Eight-Part Drama from Dynamic Television Commissioned by Acorn TV
Jane Seymour headshot: https://amcnetworks.box.com/s/ln6x1p91w1q30r9lni0qmokvglbfybdx
New York, NY; April 14, 2021 – Hollywood icon and Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award winning actress Jane Seymour (The Kominsky Method; Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; Live and Let Die) has signed on to star in and co-executive produce Irish mystery thriller Harry Wild, which will premiere in 2022. AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is announcing the commissioning with Acorn Media Enterprises of the 8 x 60-minute series from production and distribution company Dynamic Television (Trapped, Madiba, Van Helsing). Created and co-written by David Logan (Lost Christmas), Harry Wild stars Seymour as a recently retired English professor who discovers a real knack for investigation and cannot help but interfere with the cases assigned to her police detective son. Production will begin in May 2021 in Dublin. Acorn TV will feature its world premiere in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, among others in 2022. Dynamic Television will distribute the series.
Harriet “Harry” Wild (Seymour) is a retiring university literature professor who is finding herself at one of life’s crossroads. Jolted from a mugging, she reluctantly agrees to recover in the home of her son, Charlie, a senior police detective. Charlie’s family does their best to tolerate Harry’s inscrutable ways, but Harry speaks her mind. Despite Charlie’s strong objections and warnings, Harry starts to interfere in her son’s particularly baffling murder case when she notices the murderer has followed a pattern from a well-known play.
When she successfully catches the killer by putting herself at great risk in the process, she finds a new lust for life. Harry and her protégé, Fergus, a troubled teen in whom Harry sees great potential where others see only a thug, quickly find new mysteries to solve. Harry’s expertise at her new passion brings her into direct conflict with Charlie, who needs nothing less than his mother causing trouble at work!
A multiple Emmy and Golden Globe winner and recipient of the Officer of the British Empire (OBE) bestowed upon her by Queen Elizabeth II, Jane Seymour has proven her talents in virtually all media, the Broadway stage, motion pictures and television. As iconic star of the beloved TV series Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, Seymour became a role model to young women and girls throughout the world with her inspiring rendition of a woman who can courageously dare, achieve and improve anything a man can do, investing it with that “woman’s touch” of caring humanity. Additional credits include The Kominsky Method, Live and Let Die, Somewhere in Time, The Wedding Crashers, Onassis: The Richest Man in the World, War and Remembrance, East of Eden, among a wide assortment of film, television and theater projects.
Jane Seymour, star and co-executive producer, noted: “From the first moment I read the script, I fell in love with Harry Wild and am beyond excited to head to Ireland and step into the role of this very curious and passionate retired professor. Acorn TV continues to lead the way in producing original series with strong female leads, so I’m thrilled to partner with them and my friends at Dynamic Television to make this fun new series.”
Catherine Mackin, Managing Director, Acorn Media Enterprises, noted: “Jane Seymour, OBE has been a trailblazing celebrity in television, film and theater for nearly a half-century, and Acorn Media Enterprises is honored to have her star in and executive produce this new, captivating drama on our streaming service. We’re confident that our subscribers will be fascinated and entertained by her title role as a fearless retired university literature professor who uses her extensive literary knowledge to solve crimes. Harry Wild is the latest series of Acorn TV’s growing staple of mystery dramas led by strong female investigators – a category that has long resonated with our audiences.”
Dan March and Klaus Zimmermann, Managing Partners, Dynamic Television, commented: “We are thrilled that the amazing Jane Seymour will be bringing the foul mouthed, cigarette smoking, whiskey drinking character of Harry Wild to life. We thank our partners at Acorn for their tremendous confidence in Dynamic and we look forward to delivering a new murder mystery series that audiences won’t soon forget!”
The series’ writers are David Logan, with Jo Spain (Taken Down). The directors are Ronan Burke (Jelly Baby) and Robert Burke (Max Rules.) Executive producers are Jane Seymour, Daniel March (Van Helsing, Trapped, Ginny & Georgia) and Klaus Zimmermann (Trapped, The Sommerdahl Murders) for Dynamic Television, James Gibb (The Outpost, Vwars) for Ardvella Entertainment, and Morgan O’Sullivan (Vikings, The Tudors) and James Flynn (Vikings, Into the Badlands) for Metropolitan Pictures.
AMC Networks’ Acorn TV is the leading streaming service specializing in British and international television with subscribers worldwide in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Spain, Portugal, among other areas. Acorn TV adds exclusive new programs every week to a deep library of mysteries, dramas, and comedies with no commercials. In 2021, Acorn TV will feature commissioned original series including British crime drama Whitstable Pearl starring Kerry Godliman (After Life), Kiwi romantic comedy Under the Vines, British detective drama Dalgleish starring Bertie Carvel (Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell), the second season of Miss Fisher spinoff Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, as well as Irish crime thriller Bloodlands starring James Nesbitt and co-executive produced by Jed Mercurio, the return of New Zealand detective series My Life Is Murder starring Lucy Lawless, and a growing catalog of popular bingeable dramas that include A Place to Call Home, Detectorists, Jack Irish and Foyle’s War. Recent Acorn TV Original series include Deadwater Fell starring David Tennant and Cush Jumbo, highly-rated BBC One drama The Nest starring Martin Compston and Sophie Rundle; and groundbreaking BBC One period drama A Suitable Boy from Mira Nair. Website: Acorn.TV
Acorn Media Enterprises is Acorn TV’s UK-based development arm which works with producers, distributors, writers and broadcasters in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and beyond to commission, co-produce and co-finance the best international, English-language scripted shows. AME has commissioned Agatha Raisin Series 2, 3, and 4, Queens of Mystery Series 1 and 2, London Kills Series 1 and 2, Keeping Faith, Whitstable Pearl, Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries Series 2, Dalgliesh, among several other productions.
About AMC Networks
AMC Networks is a global entertainment company known for its popular and critically-acclaimed content. Its portfolio of brands includes AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC Films, and a number of fast-growing streaming services, including the AMC+ premium streaming bundle, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and ALLBLK (formerly branded “UMC”). AMC Studios, the Company’s in-house studio, production and distribution operation, is behind award-winning owned series and franchises, including The Walking Dead, the highest-rated series in cable history. The Company also operates AMC Networks International, its international programming business, and Levity Entertainment Group, its production services and comedy venues business.
About Dynamic Television
DYNAMIC TELEVISION is an independent production and distribution company with a global strategy to bring premium television programming to worldwide audiences. Dynamic’s series include CREEPSHOW, Shudder’s hit horror anthology series; Netflix’s hottest new show in 2021 GINNY & GEORGIA, the #1 rated teen series from CBBC in the UK, ALMOST NEVER; TRAPPED, the critically acclaimed Icelandic crime drama from award-winning filmmaker Baltasar Kormakur; THE DAY, the critically acclaimed Flemish heist series; from DR and creator Christian Torpe the Danish suspense thriller DELIVER US; the hit Scandinavian crime procedural THE SOMMERDAHL MURDERS; SYFY’s hit series VAN HELSING now in production on Season 5; the five-time Emmy nominated series EAST LOS HIGH (Hulu); SYFY’s live-action series VAGRANT QUEEN and MADIBA (BET), a six-part mini-series starring Laurence Fishburne.