The Guest and Coldwater Series Acquired by SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME has acquired two thriller series from multi-award-winning producers, distributed by ITV Studios: The Guest from Quay St Productions (Fool Me Once, Nolly, The Stolen Girl), part of ITV Studios, and Coldwater from SISTER (Black Doves, Eric, This Is Going to Hurt).
The Guest will debut on Friday, October 17, on streaming and on demand on Paramount+ for Premium plan subscribers, before its on-air debut on Sunday, October 19, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME in the US. Remaining episodes will premiere weekly. Coldwater will premiere in early 2026.
Tom Clark, EVP Global Sales & Commercial Strategy at ITV Studios, said, “I am so pleased that these gripping shows have found such a strong US partner in SHOWTIME. When it comes to premium British drama, it really doesn’t get any better than Quay Street and SISTER, so I have no doubt the discerning SHOWTIME audience won’t be able to get enough of either one.
“Our buyers told us what they wanted: intense, attention-grabbing thrillers, so we set out to find the best, and I’m excited for these two incredible titles to begin their global journeys.”
The Guest, which premiered on September 1 on BBC One, stars Eve Myles (The Crow Girl, Broadchurch) and Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves, Three Women). The four-episode series combines action, intrigue, and shocking twists with globally relevant themes of class and social mobility. The fast-paced thriller follows two unlikely friends as their lives begin to unravel.
The Guest follows Ria, who has never had the time or opportunity to think about what she truly wants from the world. But when she starts cleaning for charismatic businesswoman Fran, she’s intoxicated by this confident and self-assured woman who encourages her to take control of her life.
Fran makes Ria believe she’s capable of anything – until they find themselves standing over a dead body and everything is thrown dramatically off course. This fast-paced thriller tells the story of these two unlikely friends as their lives begin to unravel.
Packed with action, intrigue, and shocking hooks, it will be a fun, wild ride. Ria and Fran’s intense relationship will quickly spiral into an increasingly dangerous game of cat and mouse. But who is playing who?
The Guest is written by Matthew Barry (Men Up, Industry) and directed by Ashley Way (Men Up, Who is Erin Carter?), who also serve as executive producers alongside Nicola Shindler (Happy Valley, It’s A Sin, Fool Me Once, Queer as Folk) and Davina Earl (Men Up, The Red King).
The Guest also stars Sion Daniel Young, Emun Elliott, Bethan Mary-James, Julian Lewis Jones, Joseph Ollman, Clive Russell, and Catherine Ayers.
Coldwater premiered on Sunday, September 14, on ITV. The six-episode series stars Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead, Love Actually) in his long-awaited return to British television and Ewen Bremner (Our Flag Means Death, Trainspotting).
Coldwater is a twisted thriller about a normal man, in a normal marriage, who finds himself in a far-from-normal situation when he falls under the influence of someone incredibly dangerous.
In Coldwater, John (Lincoln) secretly rages at his life as a middle-aged, stay-at-home dad. When his failure to intervene in a violent confrontation in a city playground brings his identity crisis to a head, John moves his family to the rural idyll of Coldwater. On arrival, he is befriended by neighbour Tommy (Bremner), a charming, confident pillar of the community.
John is impressed by Tommy. However, he is blissfully unaware that Tommy is harbouring horrifying secrets. When John’s long-repressed rage finally explodes with disastrous results, he finds himself unexpectedly indebted to his new friend. But how long will it take for him to figure out just how dangerous Tommy really is?
Coldwater is created and written by David Ireland (The Lovers, Ulster American, Cyprus Avenue) and executive produced by Ireland, Chris Fry (Black Doves, Kaos, Landscapers), Alice Tyler (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies), Lydia Hampson (The Following Events are Based on a Pack of Lies, Fleabag) and Jane Featherstone (Black Doves, Eric, Chernobyl).
In addition to Lincoln and Bremner, it stars Indira Varma (Game of Thrones, Obsession, Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Eve Myles. It is directed by Lee Haven Jones (Passenger, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, Doctor Who) and Andrew Cumming (Out Of Darkness, Payback, Shetland).
