Endemol produces two drama series for ABC

Written by Pieter Bart Korthuis and produced by Alain de Levita, Penoza was originally created by Endemol’s NL Film & TV in 2010 for KRO in the Netherlands. The drama is centered on a widow of an assassinated criminal who is suddenly forced to adopt her late husband’s role in order to protect her family.

Spirited was originally created by Claudia Karvan and Jacquelin Perske in 2009 and produced by Endemol's Southern Star for Foxtel in Australia. The series is about a recently divorced mother, whose life is forever changed through her unexpected relationship with Henry Mallet, the ghost of an ‘80s English punk rock star.

Philippe Maigret, CEO of Endemol, said: ‘We are thrilled to partner with ABC Studios and ABC to develop and produce some of Endemol Studios first scripted projects. It is enormously exciting that we have such rich material to bring the network from the Endemol teams in Australia and the Netherlands and we look forward to working with Melissa on Penoza, Chris and Henry on Spirited’.

Melissa Rosenberg (The Twilight Saga, Dexter) will write the pilot episode and serve as Executive Producer and Showrunner on the series, while Alon Aranya (The Naked Truth) and Howard Klein will both serve as Executive Producers on the U.S. adaptation. Jeremy Gold, Head of Creative Affairs for Endemol Studios, will oversee both projects.