Canal Plus acquires Dutch psychological thriller series Two Summers

Canal Plus has acquired the French rights to Two Summers, a Dutch thriller series distributed by France TV Distribution. Two Summers is available on Netflix in the rest of the world, excluding French-speaking areas of Europe.

“Two Summers” is produced by Panenka and will be broadcast in France on Canal Plus and its on-demand service MyCanal. The show played at the Series Mania Festival in the International Panorama Selection.

The series begins in the 1990s with a group of friends in their 20s having one last fun vacation before they grow up. Things go horribly wrong when one of them dies. Thirty years later, Peter and Romée invite the same group of friends over to their private island on the French Riviera. But on the day of departure, Peter receives footage showing the rape of one of her friends, taken that tragic summer. Peter is convinced that the blackmailer is here on the island, among his guests.

Two Summers premiered last winter on Dutch broadcaster VRT and achieved the best series start ever on VRT’s platform.

“We are proud to announce the release on Canal Plus of this Flemish series that demonstrates the quality and originality of the show – a real gem from a great up-and-coming producer,” said Julia Schulte, SVP International Sales at France TV Distribution. “We strongly believe in its success for French audiences due to its intelligent and entertaining approach to this very sensitive subject and we are delighted to have Canal Plus on board as our French partner,” added Schulte.

Jean-Marc Juramie, Senior EVP of Pay TV Content at Canal Plus Group, said the company is “always keen to discover the best shows across all regions along with new faces and talent”.

“The theme of the series challenges each and every one of us to share responsibility, a theme that sadly is still an integral part of today’s society,” added Juramie.