Sources have been hearing about potential spin-offs for Billions from series co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien for a while now. Showtime would not confirm the plan, but McCarthy did in an interview with WSJ, revealing that the four projects in development are spin-offs set in Miami, the self-proclaimed crypto capital, and London, the world's financial hub, as well as spin-offs Millions, about emerging financiers, and Trillions, a soap opera about the ultra-rich.
McCarthy has also confirmed that a Dexter prequel series is in the works. The project, for which a direct-to-series order has been placed, is set in Dexter's hometown of Miami. It will tell the story of the origin of the title character while also featuring stories of real life serial killers of the time.
The recent follow-up series Dexter: New Blood, which set Showtime rating records, is also likely to get a second season, McCarthy said. That while it was recently said that a second season of New Blood was off the track. In addition, the network is exploring spinoffs about the origins of other Dexter characters, including the Trinity Killer, who was portrayed by John Lithgow in the original series.
Showtime has similar plans to build a universe for the newly announced The Department, an adaptation of George Clooney's French series Le Bureau des Légendes and Grant Heslov's Smokehouse Pictures and the companies behind the Yellowstone (2018) franchise, MTV Entertainment Studios, which is overseen by McCarthy, and 101 Studios. If successful, the series would spawn offshoots set within international spy agencies.
The programming plans for the Showtime brand emerge following the recent cost-cutting move at the network, which included the cancellations of American Gigolo and Let the Right One In after one season and the decision not to go forward with the completed new series Three Women, which is being shopped. The network also removed 21 shows from its streaming platforms, mostly short-lived Showtime originals.
The only major renewal since McCarthy added oversight of Showtime has been of mystery drama Yellowjackets, whose first season ranks only behind Dexter: New Blood in terms of viewership on Showtime. He laid out the framework of the plan for the network at the time of the December renewal.
“As we head into 2023 and beyond, our plan is to lean into Showtime’s strengths and focus on three key areas that have defined the brand,” McCarthy said at the time. “Complex and subversive antiheroes like Dexter and Yellowjackets, powerful high-stakes worlds like Homeland and Billions, and unconventional cultural takes like The L Word and The Chi – all with an eye towards making the biggest hits possible and building them into hit franchises as we have done very successfully across the company.”
Since Showtime’s parent Paramount Global does not control the Emmy-winning Homeland, produced by Disney’s 20th Television, The Department is envisioned as a spiritual successor and a show in the Homeland mold that the network can exploit with offshoots, McCarthy told WSJ.
Hier zijn details over de Billions spin-offs in ontwikkeling, geproduceerd door Koppelman en Levien. Het duo verlengde onlangs hun algemene deal met Showtime, dat de series produceert met MTV Entertainment Studios. Het zevende seizoen van de moederserie is momenteel in productie in New York en gaat later dit jaar in première.
BILLIONS: LONDON: een andere versie die zich afspeelt aan de overkant van de plas en zich afspeelt in de financiële wereld van het Verenigd Koninkrijk.
MILLIONS: een serie over diverse wannabees, dertigers, die alles doen om het te maken in Manhattan.
TRILLIONS: een drama gebaseerd op fictieve verhalen over de rijkste mensen ter wereld, titanen van het bedrijfsleven die overal in het land wonen maar met elkaar in contact en conflict komen.
