The Movie Network and Movie Central have ordered another eight scripts of the crime series The Weight, produced by Toronto’s The Nightingale Company, just as production on its first 8 x 60 run wraps in Toronto.

‘It’s not a commitment for a second season per se, but it certainly puts us in a good position because they’ve ordered scripts,’ producer Debbie Nightingale tells Playback Daily. ‘They have a limited budget and only do about two to three series a year, so it’s a big leap of faith for them.’

The series is slated to debut next fall on the pay channels, after production on the new episodes is expected to wrap in August.

The Weight stars Ron White (Lie with Me) and Daniel Kash (Fugitive Pieces) as two borderline bad cops. It is directed by Gail Harvey (Terry) and written by playwright George F. Walker and Dani Romain (This Is Wonderland), who are also executive producers.

Nightingale says TMN/MC were ‘keen’ on more episodes after they saw the raw footage, and ordered eight more scripts one day prior to MIPCOM.

Paris-based distributor Double V is handling sales in France and other French-speaking territories, while Alchemy Television is attached as international distributor.