Hot Picks: The Interrogator

Stephen Fry’s interrogation tactics may have failed to save him from an early exit from The Celebrity Traitors last year, but the polymath is hoping for better luck with his fictional creation Conrad Henry.

A centrepiece of Fox’s 2026-27 mid-season schedules, The Interrogator is Fry’s tribute to his favourite part of procedural dramas, as former MI6 agent Henry deploys his quirky charm, superior intellect and unconventional tactics to unpick the minds of the world’s most dangerous criminals.

A national treasure in the UK, Fry is no stranger to the world of espionage, having lovingly spoofed the genre in A Bit Of Fry And Laurie and played characters from spy organisations in Doctor Who and The Simpsons.

He’s popped up in numerous series in the US over the years, from Bones and 24: Live Another Day to The Morning Show, but this marks the first time he has anchored his own drama series across the pond.

Parallels with Fry’s former comedy partner Hugh Laurie’s global breakthrough on Fox as House, MD in the early 2000s are inescapable – and indeed invited by Lionsgate executive vice-president and head of scripted development Scott Herbst.

“House could look at medical cases in a way that no one else could. What Stephen has created with Conrad is a character who has that same ability within an interrogation instead of a surgery,” he says. “There’s a different sense of urgency and the tense situations that he and his team are put in that will be balanced out by the fun that Stephen brings to the role.”

As with House, Henry’s sleuthing skills are rooted in the Sherlock Holmes tradition, which perhaps explains the involvement of Sherlock director Paul McGuigan. And like House, Henry leads a ragtag team played by the likes of Jenna Elfman (Fear The Walking Dead), Luke Kleintank (Bones) and Michael Beach (Tulsa King).

Having penned the pilot, Fry teamed up with US TV veterans William Harper (Grey’s Anatomy) and Matt Pyken (NCIS: Los Angeles; Castle) for a 12-part order that combines an episodic procedural with a seasonlong arc. The star also wrote one episode further into the run.

“We think viewers will be excited to go on this journey with Conrad as he keeps audiences on edge by dazzling them with his master interrogation skillset,” says Herbst.

“He will pick up on clues that no one else can, so when put in a room with a subject, he can break them in ways they don’t even realise. Each episode will showcase a different way he uses his wit and charm to get people to reveal things they don’t want anyone to know.”

Lionsgate expects the series’ cinematic European backdrops to bring some Bond-like glamour to proceedings, with filming currently taking place in Madrid.

“Spy dramas are consistently one of television’s most resilient and internationally successful genres,” says Lionsgate president, international television and digital distribution, Agapy.

“They naturally cross borders, combining universal themes of trust, deception and power with global stakes that resonate across cultures. The Interrogator offers a fresh take on the genre, blending the intrigue of international espionage with the accessibility of a character-driven procedural, a format that’s easy to discover, easy to return to and built for long-term engagement.”