EXCLUSIVE: ITV is applying a hefty dose of spray tan with the acquisition of Will Forte and D’Arcy Carden series Sunny Nights.
The pair play a brother and sister duo who are setting up a spray tan business in Sydney, before becoming entangled in the city’s violent underworld. The comedy drama is directed and exec-produced by Trent O’Donnell (Colin From Accounts).
Darren Nartey did the deal for ITV, and it is his first big buy since being promoted to Head of Acquisitions at the British broadcaster. “Sunny Nights is exactly the type of unique content that our audiences will enjoy; we can’t wait to introduce our viewers to this darkly funny series when it launches on ITVX in 2026,” he said.
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In the series, Forte (Bodkin) plays strait-laced American, Martin Marvin. He teams up with his loose cannon sister, Vicki, played by D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place), to set up their spray tan business. As they attempt to turn their company from a start-up operating out of the back of a van into a multi-million-dollar empire, they cross swords with a ruthless gangster and must figure out how to stay alive and out of prison.
The supporting cast includes Rachel House (Thor: Ragnarok), Jessica De Gouw (The Couple Next Door),Miritana Hughes (Preacher), Ra Chapman (Wentworth), Megan Wilding (Mystery Road: Origin). There is also a special appearance from Colin From Accounts star Patrick Brammall.
The eight-part series is an original for Australian streamer Stan and was produced by Jungle Entertainment (Mr. Inbetween) and Echo Lake Entertainment (The Great). Cineflix Rights is handling distribution.
Tom Misselbrook, SVP Scripted Development, Cineflix Rights is an EP and noted Forte and Carden are already familiar faces to British viewers through The Four Seasons and Nobody Wants This. He said: “Together with the incredibly talented Trent O’Donnell, the outstanding showrunner and director of so many much-loved series like Colin from Accounts and Hacks,they’ve created a wonderfully funny dark crime series. We are thrilled to be partnering with ITV to bring Sunny Nights to UK audiences.”
With a major deal booked, Cineflix will be looking for more Sunny Nights sales at MIPCOM where the series is part of its market slate. The ITV deal was brokered by Cineflix’s Sandra Piha, SVP Sales, Pan-Regional, UK, Eire, and Scandinavia.