M ontreal’s KOTV is using the strength of its IP library to capitalize on opportunities in the English Canada market.

The English-language adaptation of the prodco’s time-bending anthology format Plan B premiered on CBC on Monday (Feb. 27), starring Suits actor Patrick J. Adams (pictured) and Karine Vanasse (Cardinal).

The original version of the anthology aired on Corus Entertainment’s Series+ in 2017, with Radio-Canada later ordering additional seasons. The format follows an individual using a mysterious agency to go back in time.

The first seasons of both the original and the English remake tell the story of a man, originally played by KOTV president Louis Morissette, who travels to the past to save his relationship.

Creator and executive producer Jean-François Asselin tells Playback Daily that, traditionally, Quebec series are more often adapted for the international French market. However, after making two seasons of Plan B in Quebec, producers felt it was the right piece of IP to cross over to English Canada.

He says they presented the series to CBC’s Sally Catto, general manager of entertainment, factual and sports, and her team after season two aired in 2018. The English version was greenlit by 2019. There was no development stage for the remake, according to a spokesperson for CBC, since they felt the original first season already had a strong story to tell.

One significant difference between producing for the French and English markets in Canada were the budget levels, according to Morissette. “Without giving the numbers, I have to say that this isn’t the usual amount of money that we’re used to working with,” he says. “[A Quebec series] would be a third of the budget that we’re working with for the English version.”

Red Arrow International came on board as the international distributor for the remake before the series went into production, according to Morrissette. The German distributor already held tape and format rights for the original version, and secured adaptation deals in France and Flemish Belgium. Financial support also came from the Canada Media Fund’s Anglophone Minority Incentive, and through SODEC.

Complications due to the COVID-19 pandemic also led to both a delayed start to production and disruptions during filming, says Morrissette. The series went to camera in summer 2022 in Montreal and wrapped in late fall, according to CBC.

Plan B is not the first English remake for KOTV, however. The company produced the Crave original sketch comedy Pillow Talk for a release in 2022, based on the original French-language version, titled Entre deux draps. Morrissette says Pillow Talk was a much easier shoot logistically, due it being filmed completely in studio and utilizing real-life couples to mitigate COVID-19 concerns. The series was renewed for a second season last year.

Morissette says the short-term strategy for KOTV is to identify pieces of IP from its current library that could translate to the English market, before eventually moving to developing original projects in English.

“I strongly believe that 75 to 80% of the productions that we could be doing in English will come from formats that we’ll break and fine-tune in our own market in Quebec,” says Morissette, adding that they’re building up their network in the English market in the meantime. “Hopefully things will change over the next five or 10 years.”

As a company that relies on monetizing its own IP in various ways, including format adaptations and sales through its in-house distribution arm, Morissette says he has been watching the proceedings around Bill C-11, and conversations around Canadian content and a potential two-tiered system for creators, closely. “I’ve spent the last 20 years as a screenwriter, and I don’t want my idea to be sold and lose control over the sequels or threequels,” he says.

As for what’s next for Plan B, Asselin says he is currently in development on a fifth season for the original French-language version, as well as a second season for the English remake. Neither series have been renewed as of press time. Red Arrow is currently at the London Screenings to present Plan B to buyers.

Image courtesy of CBC