Nine commissions third series of Underbelly

Australian commercial broadcaster Nine Network has commissioned a third series of hit local crime drama Underbelly.

The third series of the drama, which follows gangland warfare and the drugs in Australia, is currently in development, despite the second season, which is a prequel to the first, still being on the air.

Jeremy Fox, CEO, Digital Rights Group, which distributes Underbelly internationally, said at MIP TV: “Season three is in development at Nine; we’ve probably got [executive producer] Des [Monaghan] intro trouble now.”

The Screentime-produced show, which also airs internationally via Fox International Channels, has been a huge hit in Australia, where the first episode of the second season drew over 2.5million viewers, making it Nine’s largest drama for years.