Paramount+ adds ’80s rock doc & UK original murder drama

L-RL Annabel Scholey, Jack Farthing & Luke Treadaway

Paramount+ has ordered music docuseries I Wanna Rock: The ‘80s Metal Dream, as well as a new original drama series for the UK & Ireland, The Serial Killer’s Wife.

The three-part factual show will debut in the US and Canada on 18 July, followed by the UK and Australia the next day, with the series following five young dreamers chasing stardom in the cutthroat world of ’80s metal.

Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios in partnership with Gunpowder & Sky, the docuseries is directed and executive produced by Tyler Measom and produced by Van Toffler.

Executive producers include David Kennedy, Nick Quested, Rick Krim, Matt Shay, Matt Weaver, Floris Bauer, Barry Barclay and Joanna Zwickel, with Bruce Gillmer, Michael Maniaci and Vanessa WhiteWolf executive producing for MTV Entertainment Studios, and Jennifer Yandrisevits serving as senior director of production.

Meanwhile, The Serial Killer’s Wife is headed to Paramount+ in the UK & Ireland later this year. Produced by Clapperboard Studios and BlackBox Multimedia, the 4 x 60-minute series is set in a family home nestled in an idyllic English town, where Beth Fairchild (Annabel Scholey) has prepared a surprise birthday party for her husband Tom (Jack Farthing).

With most of the village present as Tom is the beloved local doctor, Beth’s world is turned upside down when the party is interrupted by the police and Tom is arrested for the murder of his former assistant.

Beth believes her husband has been wrongly accused but she soon makes some shocking discoveries that cast doubt on his innocence. As she confides her worries to Adam (Luke Treadaway), Tom’s best friend from childhood, further developments see Beth begin to realise not everything in her supposedly idyllic life is as it seems.

Written by Suzanne Cowie and Ben Morris, Andy Morgan and Mike Benson from Clapperboard serve as executive producers on the series, alongside Chiara Cardoso and Giuliano Papadia for BlackBox Multimedia. Laura Way is the director with Jonathan Phillips serving as the producer.

In related news, The Signal, the previously announced first French original for Paramount+, produced by Gaumont in association with Paramount Television International Studio, has now begun filming.

The six-episode series created by François Uzan (Lupin) based on the best-seller by Maxime Chattam, is shooting from June to October in Brittany.