EXCLUSIVE: The Doll Factory, the British series that stars The Sandman’s Esmé Creed-Miles, has found a U.S. home.
The series, which is based on Elizabeth Macneal’s book, will launch on free streamer The Network.
The six-part series, which was written by Charley Miles and directed by Sacha Polak, premiered on Paramount+ in the UK in 2023. It will launch in the U.S. on May 28.
The Doll Factory follows doll makers Iris Whittle (Creed-Miles) and her sister Rose (Mirren Mack) in Victorian London. Iris’ dreams of becoming an artist are impeded by her oppressive boss and rigid social structure of the 1850s. As young girls begin to go missing, Iris falls in with a shadowy, brutish painter Louis (George Webster) who promises her an education in the arts. Rose soon fears her sister is in more danger than she realizes, as shocking twists lie in wait.
“Iris’ eyes are opened when she falls into the orbit of the Pre-Raphaelites. Their world is so immersive: beautiful, dark, twisty and twisted – and I can’t wait for audiences to experience it all with her,” said Miles.
The Doll Factory marks the tenth original for the two-year-old streamer, which has aired Steve Coogan’s Chivalry, John Leguizamo-fronted Green Veil, and Mandy Patinkin-led The Artist in the U.S. alongside documentaries Cobain and Kingdom of Dreams.
Elsewhere, the platform has picked up Italian thriller series The Bad Guy. The series stars Luigi Lo Cascio, Claudia Pandolfi and Selene Caramazza and ran for two seasons on Prime Video in Italy.
Set on the scenic island of Sicily, it is about a prosecutor who has devoted his whole life to taking down the mafia. When he is framed for being a mafioso himself and thrown in prison, he sets out to execute a careful plot of revenge. The Bad Guy, which comes from Indigo Films, premieres on Tuesday, June 23.
It comes as Greek teen series Milky Way, which was written and directed by Vasilis Kekatos, launches on May 5,
“The Network is proud to announce our spring lineup of original and exclusive series. The Doll Factory masterfully transforms the excellent best-selling novel into a gripping and darkly beautiful series. Milky Way is a raw and intimate look at the difficult choices we make in life, from the visionary Vasilis Kekatos. The Bad Guy launches us into summer with an action-packed story of betrayal and revenge. We couldn’t be more excited to continue to offer unique shows you can’t find anywhere else,” said Michael Moses, President of Film and TV, The Network.
