A comparatively new entrant to the OTT scene in India, Lionsgate Play was launched in December 2020. It is an independent streaming service from Starz, an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment. They’re working on producing original Indian content and recently announced an Indian remake of the critically acclaimed American TV show Casual, starring Lara Dutta and Prateik Babbar. Till that hits the screen, check out this handy guide to the best shows currently streaming on Lionsgate Play.
‘Normal People’
An Emmy-nominated Irish drama (pictured above), this show is based on Sally Rooney’s best-selling novel of the same name. It follows the lives of two high-school sweethearts Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), as they come to terms with adulthood and try to juggle their love for each other along with the demands of the outside world.
Creator: Lenny Abrahamson
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Sarah Greene, Aslin McGuckin
Seasons: 1 (2020)
‘Love Life’
This light-hearted rom-com will remind you of the fact that love often blooms in the unlikeliest of places. It revolves around the life of Darby Carter (Anna Kendrick) as she navigates work and romance in New York City. It has been renewed for a second season.
Creator: Sam Boyd
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Zoë Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compère
Seasons: 1 (2020)
‘No Man’s Land’
This show is a Syrian war drama that shadows young Antoine (Félix Moati), a Frenchman who is searching for his sister who is presumed dead. He travels all the way to the Fertile Crescent to look for her and encounters women Kurdish fighters battling a dangerous terrorist organization.
Creator: Oded Ruskin
Cast: Souheila Yacoub, Félix Moati, Mélanie Thierry, James Purefoy, Dean Ridge
Seasons: 1 (2020)
‘Love Island’
A multi-award-winning British reality series, this one is all about fun, flirting and romance. Shot in exotic locales, it follows a group of single men and women who must perform a selection of tasks with a partner, until they fall in love with one. They also have to win over the show’s viewers who will eventually decide who is to be crowned the season’s hottest couple.
Creator: Hayley MacFarlane
Cast: Demi Jones, Luke Trotman, Siânnise Fudge, Finn Tapp, Paige Turley
Seasons: 1
‘Romulus’
This period drama, set in the 8th century BC is a retelling of the founding of Rome. It explores the story of its founders, Romulus and his twin brother, Remus.
Creator: Matteo Rovere
Cast: Giovanni Buselli, Francesco Di Napoli, Andrea Arcangeli, Marianna Fontana
Seasons: 1 (2020)
‘The Girlfriend Experience’
A reinterpretation of the critically acclaimed film of the same name, this series spotlights the relationship between exclusive escorts and their clients. These escorts are women who provide ‘the girlfriend experience, which extends to them offering both sexual and emotional relationships at a high price.
Creator: Amy Seimetz
Cast: Riley Keough, Paul Sparks, Briony Glassco, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Harmony Korine
Seasons: 2 (2016, 2017)
‘Manhunt: Deadly Games’
This show follows the search for the serial bomber responsible for the 1996 bombing at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. As FBI agents chase an elusive serial bomber, a wrongly-accused man finds himself battling the FBI and the media to clear his name.
Creators: Andrew Sodroski, Jim Clemente, Tony Gittelson
Cast: Cameron Britton, Jack Huston, Gethin Anthony, Carla Gugino
Seasons: 1 (2020)
‘The Goes Wrong Show’
This award-winning series focuses on a fictional amateur group’s attempt to put on a series of TV plays, each of which ends up being a disaster. Filled with plenty of hilarious moments and the funniest actors, this one is family entertainment at its best.
Creator: Martin Dennis
Cast: Bryony Corrigan, Henry Shields, Charlie Russell, Jonathan Sayer, Dave Hearn
Seasons: 1 (2020)