M-Net re-teams with Quizzical Pictures & Fremantle for South African crime thriller

Natalie Dormer. Pic credit: Chris Floyd

South African pay-TV channel M-Net has commissioned crime thriller White Lies, an international co-pro from Fremantle and local prodco Quizzical Pictures.

Created by Sean Steinberg and written by scriptwriter Darrel Bristow-Bovey, the eight-part series follows investigative journalist Edie Hansen (played by Game Of Thrones star Natalie Dormer), who gets caught up in the ugly underbelly that lies beneath the picturesque beauty of Cape Town, dragging her back to a turbulent past.

Following her estranged brother’s murder in his luxury home, Edie’s world plunges deeper into chaos when her brother’s teenage children become prime suspects for the crime. As Edie investigates, she finds herself at loggerheads with veteran detective Forty Bell (Brendon Daniels), and grapples with the crumbling local police force, a corrupt political system, and the secretive world of extreme Cape wealth.

White Lies is produced by Harriet Gavshon and Nimrod Geva for Quizzical Pictures, with Dormer and Bristow-Bovey also serving as executive producers.

Waldimar Pelser, director of premium channels at M-Net, said that the series “will resonate with series lovers locally and globally. Partnerships such as this one with Quizzical Pictures and Fremantle give shows the best shot at reaching their full potential, and cements M-Net’s reputation as the home of world-class entertainment.”

This latest collaboration between Fremantle and Quizzical Pictures follows their work on 2021 crime thriller Reyka, which was also produced for M-Net.