TNT Greenlights Thriller ‘Deadlier Than the Male’

TNT has ordered the drama series Deadlier Than the Male, which the Turner network describes as “an intense, morally complex thriller about three damaged people trying to start over.” The series is being produced by Bruna Papandrea's Made Up Stories and Turner's Studio T.

Executive producers are Papandrea, Harriet Warner, who wrote the script; and Casey Haver of Made Up Stories. Houda Benyamina directed the pilot.

Lily Rabe, Enrique Murciano, Hamish Linklater and Amy Brenneman are in the cast. The series will begin production this summer in New Orleans.

Deadlier Than the Male is the holy grail of complicated female characters with a thrilling, layered storyline that will excite and shock audiences.” said Sarah Aubrey, executive VP of original programming for TNT.  “Harriet Warner, Bruna Papandrea, Houda Benyamina, Lily Rabe and Amy Brenneman are truly a dream team who have brought their brilliant creativity and talent to this mystery series.”

Deadlier Than the Male centers three characters with a mysterious past, including Emma (Rabe), a young woman who once looked into the eyes of a dangerous killer, John (Linklater), a former serial predator desperate to find redemption and Mary (Brenneman), a grieving mother obsessed with finding her missing daughter. As each of them is pushed to the edge, the truth about their pasts and motives grows murkier, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator.

"I couldn’t be more thrilled for Made Up Stories’ first TV series to have such incredible women behind and in front of the camera.” said Papandrea. Harriet Warner is a sublime talent. Houda Benyamina is a filmmaking force to be reckoned with and it has already been an amazing experience collaborating with this great cast and the incredible team at TNT."

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.