According to Deadline, Britbox acquired North American rights from Sony Pictures Television for Mr. Loverman. Lennie James, the lead of the show, received the BAFTA TV Award for Leading Actor in his role as ‘ Walker, making headlines earlier this month. Ariyon Bakare won the Supporting Actor award for his character Morris De La Roux and Sharon D Clarke was also BAFTA nominated for her role as Carmel. Bakare is best known for Life and The Dark Knight, and Clarke is best known for Rocketman and Tau.

James, known for his roles in Line of Duty and Save Me, plays Barrington Jedidiah Walker, or Esq. Barry to his friends. Walker, a 70-year-old born in the Caribbean with a lively persona, is situated in Hackney and has been cheating on his wife of 50 years Carmel with his male best friend, Morris, placing their marriage on very thin ice.

According to Deadline, this series features eight episodes and comes from SPT-backed Fable, Hannah Price, known for Stan & Ollie and Out with the Old, Faye Ward, known for Jane Eyre and Wild Rose, Hannah Farrell, known for Jane Eyre and Suffragette, and executive producers and directors James and Hong Khaou, known for feature films Lilting and Monsoon. BritBox anticipates dropping two episodes per week, and it will premiere on June 4 in the U.S. and Canada.

Deadline reports news of the show was first revealed back in 2023, and the series aired in the UK in October 2024 following its world premiere screenings at the Tribeca Film Festival. With LA Screenings flourishing, SPT brought Mr Loverman back into the states. The show is based on Bernardine Evaristo’s book, also known for her novel Girl, Woman, Other, and the studio has been throwing resemblances of American Hostage, The Lady and Lord of the Flies to buyers this week.

The deal for Mr Loverman is very beneficial for Fable and Sony, considering that few international shows are currently selling in the United States, via Deadline. As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and Hollywood labor strikes, many streamers and networks are trying to cut costs and thus are focusing on their own original programs. Nonetheless, considering BritBox is the ‘best of British’ streaming services, a deal has been formed. 

Ward, the Creative Director and founder of Fable, expresses her thoughts on this new deal; “I’m excited for Mr Loverman to be seen across the Atlantic. It’s bold, funny exploration of love and identity. I defy you not to fall in love with Barry and his swagger,” she says via Deadline. 

BritBox has an expanding reputation as the main buyer of UK series in North America. According to Deadline, it was revealed last week that BritBox took in the BBC period drama series The Other Bennet Sister from the SPT-owned Industry producer, Bad Wolf.