Summer television continues to just get better and better: BBC America is adding to the increasing quantity of summer must-see-TV with the return of its first original scripted series, Copper (pictured), for a second season; the American premiere of Broadchurch – a mystery series starring Doctor Who’s David Tennant; a new, four-night Luther miniseries; the premiere of the final season of the original Being Human; and the truly unique zombie apocalypse drama, In the Flesh. New series Bang Goes the Theory and Dangerman: The Incredible Mr. Goodwin join perennial favorite, Top Gear’s twentieth (!) season on the unscripted side of things.
Details for all of BBC America’s summer programs are included in the press release that follows the jump.
BBC AMERICA SUMMER PREVIEW
COPPER, LUTHER, BROADCHURCH, IN THE FLESH, BANG GOES THE THEORY, TOP GEAR, BEING HUMAN, DANGERMAN: THE INCREDIBLE MR GOODWIN
DRAMA
COPPER – WORLD PREMIERE
COPPER, BBC AMERICA’s highest-rated original drama, returns for a second season this June. An American saga set in 1865 New York City, picks-up on the brink of Lincoln’s assassination – with shifts in politics and society altering the landscape for Irish immigrants and African-Americans. At the center, Detective Kevin Corcoran (Tom Weston-Jones, MI-5) struggles to tame the wartime metropolis while wrestling with personal demons, including the betrayal of his wife and best friend. And when Tammany Hall’s outspoken General Brendan Donovan (Donal Logue, Vikings, Sons of Anarchy), returns from the Civil War to restore law and order in the Sixth Ward, loyalties will be bought and sold both Uptown and in the slums of the Five Points as Corcoran, and those around him, fight to find their places in an unforgiving city. Guest stars include Alfre Woodard (Steel Magnolias, Twelve Years a Slave, True Blood), William Baldwin (Gossip Girl, Hawaii Five-O), Eamonn Walker (Chicago Fire, Oz), Lee Tergesen (The Big C, Oz) and Andrew Howard (Hatfield & McCoys, The Hangover). The series is created by three-time Emmy® Award-winner Tom Fontana and Academy Award-nominee Will Rokos, and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson, Fontana, Rokos, Cineflix Studios President Christina Wayne and Thomas Kelly. COPPER returns Sunday, June 23, 10:00pm ET/PT.
BROADCHURCH – US PREMIERE
BBC AMERICA’s Broadchurch, which earned critical acclaim, record ratings and became a Twitter phenomenon in the UK, centers on the investigation into the murder of a young boy in a British seaside town. Leading the investigation are two detectives – the strong yet compassionate local Detective Sergeant, Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), and the by-the-book Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant), Ellie’s newly appointed boss. By circumstance they are partnered to solve the murder, keeping the newspapers from derailing the investigation and trying to prevent the crime from impacting tourism at the beach where the boy was murdered. The cast also includes Jodie Whittaker as Beth, Andrew Buchan as Mark, Will Mellor playing Stephen Turner and sees Arthur Darvill as the town priest Paul Coates. The series is created and written by Chris Chibnall and executive produced by Chibnall and Jane Featherstone. Broadchurch premieres Wednesday, August 7, 10:00pm ET/PT as part of Dramaville.
LUTHER – US PREMIERE
BBC AMERICA’s acclaimed mini-series Luther returns as a four-night television event in September. Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Thor) returns in the title role which won him a 2012 Golden Globe® for “Best Actor.” John Luther, the near-genius detective struggling to cope with his own demons, is back under intense pressure – with two conflicting crimes to investigate and a ruthless ex-cop determined to bring him down. Luther’s life is his job; that is until love crosses his path and offers him a chance of happiness. Sienna Guillory (Resident Evil, Love Actually) joins the cast as Mary, a woman who works in a vintage clothing shop and meets Luther in a chance encounter. The series is created by Neil Cross and executive produced by Phillippa Giles. Luther returns September 3-6, 10:00pm ET/PT as part of Dramaville.
IN THE FLESH – US PREMIERE
BBC AMERICA’s In The Flesh, a new zombie mini-series event, will premiere this summer over three-straight nights beginning June 6. It follows zombie teenager Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry) and his reintegration back into both the local community and the heart of his family. After his suicide four years ago, his friends and family thought they’d never see Kieren again. But shortly after his funeral, thousands rose from the dead; and after months of rehabilitation and medication, the zombies – now known as PDS (Partially Deceased Syndrome) sufferers – are gradually being returned to their homes. When Kieran arrives, he is forced to confront his family, the community that rejected him and haunting flashbacks of what he did in his untreated state. In The Flesh is created and written by Dominic Mitchell and executive produced by Hilary Martin. In The Flesh premieres June 6-8, 10:00pm ET/PT.
SUPERNATURAL SATURDAY
BEING HUMAN – US PREMIERE
BBC AMERICA’s original hit series, Being Human, returns for its final season. Ghost Alex (Kate Bracken) is adjusting to life after death with werewolf Tom (Michael Socha) and vampire Hal (Damien Molony). Matters become more complicated with the return of Mr. Rook, the shady figure whose government department protects the human world from otherworldly beings. But they don’t realize they face a bigger threat than Rook and the Men in Grey, when they stumble across the decrepit and repulsive Captain Hatch (Phil Davis). Unknown to our trio, his decrepit exterior hides an ancient evil that threatens not only their friendship, but the entire world. The series is created and written by Toby Whithouse and executive produced by Whithouse, Rob Pursey, Philip Trethowan, and George Ormond. Being Human returns Saturday, July 13, 10:00pm ET/PT as part of Supernatural Saturday.
UNSCRIPTED
BANG GOES THE THEORY – US PREMIERE
BBC AMERICA’s science-savvy entertainment series, Bang Goes the Theory, returns with all-new episodes featuring spectacular experiments and crazy innovations with hosts Dallas Campbell, biochemist Liz Bonnin, engineer Jem Stansfield and evolutionary biologist Dr. Yan Wong. The action-packed series goes from the sky (in a human-powered airplane) to the bottom of the sea (in the Royal Navy’s latest search and rescue submarine) and everywhere in between to answer some of the most common, and a few not so common, questions. Making science both inspiring and engaging, the team investigates the issues that affect people every day. Bang Goes the Theory returns with three back-to-back episodes Tuesday, June 4, 9:00pm ET/PT.
DANGERMAN: THE INCREDIBLE MR. GOODWIN – US PREMIERE
Impossible is merely a challenge for Jonathan Goodwin, a new breed of escapologist and a professional dangerman, who puts himself in the most extreme situations. Emulating his childhood heroes, the great American sideshow acts and comic-book characters, Goodwin takes his unique brand of entertainment onto the streets of Britain and the US. He’ll climb buildings, get buried alive, catch arrows and fire a rifle blindfolded in front of stunned onlookers. But viewers will get to know him even better, witnessing the extraordinary processes Goodwin goes through behind the scenes as he trains intensively for his performances, many of which have never been attempted before. Dangerman: The Incredible Mr. Goodwin premieres Monday, July 8, 10:00pm ET/PT.
TOP GEAR SEASON 20 – US PREMIERE
Hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May return for the twentieth season of the world’s biggest car show. The new season features new adventures, stunts and challenges plus the mysterious racing driver, The Stig. Top Gear returns this summer.
BBC AMERICA’s upcoming series and specials this fall and in 2014 include Burton and Taylor, Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, Adventures in Space and Time, The Musketeers, The Man Who Would Be Bond, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and the second season of the hit drama Ripper Street.
BBC AMERICA delivers U.S. audiences high-quality, innovative and intelligent programming. Established in 1998, it has been the launch pad for talent embraced by American mainstream pop culture, including Ricky Gervais, Gordon Ramsay, Graham Norton, and successful programming formats including ground-breaking non-scripted television like Top Gear and top-rated science-fiction like Doctor Who. Owned by BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, BBC AMERICA has attracted both critical acclaim and major awards including an Emmy®, five Golden Globes® and eleven Peabody Awards. The channel attracts one of cable’s most affluent and educated audiences and is available on cable and satellite TV in more than 80.4 million homes. It broadcasts in both standard and high-definition, with content available On Demand across all major digital platforms. Online, www.bbcamerica.com is the place to go to dig deeper into pop culture with a British twist. Follow us on www.twitter.com/bbcamerica.
Photos courtesy of BBC America