Tuesday round-up: Latest news, deals & hires

Showtime returns Yellowjackets

US streamer brand Paramount+ with Showtime has extended Yellowjackets into a fourth series following a record-breaking third outing.

The show’s third series finale episode snagged its best ever numbers, with three million viewers across seven days on all platforms, according to Paramount Global.

The show, created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, follows a group of high school football players who descend into clans when their plane crashes in a jungle.

Lionsgate Television produces and Paramount Global Content Distribution sells globally.

BossaNova orders Flying Scotmasn docuseries

Paul Heaney’s BossaNova Media has greenlit Secrets of Flying Scotsman, a 2 x 60-minute docuseries exploring the famous steam locomotive.

The show is being produced by Argonon-owned BriteSpark Films and has secured pre-sales with Channel 4 in the UK and SBS in Australia.

The series tracks how the locomotive, which was built in 1923, became the first locomotive to achieve 100mph and the first to circumnavigate the globe.

Secrets of Flying Scotsman’s model follows the same funding model that was used by BriteSpark’s Tsunami: The Day The Wave Hit, which was also pre-sold to Channel 4 UK and SBS Australia earlier this year. It has since been acquired by TVNZ, Viasat, SVT Sweden and Radio Canada.

North Road, Google invest in AI studio Promise

Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company and Google’s AI Futures Fund are among companies making investment in AI studio Promise.

The company, which launched in November, has also bagged additional investment from Crossbeam Venture Partners, Offline Ventures, Kivu Venture and Saga Ventures.

Promise is behind tech platform MUSE, and creates production workflow software, while working with generative AI artists, Hollywood talent and third-party rights-holders on IP. It is led by chief exec George Strompolos and chief creative officer Dave Clark, with a slate that includes NinjaPunk.

The company has also forged a strategic pact with Google that will include technical collaboration, early model testing, and co-marketing efforts, with Promise collaborating with companies including DeepMind and Google’s AI teams “to push the boundaries of AI-driven creative expression”.

Hulu takes FirstlookTV’s true crime

US streamer Hulu has picked up true crime series Murder by Medic, following a deal with distributor Sphere Abacus.

The show is produced by the UK’s FirstlookTV and was produced for Hearst Networks’ Crime and Investigation Channel in the UK and Ireland, Greece, CEE, Benelux and Middle East.

The 50 x 60-minute series has also been picked up by Shout! Studios in the US, T+E for Blue Ant in Canada, Sky Deutschland for Austria, Germany and Switzerland and Palatin for Austria, Germany and Switzerland.

The show is executive produced by FirstLookTV’s creative director, Rachel Bowering, and explores what happens when medical professionals try to kill rather than cure.

Sphere Media rejigs as Ghislain Cyr retires

Canada’s Sphere Media is rejigging its kids and family (K&F) division, with creative director Ghislain Cyr set to retire.

Head of production Marianne Culbert has been promoted to vice-president of production, while Judith Beauchemin, previously vice-president of production and post-production, is now executive vice-president operations. Both report to kids division president Marlo Miazga and work alongside Andrea Griffith, vice-president of content and development.

Beauchemin’s also now oversees French-speaking territories, reporting into Renaud Chassé for that part of her remit.

Sphere Media’s kids slate includes Bad Jelly, commissioned by TVNZ and WildBrain Television’s Family Channel. Cyr’s retirement, meanwhile, comes three years after he became creative director, a position he has held since Sphere acquired his Montreal-based animation studio Sardine Productions.

The CW extends boardgame duo

Nexstar-owned US broadcaster The CW Network has renewed family gameshows Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble for 30-episode second seasons to air in 2026.

Craig Ferguson replaces Raven-Symoné as Scrabble’s new host, while LeVar Burton returns to front Trivial Pursuit.

Both series are based on the classic board games and produced by Hasbro Entertainment alongside Lionsgate Alternative Television, with Mattel Television Studios co-producing Scrabble.

Kanal D’s Time Goes By lands in Serbia

Kanal D International has sold classic Turkish drama Time Goes By (aka Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki) into Serbia.

Details of the buyer have not been revealed for the show, which is directed by Zeynep Günay Tan and explores love, loss and resilience within a single family across multiple decades.