Television
March 18, 2009
“Eleventh Hour” Lined Up For Living’s 2009 Schedule
(March 18, 2009 – London and Burbank, CA) – Virgin Media Television-owned LIVING has acquired new US mystery drama “Eleventh Hour” from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution. The show – from prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer (the “CSI” series, “Without a Trace,” “Cold Case”) – will be exclusive to LIVING for its 2009 primetime schedule and joins LIVING’s lineup of high-profile US dramas.
“Eleventh Hour” averages approximately 12 million viewers per week in the US on the CBS Television Network and ranks #2 among first-year programmes in Household rating. The show has been commissioned for 18 episodes in its first season. Its critical reception in the US is also strong, receiving positive reviews, not least for its Brit star Rufus Sewell (“The Illusionist,” “Tristan & Isolde,” “The Holiday,” “A Knight’s Tale”), who leads the cast. The New York Daily News said “Sewell radiates the kind of fascination you can't buy off the rack at the TV drama store, and that alone gives ‘Eleventh Hour’ a strong start.” The Los Angeles Times stated that “while super-cool science may be the hook, the real draw of ‘Eleventh Hour’ is Sewell. Often cast as a hypnotically charming villain, he is instantly believable.”
This thriller follows Dr. Jacob Hood (Sewell), a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the FBI, as he investigates scientific crises and oddities. Called in at the eleventh hour, his jurisdiction is absolute, and Hood is dogged in his pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain. Fighting to safeguard the balance between human cost and scientific advancement, Hood solves the most baffling mysteries and saves countless lives in the process. Special Agent Rachel Young (series star Marley Shelton – “Grindhouse,” “Pleasantville”) is the outspoken, decorated FBI protection officer assigned to watch Hood's back. The show is based on the British series “Eleventh Hour” by Stephen Gallagher.
Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Danny Cannon, Cyrus Voris & Ethan Reiff, Mick Davis and Paul Buccieri are the executive producers. “Eleventh Hour” is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television, and is distributed globally by Warner Bros. International Television Distribution.
Virgin Media Television Head of Acquisitions Amy Barham said: “Strong, compelling with hard hitting story lines and a great cast, including an amazing performance from Rufus Sewell, ‘Eleventh Hour’ is a great addition to LIVING’s drama lineup. We have such a strong heritage of quality top performing procedural dramas, we know our audience will love ‘Eleventh Hour.’”
Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television, added: “‘Eleventh Hour’ is a top-notch mystery/thriller from the highly successful team at Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and we look forward to working with our partners at LIVING to bring it to viewers in the UK.”
LIVING
LIVING is the ultimate entertainment destination on TV, full of guilty pleasures and trashy glamour. Hugely successful commissions like Britain’s “Next Top Model,” “Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life,” “Living with … Jade Goody” and “Pop Goes the Band” have emerged as some of the UK’s most talked-about programmes. LIVING has also built a reputation for cleverly identifying and out-maneuvering its rivals to the best acquired shows out there to be the home of the best American content, “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Criminal Minds,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “America’s Next Top Model” and new additions “Private Practice” and, from “Sex and the City” author Candace Bushnell, “Lipstick Jungle,” starring Brook Shields. LIVING is also the home of the paranormal, airing cult phenomena “Most Haunted” and the hugely successful “Most Haunted Live.”
Virgin Media Television (VMtv) has eight wholly-owned channels, some of the strongest entertainment brands in UK multichannel television: LIVING, LIVING2, Bravo, Bravo 2, Challenge, Challenge Jackpot, Trouble and Virgin1. The portfolio spans pay and free-to-air television – reaching over 24 million adult viewers each month – and has a growing presence on broadband, mobile and on-demand platforms. VMtv is also BBC Worldwide’s 50% partner in the UKTV portfolio of ten channels.
VMtv is part of Virgin Media, the innovative and pioneering UK entertainment and communications business. Virgin Media offers consumers everything they need from one company – the UK's only quad-play of TV, broadband, phone and mobile, plus the most advanced TV on demand service – all delivered through its unique fibre-optic cable network.
Virgin Media is the largest Virgin company in the world and has almost 10 million customers.
About Warner Bros. International Television Distribution
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programs and animation to the international television marketplace (broadcast, pay cable, basic cable, satellite, pay-per-view, video-on-demand, digital platforms, etc.). It licenses some 50,000 hours of programming (including more than 6,000 features and 70+ current series), dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries. # # #