TV Drama June 2024

Behind the Scenes of The Zwei f lers / Inside Prime Video’s Maxton Hall One Love’s Barış Kılıç

Powering Up Drama

The centerpiece of the annual Edinburgh TV Festival, this year’s James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture is set to be delivered by British playwright and dramatist James Graham.

CONTENTS

BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE ZWEIFLERS

Watch this interview with David Hadda, creator of the acclaimed ZDF Studios drama, and stars Saffron Coomber and Aaron Altaras.

Ricardo Seguin Guise

Publisher

Mansha Daswani Editor-in-Chief

Anna Carugati Editor-at-Large

Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor

Jamie Stalcup

Senior Associate Editor

Alexa Alfano

Associate Editor

David Diehl

Production & Design Director

Simon Weaver Online Director

Dana Mattison

Sales & Marketing Director

Genovick Acevedo

Sales & Marketing Manager

Ute Schwemmer Bookkeeper

Graham, whose credits include the acclaimed Sher wood , The Way , Quiz and Dear England, will explore the role and responsibility of TV drama in shaping the political agenda and illuminating social injustices. “In these difficult and divided times, culture and the arts have never been more important,” Gra ham said in announcing the upcoming keynote. “TV moments can still bring a nation together through shared viewing experiences. I’m aware that delivering this lecture is a real moment, as well as an opportunity, to consider the future direction for the creative industries. I’m keen to look at the wider role that drama, storytelling and culture can play in politics, society and, in particular, left-behind communities.”

INSIDE MAXTON HALL

A look at the German-language Prime Video drama with stars Harriet HerbigMatten and Damian Hardung.

ONE LOVE’S BARIŞ KILIÇ

Ricardo Seguin Guise President

Anna Carugati Executive VP

Mansha Daswani

Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

TV Drama

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Phone: (212) 924-7620

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The address comes at a time of upheaval for the business at large as scripted producers come to grips with the end of peak TV. With content spend contracting, the key for producers will be convincing commissioners to take bets on big, bold ideas. Known IP may be safe, but viewers, especially younger ones, are starting to feel franchise fatigue. —Mansha Daswani

An interview with the star of the Turkish drama hit.

Kanal D International

Secret of Pearls / The Family Burden / Farewell Letter

Secret of Pearls, a highlight from Kanal D International’s catalog, follows a teacher who is sent to prison for killing his wife. When he is released, he seeks to be reunited with his children. In The Family Burden, a mother emerges from prison after wrongfully serving 20 years for her husband’s murder. It “promises viewers a rollercoaster of emotions and revelations,” says Canan Koca, sales executive for CEE and the Baltics. Farewell Letter sees once-betrothed lovers reunite after 30 years when their adult children meet.

“We look forward to sharing these outstanding series with international buyers and broadcasters.”

—Canan Koca

ZDF Studios

The Zweiflers / We’re On It, Comrades! / Suplex

The Zweiflers leads ZDF Studios’ scripted slate. When family patriarch Symcha Zweifler is suddenly confronted with his past, “a tragicomic search for the meaning of life begins, culminating in decisions that will change the lives of everyone involved,” says Dr. Markus Schäfer, president and CEO. We’re On It, Comrades! follows two investigators who find explanations for paranormal mysteries. Suplex sees a small town shaken by the horrific murder of a young and promising wrestler.

“We cordially invite anyone with good ideas to talk to us at ZDF Studios.”

—Dr. Markus Schäfer

Secret of Pearls

Forever

Behind the Scenes of

The Zweiflers

The six-part drama The Zweiflers , brought to the global st age by ZDF Studios, tells the story of a dysfunctional extended Jewish family in Germany as its patriarch, Symcha Zweifler, prepares to sell his delicatessen empire. When he is confronted by his past in Frankfurt’s red-light district, the family must contend with long-suppressed conflicts.

“I carried this idea of doing a family show for many years,” says David Hadda, creator and writer of the series. “If you look at Jewish stories coming from Germany, there is a certain narrative of [being] victims. We wanted to change that narrative to tell something that is empowering.”

In order to make the series as authentic as possible, Hadda continued writing throughout the casting process. “Since the [aim] was always to do a story from an insider’s

perspective, [and] I knew I had actors who have their own stories and experiences that they bring to the table, I wanted to use that in the most collaborative way,” Hadda explains. “This influenced the language, storylines and little details that shape the story and the complexity of the characters.”

This even includes details of the restaurant run by Saba Henriques, the partner of Symcha’s grandson Samuel Zweifler. Saba “is very proud of her Caribbean roots,” says Saffron Coomber, who plays Saba. “My roots are Jamaican. That was a big influence. When we were discussing what the menu might look like, being able to bring the food of my heritage to the forefront was amazing.”

“I carried this idea of doing a family show for many years.” —David Hadda

Aaron Altaras, who stars as Samuel, notes that he was “very hesitant” to take on the role when it first came to him “because there have often been stories in Germany about Jewish people that are very stereotypical.”

He moved past his hesitation and took on the role, however, because The Zweiflers proved to be “a story about love, family and identity, who you want to be and who you want to surround yourself with,” he says. “And keeping your close people close—that will always be the most important thing in the fabric of society and of human life. It’s a very human, universal story at all times.”

Inside Maxton Hall

Prime Video debuted Maxton Hall—The World Between Us, a German-language series based on Mona Kasten’s Maxton Hall trilogy of novels, on May 9 to much success, with the show achieving the most-watched first week of any non-U.S. original title on the streamer.

Harriet Herbig-Matten stars as Ruby Bell, a determined scholarship student at the titular elite private school who dreams of securing a spot at Oxford University, while Damian Hardung plays James Beaufort, an arrogant, privileged lacrosse player who is bound by the duties of being the heir to his family’s business.

After Ruby accidentally stumbles upon a family secret, James attempts to buy her silence. The two become inextricably linked through a series of events that force them to spend more time with each other. As they draw

closer and develop a connection, they end up risking everything to be together.

“What I love about Ruby is she [doesn’t change] for this world, this school, these people or this love,” Herbig-Matten says. “She stays true to herself. She knows her boundaries.”

Hardung loved portraying the complicated nature of James and enjoyed exploring the experience of wanting “to do something completely different but the circumstances [make] you go in [a certain] direction. That was heartbreaking for me to play, and that’s what makes this job so great.”

“We have a lot of different characters who people in the audience can identify with.” —Harriet Herbig-Matten

The series can appeal to anyone anywhere in the world because “love is universal,” Hardung says. “There’s no barrier to love. That’s part of the message we’re sending here.”

“When you’re acting, you’re trying to find objectives—‘I need you to love me,’ ‘I need you to hate me,’ ‘I need you to forgive me,’ ” Hardung continues. “Those are such simple, tribal, human needs that click with people all over the world.”

In addition, “we have a lot of different characters who people in the audience can identify with,” Herbig-Matten adds. They “can see different pain and conflicts. That makes it so special and magical.”

Barış Kılıç

By Kristin Brzoznowski

The Turkish drama One Love tells the story of an idealistic woman falling hopelessly in love with a charming man from a devout family whose values clash with those of her mother. It follows the ups and downs as they seek to overcome their differences and find harmony.

Produced by Gold Film for Show TV, One Love is represented by Global Agency. It stars a bevy of A-list Turkish talent, including Sıla Türkoğlu (The Legacy), Doğukan Güngör (Phoenix, Meryem), Evrim Alasya (Sunshine Girls, Scorpion) and Barış Kılıç (The Girl Named Feriha, War of the Roses).

“I have done many series before that have sold around the world, but this one is very strong,” says Kılıç. “We have very different cultures that can clash, and we are trying to explain these problems. It’s nice to hear about the effect our project

has had all around the world. This might be a Turkish story, but everyone can understand it.”

The series deals with the topics of abortion and religion and features families that may seem worlds apart—one being conservative and the other more liberal—but they share the same deep truths.

“Our stories might seem local and traditional, but our emotions are very strong.”

“We are trying to understand the differences of cultures,” Kılıç says. His character “is in the middle of this culture clash. I’m trying to bring people together and make them understand each other. We are trying to explain to people that your religion, color or what you believe is not what’s important; the most important thing is to try to live together” in harmony.

Acclaimed producer Faruk Turgut, whose prolific body of work includes Daydreamer, told Kılıç before starting the project that he wanted to do something different with One Love. “When I read the story, I said, You should do it; it’s not only a series for us and makes sense in our country, it also helps explain our culture to the world,” Kılıç recalls.

On the success of Turkish dramas on the global stage, Kılıç puts it down to the high emotions these series depict: “Our stories might seem local and traditional, but our emotions are very strong.”

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