Sony Pictures Television has picked up exclusive format and global distribution rights to “Medici” producer Lux Vide’s hit Italian medical drama “Doc – Nelle Tue Mani”.
Under the deal, SPT Studios will develop a U.S. adaptation of the show, which has scored record ratings on Italy’s public broadcaster RAI. They will also distribute the original Italian version internationally, outside of Italy, alongside potential local-language remakes.
Praised by Italian media as a mix of “House” and “The Good Doctor,” albeit with a distinctive flair, Lux Vide’s “Doc” turns on a prominent physician who, following a head injury, suffers permanent partial memory loss but still finds a new way to practice his profession.
The medical procedural, starring Luca Argentero (“Eat Pray Love”) and directed by Jan Michelini (“Devils”), bowed last March on flagship station RAI-1 during the pandemic, and drew a record-breaking 30% average audience share.
The deal is the second major scripted format collaboration between Lux Vide and SPT, who recently wrapped production on the international drama “Leonardo”, starring Aidan Turner, and co-produced with Sony Pictures Television and Big Light Productions.
“We are incredibly proud of this series and it is a shining example of Lux Vide building its alliance with SPT, as we continue to expand our storytelling in major markets around the world,” said Lux Vide CEO Luca Bernabei in a statement.
Bernabei added that the production company initially feared that “some people might turn away from medical storylines amid the pandemic,” noting that, instead, the opposite happened. “Medical stories that explore real-life heroes who step up on behalf of society when the worst things imaginable happen, have never been more relevant,” he said.
Mike Wald, executive vice president for distribution and networks at Sony Pictures Television, noted that at its core “‘Doc’ is a human story with truly universal appeal and the success and acclaim it received in Italy, in this most unprecedented of years, is a testament to its uniqueness and quality.”
