USA Network is clearly feeling good about its scripted ambitions.
The cabler has handed a series order to medical drama Diplomatic Immunity, which comes from Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who know the network well, having created spy drama Covert Affairs, which ran for five seasons.
Diplomatic Immunity follows a young American doctor who is suddenly assigned to the medical office at the U.S. Embassy in Rome. He finds himself encountering challenging medical cases that require him to navigate diplomacy, government personalities and geopolitical situations – all while managing the romantic entanglements set against the thrill of a new life in a new country.
Corman and Ord, who also co-created Daredevil: Born Again for Disney+, will write, exec produce and serve as showrunners.
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The series is produced by Fox Entertainment Studios and marks the company’s first major scripted live-action sale to an external network.
The division is behind series such as The Way Home, which aired on Hallmark, and just sold Change of Heart to Hallmark+ and has co-produced international series such as Israeli drama One Day in October, which was acquired by HBO Max, but Diplomatic Immunity clearly marks a bigger shift for the studio.
The greenlight comes after recent drama series Anna Pigeon became its highest-rated original scripted launch in nearly eight years. Elsewhere, the Versant-owned network has season two of The Rainmaker coming up.
Fox Entertainment Global will serve as international distributor.
“USA Network has always been a home for compelling, character-driven storytelling, and Diplomatic Immunity delivers that with a fresh, global point of view,” said Val Boreland, President of Entertainment, Versant. “We’re thrilled to reunite with Matt and Chris on this smart drama that blends high-stakes medical cases, international intrigue and romance in a way that feels perfectly at home on the network.”
“This is an amazing full-circle moment for us. To be reunited with all the talented folks at USA is an absolute dream and the brilliant team at Fox are the perfect studio partners for this Roman adventure,” added Corman and Ord.