David Farnor | On 18, Sep 2017

Amazon has snapped up the worldwide rights to Emmy winner This Is Us and The Exorcist series.

The two shows premiered in the UK last year, with Channel 4 owning the first-run rights to This Is Us and Syfy UK nabbing the rights to the series based on William Friedkin’s classic horror film. Now, within hours of This Is Us winning two Emmy Awards – one for Guest Actor Gerald McRaney and one for Supporting Actor Sterling K. Brown – Amazon has inked a wide-reaching deal with 20th Century Fox Television Distribution today to bring the series to more than 200 countries and territories around the world.

This Is Us chronicles the Pearson family across the decades: from Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Rebecca (Mandy Moore) as young parents in the 1980s to their 37-year-old kids Kevin (Justin Hartley), Kate (Chrissy Metz) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown), searching for love and fulfillment in the present day. This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death.

“This high-profile US import more than lives up to its hype with a wonderfully nuanced, funny and moving ensemble of human drama,” we wrote in our review of the pilot. “Start tuning in; this looks like it’s going to be something special.”

More than four decades after the Academy Award-nominated film, The Exorcist is a propulsive, psychological thriller following two very different priests tackling one family’s case of horrifying demonic possession. Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. Father Marcus (Ben Daniels) is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his mission – and he constantly butts heads with his adversary within the church, Father Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan). Caught in the middle of the two priests is the Rance family, who are members of Tomas’ parish. On the surface, they’re a normal, American family, but all is not as it seems in this household. The mother, Angela, (Geena Davis) begs Tomas for help, unwittingly setting the naïve young priest on a collision course with Marcus. The series was created by Jeremy Slater and executive produced by Slater, Emmy Award nominee Rolin Jones, Rupert Wyatt, Roy Lee, James Robinson, David Robinson and Barbara Wall.

“This Is Us is one of the best new TV series, beloved by viewers and acclaimed by critics,” says Brad Beale, Vice President of Worldwide Television Acquisition for Amazon. “Prime Video members are going to love watching this Emmy award-winning show along with the thrilling horror series The Exorcist.”

“This Is Us has captivated audiences with its incredible storytelling and relatable characters that pull on our heartstrings, while The Exorcist, with its clever twists and big scares, has been something for horror fans to behold,” adds Evan Scheffel, Executive Vice President, The Americas, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution. “We’re very pleased to be teaming with Amazon on this deal and look forward to new audiences around the world discovering these great series.”

Amazon Prime Video will start introducing the first seasons of both shows to subscribers later this month.

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