EXCLUSIVE: Fox has kicked off its equivalent of pilot season with a straight-to-series order to The Interrogator, a spy drama series written, executive produced by and starring British actor-comedian Stephen Fry. The project, a co-production between Lionsgate Television and Fox Entertainment Studios, is Fox’s second new scripted series order for the 2026-27 season, joining the long-gestating Baywatch reboot which was grenelighted to series in September.
It may not be the last. I hear Fox brass had narrowed the pool of drama contenders to three frontrunners — The Interrogator, Katie Greaves (working title) by Sharr White and Blood Ties by Tom Szentgyorgyi — with one of the other two likely to go to series.
The network is believed to remain open for business if the right drama pitch comes along despite its current slate performing well, with all series looking good for renewal: freshmen Best Medicine and Memory of a Killer and sophomores Doc and Murder In a Small Town. (Memory of a Killer is only two episodes in, so it may need a few more weeks, but the crime drama starring Patrick Dempsey had gotten off to a promising ratings start.)
With the Fear Factor reboot on the unscripted side also coming in strong, Fox likely won’t have many holes on the 2026-27 schedule to fill but could accommodate more scripted series by shorter orders and year-round scheduling.
While unscripted programming had been dominant on the network over the last couple of years, with only two hours of live-action scripted series on the fall 2025 schedule for example, the ratio may change in favor of scripted as more series get traction. (Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn now oversees both scripted and unscripted, making the balance between the two areas more fluid and easier to tweak.)
After reassessing its development process over the pandemic under Thorn, the network shifted almost exclusively to a direct-to-series model, which is why, instead of pilot orders we would expect this time of year at a broadcast network, we have a series greenlight for The Interrogator.
The new strategy also involves an emphasis on ownership, with a push for Fox to be the studio or co-studio on its new scripted series. The Interrogator is a co-production with Lionsgate TV; Katie Greaves is wholly owned, Blood Ties is a co-production with Universal Television.
The Interrogator pilot script was written by Fry, with revisions from Matt Pyken (Empire) as well as Bill Harper (Fire Country) whose contribution was considered key in securing the greenlight. The drama centers on former MI6 agent Conrad Henry (Fry) and his elite team. When conventional methods have failed, Henry’s quirky charm, superior intellect and mind-bending behavioral maneuvers make him the only man able to lockpick the minds of the world’s most dangerous criminals.
Fry, Harper and Pyken executive produce with Paul McGuigan, who will direct, Anonymous Content, Neil Burger, and Likely Story’ Anthony Bregman and Miriam Mintz.
This marks Fry’s return to Fox where he had a recurring role on Bones. He most recently appeared on the Netflix comedy series Too Much and as a contestant on BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors and will next be seen reprising his role as King James III on Prime Video’s Red, White & Royal Wedding and in Frank and Percy, a film adaptation of the play of the same name. He is repped by CAA and Hamilton Hodell.
English (US) ·