SundanceTV announced its 2017 production slate today and the second seasons of Hap and Leonard (subtitled Mucho Mojo), Italian crime series Gomorrah, award-winning Australian mystery series To of the Lake (subtitled China girl) and Australian sci-fi series Cleverman are among its most intriguing shows.
The network’s unscripted series Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter is also back for a second second season with roundtable discussions featuring ‘the top directors, actors, actresses, producers, writers, documentary filmmakers, and songwriters behind this year’s most talked about movies.’
Also coming up: new drama Liar, season two of The A-Word and docuseries Murder in the Heartland: In Cold Blood Revisited. Series descriptions – and the first trailer for Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo – follow the break.
SUNDANCE TV ANNOUNCES 2017 PROGRAMMING SLATE
“Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo,” With James Purefoy, Michael Kenneth Williams, Brian Dennehy and Irma P. Hall to Premiere Wednesday, March 15th at 10:00 PM ET / 9 C
Italian Crime Drama “Gomorrah” to Return Wednesday, April 26th at 10:00 PM ET / 9 C
Unscripted Series “Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter” to Return Sunday, January 15th at 10:00 AM ET / 9 C
PASADENA, CA – January 13, 2017 – SundanceTV today announced the premiere dates for its spring 2017 programming slate. The network will continue to use Wednesdays at 10:00 PM ET / 9C as the anchor for its original drama series premieres.
“SundanceTV continues to distinguish itself as a home for unique and compelling stories from around the world,” said Joel Stillerman, president of original programming and development for AMC and SundanceTV. “Our network has an exciting year ahead, starting with the return of our highest-rated original series, ‘Hap and Leonard’ followed by the critically acclaimed ‘Gomorrah.’ Our international co-productions and an all new docu-series fill out the year, bringing our viewers into new worlds and introducing them to unforgettable characters.”
“HAP AND LEONARD: MUCHO MOJO” (6 Episodes)
Wednesday, March 15th at 10:00 PM ET / 9 C
Based on the book series by Joe R. Lansdale, “Hap and Leonard” follows two lifelong best friends — Hap Collins (James Purefoy) and Leonard Pine (Michael Kenneth Williams) – as they find themselves in mucho-trouble, caught in the middle of a murder mystery with more twists and turns than an East Texas highway. The story begins with a skeleton, Trudy’s missing ashes, a literal pissing match with a neighborhood drug dealer, and a piece of MeMaw’s famous pie.
Rounding out the cast in this season two anthology series are Brian Dennehy (“Death of a Salesman,” “First Blood”) Irma P. Hall (“A Family Thing,” “Soul Food”), Dohn Norwood (“All the Way,” “Hell on Wheels”), Tiffany Mack (Wicked Love, “iZombie”) and Cranston Johnson (“Atlanta,” Find a Way).
John Wirth (“Hell on Wheels,” “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) is showrunner and executive producer for Season 2, and Jim Mickle, Nick Damici, Jeremy Platt, Linda Moran, and Nick Shumaker return as executive producers, along with co-executive producers Joe R. Lansdale and Lowell Northrop.
“Hap and Leonard: The Complete First Season” will be available on DVD on March 7th from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
“GOMORRAH” — Season 2 (12 episodes)
Wednesday, April 26 at 10:00 PM ET / 9 C – Two-hour premiere
Based on the book by Roberto Saviano, “Gomorrah” picks up moments after the end of the first season: Pietro has escaped from the prison van; Genny’s boys have been downed in Conte’s ambush; and Ciro has shot Genny. The era of the Savastano clan, which once reigned supreme over Naples, seems to be definitively over, and many compete for what was once the Savastano Empire. Only one thing is certain: the future will belong to the one who can tighten the bonds of power most forcefully.
“Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter” – Season 2 (7 episodes)
Sunday, January 15th at 10:00 AM ET / 9 C
The top directors, actors, actresses, producers, writers, documentary filmmakers, and songwriters behind this year’s most talked about movies open up about the challenges and triumphs of creating critically acclaimed films and performances.
SUNDANCE TV’S 2017 SLATE
Later in the year, SundanceTV will premiere previously announced series including:
“Cleverman” — Season 2 (6 episodes)
Summer 2017
The thrilling and original Sci Fi drama “Cleverman” picks up hours after the explosive conclusion of season one. In the wake of the Containment Authority’s attack on the zone, Koen sets out to harness his powers with the dream of bringing all cultures together. His brother Waruu shares the same vision, yet now allied with Slade, his methods are far more dubious. Outside the city limits, a new threat lurks that will challenge both brothers’ pursuits.
“Liar” — New Series (6 episodes)
Fall 2017
Written by Jack and Harry Williams and starring Joanne Froggatt and Ioan Gruffudd, “Liar” is an emotional thriller that examines the politics of consent, the burden of proof and the destructive power of social justice.
An initial attraction between a teacher, Laura (Froggatt) and surgeon, Andrew (Gruffudd) leads to a date, but neither fully realizes the far-reaching consequences that their meeting will have on each other or their families. Truth and consequences go hand in hand in a tense and gripping thriller that examines both sides of a relationship and both sides of the truth.
“Top of the Lake: China Girl” (6 episodes)
Fall 2017
Directed by Academy Award® winner Jane Campion, “Top of the Lake: China Girl” is a crime mystery story that finds Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin realizes that “China Girl” didn’t die alone. Robin’s search to discover the young girl’s identity takes her into the city’s criminal underbelly and closer than she could have imagined to the secrets of her own heart. Also starring Academy Award® winner Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie.
“Murder in the Heartland: In Cold Blood Revisited” (w/t) — New Series (4 episodes)
Fall 2017
The four-part docu-series focuses on the brutal murder of the Clutter family in a small Kansas town in 1959, the resulting investigation, convictions and executions of Perry Smith and Richard Hickock, chronicled in Truman Capote’s landmark book, In Cold Blood. The series, produced and directed by Academy Award-nominated and Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, will re-examine of the crime and subsequent events.
“The A-Word” — Season 2 (6 episodes)
Fall 2017
“The A Word” returns to find our family two years on, with Joe beginning to make sense of who he is and his place in the world. As he starts to discover his individuality, the adults in his life are forced to question their own identities and relationships. While Joe acts as the unwitting catalyst for change in his family, he may also turn out to be the glue that holds them together.
Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo photo: (L-R) Brian Dennehy, Cranston Johnson, James Purefoy, Michael Kenneth Williams, Tiffany Mack, Irma P. Hall. Courtesy of SundanceTV