Classic TV Dramas ‘Copper’ and ‘Cedar Cove’ Are Getting New Airings
Vintage Dramas Find New Homes Across Europe
In a notable development for classic television series, both Copper and Cedar Cove have secured new distribution arrangements, highlighting their enduring popularity.
UK-based channel group UKTV has acquired Copper for its streaming service U. Set in 1860s New York City, the drama was created by Barry Levinson, Tom Fontana, and Will Rokos. It initially garnered acclaim during its run on BBC America, where it followed police detective Kevin Corcoran, portrayed by Tom Weston-Jones. Returning from war to find his wife missing and his daughter deceased, Corcoran navigates the challenges of his job while seeking to uncover the fate of his family.
Copper marked BBC America’s first original drama, and although discussions for a film adaptation arose following its conclusion after two seasons and 23 episodes, the project did not come to fruition. The series was produced by Cineflix and Shaw.
Meanwhile, Cedar Cove, featuring Andie MacDowell, recently surpassed 400,000 views on YouTube in German-speaking regions. The series, based on Debbie Macomber’s best-selling novels, has been sold into Central and Eastern Europe, with Hungary’s commercial broadcaster TV2 acquiring the rights. It was produced by Unity Pictures for the Hallmark Channel in the United States.
The international distribution of Copper and Cedar Cove was facilitated by Germany-based Beta, which reported securing additional agreements for its catalog of dramas across Europe.
In other acquisitions, the German crime film series Big Ben has been picked up by Prima TV for viewers in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Additionally, the enduring series The Call of the Mountain, which focuses on the life of an alpine doctor, is now set to air on JOJ in Slovakia and on the AXN White channel for pay TV in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
