NBC has begun development of a new TV show based on the popular Finnish series 66th North Precinct, with The Irrational creator Arika Lisanne Mittman serving as the showrunner.
While the project is currently unnamed, it is being produced by Elevate Entertainment and Universal Television.
As the project is in the early stages of development, there has not been a pilot order made nor a release date established.
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The Premise
The logline is for a darkly humorous procedural that tells the story of an ex-professional boxer that has moved her family back to her small town in southern Colorado.
As a sheriff’s deputy, she will be solving a different crime every week, while at the same time trying to manage her marriage and children. And, all the while, she is still being haunted by the unfinished business in the ring.
The combination of case-by-case storylines, family humor, and a protagonist’s history is all very suitable for network television, as these types of shows are generally well-received by television viewers who prefer the format of self-contained episodes featuring a sympathetic main character.
In addition, the boxing background provides her with an emotional connection to the crimes she investigates.
The Original Finnish Version
The source material for the series is based in Lapland, which has the largest police precinct in the world. Much of what was used for the series was based on real, and sometimes strange, criminal cases that occurred in Lapland. Therefore, the series has a unique feel to it, being both unusual and having a procedural approach to storytelling.
Showrunner With Adaptation Experience
Mittman is well known as the creator of NBC’s The Irrational with Jesse L. Martin (which aired for two years). She has also been the showrunner for Paradise Lost for Spectrum TV, the showrunner for NBC’s Timeless, and an executive producer for NBC’s La Brea. She has previously worked on Dexter for Showtime, Elementary for CBS, and Tyrant for FX.
She is no novice when it comes to taking a story or concept from another source. In addition to being based upon Dan Ariely’s book about behavioral science, The Irrational was adapted from the Israeli series Yellow Peppers.
Previously, she had adapted Yellow Peppers as an American adaptation for NBC, called The A Word. This past experience will assist her in adapting a foreign format for a United States broadcast audience. Additionally, she has representation with Range, The Feldman Company, and Yorn Levine.
Elevate’s Growing Slate
Alex Cole and Joe Wiggins will be executive producers of the project for Elevate Entertainment with Mittman. This will be the second sale of Elevate Entertainment’s broadcast business this year after ABC’s The Undertaker, a U.S. version of the Swiss police procedural show Der Bestatter.
Sales of two shows within a single year indicate that Elevate is developing a pipeline of international adaptations for the networks.
For NBC, which uses a lot of procedurals in its programming, a female-driven series with both comedy and family elements may help fill out its drama lineup. However, just because a show is being developed does not mean that the show will become an actual series. In fact, most shows developed by networks never get beyond the script stage.
What’ Next
There is no information regarding the cast, pilot order, or title of this project as yet. Typically, after the initial stage of a project being optioned, a script will be developed. If the network approves of the script, they will then order a pilot episode. In the meantime, viewers can watch the original Finnish version of the series to get a feel for how the U.S. adaptation may play out.
