UKTV buys Fox crime procedural

British multichannel operator UKTV has acquired Fox drama Rosewood for its crime network Alibi.

The deal with 20^th Century Fox Television Distribution hands Alibi the 22-episode series, which stars Morris Chestnut (Nurse Jackie) as a Miami private pathologist who partners with a no-nonsense cop (Jaina Lee Ortiz) to crack cases.

Rosewood has rated well on Fox in the US, taking nine million total viewers on debut last year, and has gone to a second season. Alibi will premiere it on Tuesday, July 26 in a 9pm slot.

Another US buy from the 2015-16 season, ABC’s Quantico, gave Alibi its largest debut audience for an American acquisition since 2011.

Alibi general manager Adrian Wills said Rosewood “fits really well with all our premium crime dramas and will definitiely appeal to the increasing ranks of Alibi fans”.