Sphere Abacus (SA) has sold compelling drama series The Game and The Family Next Door to a raft of multi territory broadcasters.
The Game (4 x one hour), a cat and mouse thriller produced in the UK by Clapperboard Studios, stars Jason Watkins (Coma, W1A) and Robson Green (Grantchester, Wire in the Blood). The series has been acquired by BritBox (North America), Foxtel Group (Australia), YLE (Finland), SVT (Sweden), Pickbox (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia), Virgin Media (Ireland) and Sky Free (New Zealand), following a highly acclaimed premiere on Channel 5 in May 2025.
The Family Next Door (6 x one hour) is a co-production by award-winning producers Beyond Entertainment & Muse Entertainment, starring Teresa Palmer (The Clearing, The Fall Guy), Bella Heathcote (The Moogai, Pieces of Her) and Philippa Northeast (Territory, The Newsreader). Sales have been secured to AMC Networks (USA and Canada), CBC for CBC Gem (Canada), ITV (UK), Pickbox (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria), Sky Free (New Zealand), RTE (Ireland), YLE (Finland), TV4 (Sweden) and Proximus (Belgium). The series recently premiered on ABC and has become the fastest-growing commissioned drama premiere on ABC iview streaming platform of all time.
Jonathan Ford, Managing Director, SA comments “We are extremely pleased to report such strong international interest in the gripping detective thriller series The Game, which captivated Channel 5 audiences earlier this year, as well as The Family Next Door, based on the New York Times bestselling author Sally Hepworth’s novel, which instantly became a huge hit with audiences following the ABC launch in August. The demand for premium scripted drama content remains high and we’re thrilled to see both these series find homes with leading broadcasters worldwide.”
Described as a ‘deliciously dark psychological drama’, The Game tells the story of police detective Huw Miller (Watkins) who is haunted by the one murder case he failed to solve – that of prolific serial killer ‘The Ripton Stalker’ who psychologically tortured multiple victims before savagely taking their lives. As Huw attempts to settle into retirement, the case is never far from his mind – and when new neighbour Patrick Harbottle (Green) moves in and utters the chilling phrase ‘catch you later’ – the sign off used by the stalker to taunt Huw during the investigation – Huw is determined he’s finally got his man. A high-stakes game of psychological chess follows between the two neighbours as Huw’s world begins to crumble around him. Has he set his sights on the right man, or is his obsession pushing him ever closer to the brink?
The Family Next Door explores the challenges of motherhood, marriage, friendship, and the complexities of family identity. Enigmatic Isabelle (Palmer) moves into a small seaside cul-de-sac where her obsessive drive to solve a compelling mystery, casts suspicion on four neighbouring families. Her quest to reunite one family will have consequences for them all. Adapted for television by award-winning screenwriter Sarah Scheller (Strife, The Letdown), The Family Next Door also stars Catherine McClements (Return to Paradise, The Survivors), Ming Zhu Hii (Prosper, La Brea), Jane Harber (Offspring, In Limbo), Bob Morley (The 100, In Limbo), Daniel Henshall (Snowtown, How to Make Gravy), Tane Williams Accra (Shortland Street, Fantasy Island), Dominic Ona Ariki (One Lane Bridge, Erotic Stories) and Maria Angelico (Strife, The Newsreader).
