Crave Announces New Original Crime Drama Series UNDERBELLY, Starring Stephen Amell, Hamza Haq, Tamara Podemski, and Minnie Driver

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– Production is now underway on the six-episode series –
– Produced by Shaftesbury, distributed by FIFTH SEASON, and created by SAVING HOPE's Graeme Stewart, the series is set to premiere on Crave in 2025  –
– Additional cast includes Katia Edith Wood, Jeremy Watson, Thomas Craig, Anna Douglas, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Diego Klattenhoff –

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TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2024 /CNW/ - Crave announced today the new, six-episode, one-hour crime drama UNDERBELLY. Also announced today are the series' stars Stephen Amell (ARROW) as Officer Henry Roland, Hamza Haq (TRANSPLANT) as Tommy, and Emmy^® and Academy Award^®-nominee Minnie Driver (THE SERPENT QUEEN) as May, the residents of a tranquil riverside town in the Thousand Islands region of Ontario, who are caught up in a dark, twisted mystery centred around an international drug ring.

"UNDERBELLY is the perfect addition to Crave's ever-growing slate of originals," said Justin Stockman, Vice President, Content Development and Programming, Bell Media. "With exceptional creative vision from Graeme Stewart, Aaron Martin, and Robert Budreau, and rich, multi-dimensional characters, the series delivers a gripping narrative that we know will resonate deeply with all audiences."

"UNDERBELLY is set on a picturesque river, home to 1000 islands and serving as the border between Canada and the US. It is the perfect setting for this returnable crime series from writers Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin," says Christina Jennings, Shaftesbury Chairman and President. "We are delighted to be working with Fifth Season and Bell Media/Crave with a cast led by Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, Hamza Haq, and Tamara Podemski."

 "Shaftesbury has a fantastic track record in producing must-watch TV series and – together with the amazing team at Bell Media, who we love working with – they've now brought to life a returnable crime-drama, which has all the ingredients we know global buyers and audiences alike are going to love. UNDERBELLY promises a remarkably talented, globally known ensemble cast with Stephen Amell, Minnie Driver, and Hamza Haq, along with plenty of intrigue and intricate plot twists crafted by Graeme Stewart," said Prentiss Fraser, President of Television Distribution at FIFTH SEASON.

In a quiet riverside town in the Thousand Islands, Officer Henry Roland (Amell) finds evidence linking a case of missing illegal substances to his childhood best friend, Tommy Hawley (Haq), with whom he shares a dark secret. As Henry embarks on a mission to save his friend, a ruthless British crime family, led by matriarch May Ferguson (Driver), is also on the hunt for the drugs and Tommy.

A tragic accident sets off a chain of events involving international drug trafficking, and Henry faces the concerns of his police chief father-in-law (Christopher Heyerdahl, VAN HELSING), and suspicions from rival officer Erica Ross (Tamara Podemski, RESERVATION DOGS). As Henry digs deeper, he uncovers unexpected ties between the crime, his friend's daughter Ruby (Katia Edith Wood, 8-Bit Christmas), and her partner Miles (Jeremy Watson, SURREALESTATE), pulling him further into the chaos. Henry must confront his friend's betrayals as they face an epic, life-changing showdown.

Produced by Shaftesbury in partnership with Crave, with global film and TV studio FIFTH SEASON co-financing and handling worldwide rights (excl. Canada), UNDERBELLY began filming in the Thousand Islands, and is continuing production on location across Southern Ontario, including Grimsby, Brantford, Cobourg, and Bowmanville. Filming will move to Toronto in the coming weeks. All episodes are directed by Robert Budreau (Stockholm). The writing team is led by Graeme Stewart and Aaron Martin (SLASHER). 

For Bell Media, Alison Korogyi is Senior Production Executive; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Rachel Goldstein-Couto is Head of Development, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; Justin Stockman is Vice President, Content Development & Programming; and Stewart Johnston is Senior Vice-President, Content & Sales, Bell Media.

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About Bell Media Original Programming

Bell Media has commissioned some of Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed original programming, working with the best Canadian independent producers in the country. Hit series commissioned by CTV include the most-watched Canadian dramas TRANSPLANT and SULLIVAN'S CROSSING; record-breaking Canadian format THE AMAZING RACE CANADA; comedy CHILDREN RUIN EVERYTHING; unscripted series THE TRAITORS CANADA and FARMING FOR LOVE; and quiz series BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS. Among the original series on Bell Media specialty and streaming platforms are CTV Life Channel's culinary series MARY MAKES IT EASY with Mary Berg, and food, travel, and adventure series EVOLVING VEGAN; CTV Comedy Channel's ROAST BATTLE CANADA and the scripted series ACTING GOOD. Crave Originals include hit series LETTERKENNY and its official spinoff series SHORESY, CANADA'S DRAG RACE, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE (EVEN JAY BARUCHEL), and LITTLE BIRD; docuseries DARK SIDE OF THE RING; and acclaimed documentaries including KINGS OF COKE. Discovery is home to Bell Media's hit factual series and franchises HIGHWAY THRU HELL, EAST HARBOUR HEROES, and Animal Planet's PETS & PICKERS. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. Learn more at www.BellMedia.ca.

About Crave

Crave is Canada's prestige entertainment offering, delivering more Oscar®-nominated and Emmy® Award-winning programming than any other service, with HBO, HBO Max Originals, SHOWTIME®, STARZ, Hollywood-hit movies, and boasts a robust slate of English and French original series. It is a bilingual TV and streaming service, with thousands of hours of exclusive French-language content. Crave is available directly to all Canadians with access to the Internet at Crave.ca, via iOS and Android, and other platforms such as Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, select LG Smart TVs, PlayStation, Roku, select Samsung Smart TVs, and Xbox One, and  through participating service providers across ten, 24-hour High Definition linear and on demand channels.

About FIFTH SEASON

FIFTH SEASON is a world-class creative powerhouse specializing in the development, production, financing, and distribution of premium films, series, and documentaries. As a major global independent studio, FIFTH SEASON has a full-service worldwide distribution infrastructure and a network of production hubs and partnerships in production businesses located across the US, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia, and Asia. FIFTH SEASON's talent-centric approach has helped fuel a new wave of original storytelling for streamers, theatrical distributors, and networks around the world. The studio's original films include hit comedies 80 for Brady and the Book Club franchise, Michael Bay's action-heist Ambulance, John Carney's critical darling Flora & Son, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's multiple Academy Award® nominee The Lost Daughter. The television division has developed and produced such star-driven series as 14 Emmy® nominee Severance, Tokyo Vice, Scenes from a Marriage, Life & Beth, Nine Perfect Strangers. FIFTH SEASON's documentary slate includes Emmy nominees McCartney 3,2,1 and Being Mary Tyler Moore, as well as the Matt Damon- and Ben Affleck-produced feature Kiss the Future. In addition to the titles that we produce, the distribution arm of FIFTH SEASON handles a premium third-party library including series such as Killing Eve, The Morning Show, Pachinko, The Night Manager and Normal People. FIFTH SEASON is based in Los Angeles, New York and London with offices around the world. Shareholders include CJ ENM [CJ ENM Co Ltd], Toho [TKCOF] and Endeavor [NYSE: EDR].

About Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury, an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital, was established in 1987 by Christina Jennings, Chairman and President. Shaftesbury's current primetime slate includes 18 seasons of the international hit series Murdoch Mysteries for CBC Television, Ovation TV, ION Plus, Acorn TV, and Alibi Channel, and six seasons of Hudson & Rex for Citytv, ION, UP Faith & Family, and Alibi Channel. Both series are available in over 120 countries worldwide. Other productions include: the acclaimed horror anthology series Slasher on Shudder and Hollywood Suite, with Emmy® Award-winner Eric McCormack starring in the fifth season; three seasons of the acclaimed six-part event series Departure for Global starring Emmy® Award-winner Archie Panjabi and the late Academy® Award-winner Christopher Plummer; and SisterS, an Irish-Canadian co-production by and starring Sarah Goldberg (Barry) and Susan Stanley, for Crave, RTÉ and IFC. For more information visit shaftesbury.ca.

SOURCE Crave

For more information, please contact: Maeve Lisle, Bell Media, [email protected]; Sue Baldaro, Unit Publicist, UNDERBELLY, [email protected]