys Ifans, Michelle Forbes, Leland Orser and Tamlyn Tomita and is Filmed in Berlin
From Lionsgate, Graves Stars Nick Nolte, Sela Ward, Skylar Astin, Heléne Yorke, Chris Lowell and Callie Hernandez
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Premium TV network
EPIX® announced today the renewal of its first two original scripted series with a second season, 10-episode order for one-hour drama series “
Berlin Station” and half-hour dramedy “
Graves.” Both series premiered Sunday, October 16 at 9pm and 10pm ET/PT, respectively, supported by an extensive national marketing and promotional campaign. The sixth episode for each series premieres this
Sunday, November 20, 2016, and the season finales are on
Sunday, December 18, 2016 on EPIX. Production on each is slated for early spring 2017. EPIX also recently announced the start of production on its third original series “Get Shorty,” starring Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd, from MGM Television.
“With the country focused on electing a new President, we’re excited to see that viewers haven’t lost their sense of humor and have embraced Graves’ fictional, funny and very human past president, as brought vibrantly to life by Nick Nolte and creator Joshua Michael Stern”
“We’re incredibly proud of the work our creators, executive producers, cast and crew did on the first seasons of ‘Berlin Station’ and ‘Graves.’ These ambitious series represent the level of prestigious, cinematic and authentic storytelling we are committed to offering our subscribers,” said EPIX President and CEO Mark S. Greenberg. “Both series are particularly timely and relevant and quickly found their place in the competitive TV landscape. We couldn’t be more excited to continue to tell these unique and compelling stories.”
The one-hour, critically acclaimed, contemporary spy drama “Berlin Station” takes a look at the activity of a CIA office on a global stage in the midst of an investigation into a now-famous whistleblower. The series follows Daniel Miller (Richard Armitage, “Hannibal”), a new arrival at Berlin’s CIA station who is on a clandestine mission to uncover the source of the Thomas Shaw leaks. Richard Jenkins (“Olive Kitteridge”) stars as Steven Frost, the head of the station, who carries the burden of his own secrets; Michelle Forbes (“The Killing”) stars as Valerie Edwards the no-nonsense Internal Branch Chief; Rhys Ifans (Snowden) stars as Hector DeJean, a dark, charming and tenacious case officer and old friend of Daniel; Leland Orser (“Ray Donovan”) stars as Robert Kirsch, a devoted and successful deputy chief; and Tamlyn Tomita (“Resurrection”) stars as Sandra Abe, the assistant to Frost and a quiet presence lording over the efficient operation of the station.
"EPIX is a great home for Berlin Station and on behalf of the entire team, we are excited to bring another season to life," said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. “Audiences have found, and continue to discover, this smart series and should expect even more from our stellar creative team in season two."
The half-hour, critically acclaimed, original dramedy “Graves” follows former two-term Republican President Richard Graves (Nick Nolte, A Walk In The Woods) as he embarks on a Don Quixote-like quest to right the wrongs of his administration and reclaim his legacy 25 years after leaving the White House. His enlightenment takes place as his wife Margaret (Sela Ward, Gone Girl), decides to pursue her own political ambitions. The series also stars Skylar Astin (Pitch Perfect) as over-eager assistant to President Graves, Isaiah Miller; Heléne Yorke (“Masters of Sex”) as first daughter Olivia who moves back home when her life spirals out of control; Chris Lowell (The Help) as Jeremy, the underachieving first son who returns home from war in Afghanistan; and Callie Hernandez (Alien: Covenant) as Samantha, the free-spirited waitress who becomes the President’s muse.
“With the country focused on electing a new President, we’re excited to see that viewers haven’t lost their sense of humor and have embraced Graves’ fictional, funny and very human past president, as brought vibrantly to life by Nick Nolte and creator Joshua Michael Stern,” said Kevin Beggs, Chairman of the Lionsgate Television Group. “We are thrilled to extend our partnership for a second season, and look forward to the new places Josh will take this memorable former First Family next year.”
Produced by Paramount TV and Anonymous Content, “Berlin Station” is created by New York Times best-selling author Olen Steinhauer (The Tourist, All The Old Knives, The Cairo Affair) who also serves as executive producer. Bradford Winters (“The Americans,” “Boss,” “Oz”) is the showrunner and an executive producer. Academy Award® winner Eric Roth (Forrest Gump, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, “House of Cards”) and Steve Golin, Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Keith Redmon and Luke Rivett from Anonymous Content (Spotlight, The Revenant, “Mr. Robot,” “True Detective”) and Michaël Roskam (Bullhead, The Drop) also serve as executive producers.
From Lionsgate, “Graves” was created by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote, Jobs) who also serves as showrunner and Academy Award® winner Greg Shapiro (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty) is the executive producer. Executive Producers on the first season include Keith Eisner and Eric Weinberg, with David Iserson as Supervising Producer and Bill Hill, Lisa Parsons and Abby Genwanter as producers. The series was filmed in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
About EPIX
EPIX is a premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases and biggest classic film franchises, plus original programming including series, documentaries, comedy and music specials – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. Launched in October 2009, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of “TV Everywhere.” It was the first premium network to provide multi-platform access to its content online at EPIX.com and to launch on Xbox, PlayStation®, Android phones and tablets, and Roku® players. EPIX is also available across Chromecast, Apple® iPhones® and iPads®, Android TV and more and is the only premium service providing all its programming on all platforms, delivering more movies than any other premium network, with thousands of titles available for streaming.
EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc., its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM). Through relationships with cable, satellite and telco partners, EPIX is available to over 50 million homes nationwide. For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX), Google+ (http://plus.google.com/+EPIX) and Pinterest (http://pinterest.com/EPIX).
About Paramount Television
Paramount Television develops and finances a wide range of creative television programming across all media platforms. Its robust slate of programming with top distributors includes the 5 Emmy® Award winning live musical event GREASE: LIVE (FOX), which holds the record-breaking telecast title with more than 17MM viewers worldwide and is ranked as the No. 1 most social live musical event ever, the Emmy® nominated Nickelodeon hit SCHOOL OF ROCK, Tom Clancy’s JACK RYAN (Amazon), THIRTEEN REASONS WHY (Netflix), MANIAC (Netflix), SHOOTER (USA), BERLIN STATION (EPIX), THE ALIENIST (TNT), FATAL ATTRACTION (FOX), GALAXY QUEST (Amazon), VARSITY BLUES (CMT) and THE WARRIORS (Hulu). Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) has developed series such as BAJILLION DOLLAR PROPERTIE$ (NBCUniversal’s Seeso), HOTWIVES OF ORLANDO and HOTWIVES OF LAS VEGAS (HULU), RESIDENT ADVISORS (HULU), BEEF (Fullscreen) and the one hour special, CRASH TEST (Comedy Central and Vimeo). Paramount Television and Paramount Digital Entertainment are part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a subsidiary of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.
About Anonymous Content
Founded in 1999 by Managing Partner Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a leading management and Film, TV and Commercial production company. Anonymous Content manages the careers of many of the world’s most renowned and innovative directors, writers, actors and comedians, working closely with them to achieve their goals by both creating and finding roles for them, whether in feature films, television, commercials, music videos or brand integrated content. Anonymous Content’s clients have been recognized with Academy Awards®, Emmys®, Golden Globes®, Tony Awards®, Pulitzer Prizes® and other prestigious awards. The company’s award-winning Film & TV division boasts many commercially successful and critically-acclaimed works, including Oscar Best Picture Winner SPOTLIGHT, starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams, and Oscar Nominee for Best Picture THE REVENANT, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy. Past projects include BABEL, WINTER’S BONE, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, and 50 FIRST DATES. The company’s TV slate includes the Golden Globe winner for Best TV Series (Drama) “Mr. Robot” (USA Network), “True Detective” (HBO), “The Knick” (Cinemax), and “Schitt’s Creek” (POP), as well as upcoming titles “Quarry” (CINEMAX), “The Alienist” (TNT), and “Berlin Station” (EPIX). Through its Commercial work, Anonymous Content is also the driving creative force behind countless top brands, including Prada, Nike and Coke. For more information, visit www.anonymouscontent.com.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses. These include the ground-breaking hit series Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite drama series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama series The Royals, the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual and the breakout success Greenleaf.
The Company’s feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me and John Wick series, Tyler Perry’s Boo! A Madea Halloween, the critically-acclaimed Hacksaw Ridge, Nerve, CBS Films/Lionsgate’s Hell or High Water, Sicario, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films’ Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films’ Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com
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