TopTV continues to make significant gains in the "current television" market - having landed the horror series
The Walking Dead the paycaster has now announced that Fox International Channels (FIC) has secured the exclusive first-run rights to the brand new Steven Spielberg science fiction series Falling Skies.
The series will broadcast on the network's Fox Entertainment channel in July, just weeks after it starts in the USA on cable channel TNT.
Falling Skies is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, along with DreamWorks television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, Graham Yost (Justified, The Pacific) and screenwriter Robert Rodat, who received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan.
Rodat wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg.
The series is set in the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. In the six months since the initial invasion, the few survivors have banded together outside the major cities to begin fighting back.
Each day is a test of survival as citizen soldiers work to protect the people in their care whilst also engaging in an insurgency campaign against the occupying alien force.
At the centre of the series is Tom Mason (
Noah Wyle), a Boston history professor whose family has been torn apart. His wife was killed in the initial attack, and one of his three sons has been captured.
Determined to get his son back and to ensure the safety of his other two sons, Tom must put his extensive knowledge of military history to the test as one of the leaders of the resistance movement, known as the 2nd Mass because of their location in Boston Massachusetts.
They are constantly trying to gain intelligence about the aliens in order to outsmart and overtake them and hopefully rebuild their lives.
In the series Wyle, best-known for his award-winning work as Dr. John Carter on
ER, plays Tom Mason, the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians that battle against the invading alien force. Wyle received five Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations for his performances during 15 years on the show.
The series also stars
Moon Bloodgood, who starred in the short-lived series
Day Break and
Journeyman.
Falling Skies focuses on the resilience of the survivors and their determination to maintain their humanity when all else has been destroyed. It is a tale of endurance, commitment and courage in which everyday people are called upon to become heroes.
They may be outmatched, outnumbered and outgunned, but nothing can beat the human spirit.
Most of all, the series is about the ties that bind people together in difficult circumstances.
"We are thrilled to have finalised the first run pay television rights for Falling Skies from TNT and Dreamworks. The negotiations were tough and we are really pleased that we have managed to secure the rights for viewers in South Africa for TopTV and our partner broadcasters on the continent," said Thandi Davids, Regional Director Africa, Fox International Channels.
"Given the great storyline, the association with Spielberg and a stellar cast, we expect this series to be huge both globally and locally," she added.
The Walking Dead - which airs on Fox FX - broke all sorts of records for cable channel AMC in the USA and was nominated for numerous awards. It was instantly picked up for a second season, which will air in the USa and South Africa later this year.
We predict Falling Skies will follow a similar route, especially if the latest trailer is anything to go by...
TVSA will provide exact broadcast dates and times of the series closer to the premiere.