MIPTV: ‘CSI,’ ‘Shameless’ Writers Team on ‘Spotless’ for Canal Plus, Tandem

[reaper]

CANNES — French pay TV company Canal Plus has greenlit crime drama “Spotless,” which was co-created by Ed McCardie (U.K. version of “Shameless”), and Corinne Marrinan (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”).

The 10-episode series is to be produced by Tandem Communications, which is owned by Canal Plus’ production arm Studiocanal. Principal photography is set to begin this summer on location in London. The first two episodes will be directed by Pascal Chaumeil (“Heartbreaker,” “A Long Way Down”). Principal casting will be announced soon.

The show, which will be peppered with black humor, centers on a troubled man, Jean, whose tidy life is turned upside down when his outlaw brother, Martin, crash lands into his world, and gets both of them involved in the deadly dynamics of organized crime.

Played out against a backdrop of Jean’s niche crime-scene cleaning business, with gangsters, corruption, drugs and death a constant hazard, Jean, Martin and their dysfunctional family struggle to gain control over life, business and their shared destiny.

Executive producers include Tandem’s Rola Bauer (“The Pillars of the Earth,” “Crossing Lines”) and Jonas Bauer (“Impact,” “The Company”), and Suzanne Berger (“Hell on Wheels,” “Majority Rules”), who first brought the project to Tandem.

“Spotless” is produced by Hugh Warren, most recently producer of the hit U.K. drama series “Call the Midwife.” Producing for Tandem is Moritz Polter (“Crossing Lines,” “Labyrinth”).

Fabrice De La Patelliere, director of French drama and co-productions for Canal Plus, said: “This partnership brings together top international talents, and we are very excited to offer this dramedy to our subscribers. This 10-part series marks a new step in the channel’s international production of original content.”

Jonas Bauer said: “Working with Fabrice de la Patelliere and Dominique Jubin from Canal Plus drama department, has been a very rewarding experience. They have provided the flexibility and open boundaries to develop a series which features an off-color, dark and funny storyline, and edgy characters.”