Social advocacy network Pivot enters new territory with Arctic Circle-thriller “Fortitude,” the channel’s first scripted drama and an ambitious, edge-of-your-couch viewing experience.
The biggest challenge for the potential critical darling is actually the modest size of the platform it can be consumed on, but series star Richard Dormer (“Game of Thrones”) told TheWrap that his new show “is just too good to disappear,” no matter what network puts it out.
“I don’t think any of us were worried about [being on] Pivot starting out,” he said. “Even if people don’t see it straight off when it comes out, they’ll catch up to it because of word-of-mouth.”
Plus, “I think Pivot is the perfect people for this,” Dormer added, trumpeting the channel as a proponent for environmental issues, which arise in the permafrost-laden landscape of the titular town.
The channel’s general manager, Kent Rees, not surprisingly agreed. He reiterated that the series is “a great example of what Pivot is all about — entertainment inspired by the real issues of our time.”
Set in the melting Arctic, the dark psychological drama tells the story of a brutal and shocking murder that shatters the peaceful atmosphere of the tiny, idyllic town of Fortitude. Above-average temperatures lead to a record ice melt that reveals secrets long hidden beneath the frozen landscape.
Dormer’s “deliberately obtuse” Sheriff Dan Andersson must confront the mysteries that arise.
The city’s lead cop squares off against Stanley Tucci‘s DCI Morton, as the two race to solve the aforementioned homicide — and more — in a town where crime previously did not exist. As Pivot’s logline ominously concludes of the duo: “As the search for the killer progresses, their list of suspects — and suspicions of each other — grows.”
Dormer admitted to having some questions about his mysterious character: “[Who] is this guy? Where is he from? Where does he go at night? Because we don’t see where he sleeps … he doesn’t seem to have a life.”
But, Dormer promised, “It is explained toward the end; whether he is a good sheriff or a bad sheriff — or a good man or a bad man.”
A lot of large and small decisions went into making “Fortitude” both ambiguous and digestible for American audiences; for example, Dormer, a native of Northern Ireland, told us that he deliberately played the character’s Norwegian accent with an American twang instead of a more “distant and cold” English one — a choice that is easy to miss, but a fortunate one for Stateside audiences given the international diversity of the talented cast.
The creative choice was as much to demonstrate Anderssen’s raised-by-MTV background as it was to gain U.S. audiences’ acceptance. Tucci’s casting also helps with American accessibility.
Dormer, who had a story arc on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” as invincible knight Beric Dondarrion, knows a thing or two about the variances between a huge project and a small, independent one, and he doesn’t want people to think the relative smallness of the Participant Media television channel is directly proportional to its newest offering.
“In scale, ‘Fortitude’ is just as big as ‘Game of Thrones,'” Dormer said. “It’s equally as epic — it’s just starting out.”
Viewers may get that feeling when tuning into the show, as the two shows have the same set designer, Gemma Jackson. While the town of Fortitude would be a mere blip on the sprawling map of George R.R. Martin‘s literary world, it comes off as a fairly sizable (frozen) pond.
So will a well-cast, beautifully shot series, one with great writing and strong mystery, work on a network that many outside of the trade industry haven’t heard of or else simply know as that little channel with the weird Joseph Gordon-Levitt show? Dormer has no doubt, yes; he just asks for time.
“I really don’t think ‘Fortitude’ is going to really start really kicking off in the public conscience until episode 6, when people really go, ‘Oh, my God, you’ve got to watch this,'” he said. “As soon as people really get into the swamp — the scary swamp that is ‘Fortitude’ — there’s no getting out of it. You need about six to seven episodes in to really go, ‘This is what it’s about.’
“I hope that it gets the viewers and it gets the critical acclaim because the writer, Simon Donald, has the most amazing second [season],” Dormer said. “It kind of builds on the first one, but it goes into another dimension of storytelling.”
The series also stars Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston, Sofie Gråbøl, Jessica Raine, Luke Treadaway, Nicholas Pinnock, Verónica Echegui and Johnny Harris. The project was co-produced with Sky Atlantic and filmed in Iceland and the United Kingdom.
“Fortitude” premieres in a two-hour Pivot event on January 29 at 10 p.m. ET.
21 Buzziest Streaming Shows: From 'Marco Polo' to 'Transparent' (Photos)
The Amazon Studios original series "Transparent" chronicles the abnormal life of the Pfefferman family once it's revealed that father Mort is transgender. The groundbreaking series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, and Jeffrey Tambor snagged the award for Best Actor in a Television Series for his portrayal of Mort-now-Maura Pfefferman.
Amazon
With Season 2 having premiered in Oct. 2014, Amazon's political comedy "Alpha House" stars John Goodman, Clark Johnson, Matt Molloy, and Mark Consuelos as Republican U.S. Senators living together in Washington, D.C.
Amazon
The first two seasons of Netflix's insanely popular "Orange is the New Black" are ready to binge-watch (if you haven't already), and it's third season will be released in June.
Netflix
Actor and musician Steve Van Zandt stars in "Lilyhammer," the American version of a Norwegian series of the same name. Centering on a New York mobster starting a new life in Norway, all three seasons are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Netflix
Netflix's first original cartoon series, "BoJack Horseman," is a delightfully politically incorrect comedy about a 90s sitcom star who has faded from the spotlight.
Netflix
Another Netflix original, "Hemlock Grove" is a dramatical thriller about a string of murders in the fictional town of Hemlock Grove, and the two men who investigate.
Netflix
"Marco Polo" is Netflix's historical drama about the explorer's early years in the court of Kublai Khan. The show stars Lorenzo Richelmy as Marco Polo and Benedict Wong as Kublai Khan.
Netflix
Netflix streaming gem "House of Cards," stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as South Carolina Democrat Frank Underwood and his wife, Claire, as they execute ruthless schemes for power in Washington, D.C. The third season is scheduled to premiere in February.
Netflix
Marvel's live-action series "Daredevil" stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, and follows the adventures of NYC lawyer Matt Murdock (Cox). Blinded as a child, his other senses are elevated to superhuman levels, allowing him to fight crime as masked vigilante Daredevil. The first season is available for streaming on April 10th.
Netflix
Krysten Ritter will star as Jessica Jones, the titular superheroine-turned-private detective in another Marvel and Netflix collaboration, "A.K.A. Jessica Jones." The series will air on Netflix in 2015, and will also star Mike Colter ("The Good Wife").
Netflix
The fourth and final season of the former AMC series, "The Killing," found a home on Netflix. The crime drama recently wrapped up its run with Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman in their lead roles as homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
Netflix
"Arrested Development" got a reboot for a fourth and final season on Netflix. Die-hard fans of the show argued over the success of the streamed season, but we still saw all original cast members return to reprise their quirky, dysfunctional roles in the Bluth family.
Netflix
The creepy crime drama, "The Fall," originally a BBC series, premieres its second season Jan. 16th on Netflix. Set in Northern Ireland, the show follows detective Stella Gibson and her pursuit of serial killer Paul Spector, played by Jamie Dornan ("Fifty Shades of Grey").
Netflix
Netflix continues its love of historical crime dramas with "Peaky Blinders." Set in 1919 post-WWI England, the crime saga follows a gang as they operate out of Birmingham, led by mob boss Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy).
Netflix
Cult favorite and former NBC comedy "Community" was brought from the brink of cancelation by none other than Yahoo. Its sixth season will be available for streaming March 17th, and will add Paget Brewster ("Criminal Minds") to its main cast.
NBC
"Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee," the brainchild of Jerry Seinfeld, premiered on Crackle in 2012. Seinfeld has let us in on chats with Louis C.K., Jimmy Fallon, Larry David, and many others.
Crackle
Created by "Late Night" host Seth Meyers and streamed on Hulu, offbeat superhero comedy "The Awesomes" follows Prock (voiced by Meyers) the son of Mr. Awesome, the greatest superhero on earth. When Mr. Awesome retires, Prock gathers his own team of sub-par heroes, and hilarity ensues.
Hulu
Hulu original comedy "The Hotwives of Orlando" blatantly spoofs the "Real Housewives" franchise. It stars Casey Wilson, Kristen Schaal, Angela Kinsey, Danielle Schneider, Tymberlee Hill and Andrea Savage as wealthy housewives in Orlando, Florida. The second season will premiere sometime in 2015 and follow a new group of women living in Las Vegas.
Hulu
Another Hulu original, "Quickdraw" tells the tale of Sheriff John Henry Hoyle, a recent Harvard graduate, and Deputy Eli as they blunder through Wild West crime in 1870s Kansas.
Hulu
Hulu's drama series "East Los High" chronicles the coming-of-age of a high school group in East L.A. The series marks Hulu's first with an all Latino cast, starring Alicia Sixtos (ABC Family's "The Fosters") and Vannessa Vasquez. The show was renewed for a third season.
Hulu
Continuing with the rise of original YouTube content, "Video Game High School" is a futuristic action comedy that follows BrianD (Josh Baylock), a newly admitted student to VGHS as he navigates the world of competitive gaming making friends and enemies along the way.
YouTube
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Online streaming sites are more popular than ever now that they’re creating original, knockout shows; here are TheWrap’s top picks
The Amazon Studios original series "Transparent" chronicles the abnormal life of the Pfefferman family once it's revealed that father Mort is transgender. The groundbreaking series won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy, and Jeffrey Tambor snagged the award for Best Actor in a Television Series for his portrayal of Mort-now-Maura Pfefferman.