Showtime Acquires Two ITV Studios Premium Thrillers: “The Guest” and “Coldwater” [VIDEO]

SHOWTIME® today announces the acquisition of two premium thriller titles 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 Sunday, October 19 @ 9:00PM ET/PT on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME in the US. Remaining episodes will premiere weekly. COLDWATER will premiere in early 2026. The most captivating stories and experiences are on Paramount+. Get Started!

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 1 September 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 might actually want 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 (Lost Boys & Fairies, Slow Horses), Emun Elliott (Sexy Beast, The Gold, Guilt), Bethan Mary-James (Death Valley, Sisters, Friday Night Dinner), Julian Lewis Jones (Dope Girls, House of the Dragon and The Wheel Of Time), Joseph Ollman (Queenie, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Spent), Clive Russell (Game of Thrones, One Piece, The Witcher), Catherine Ayers (Missing You, The Way).

COLDWATER premiered on Sunday, 14 September 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).

About ITV Studios

ITV Studios is a creator, producer, and distributor of world-leading programmes that people can’t get enough of. We connect millions of people every day and shape and reflect the world they live in.

ITV Studios is home to some of the best creative minds, crafting around 7,500 hours of original programming across 60 production labels. Our global footprint spans 13 countries including the UK, US, Australia, France, Germany, The Nordics, Italy and the Netherlands and our global distribution business sells our catalogue of 95,000+ hours to broadcasters and platforms around the world.

ITV Studios has 160+ owned and operated channels in the social space delivering over 10bn views in 2024, as well as 20 FAST channels on 100+ channel feeds globally. It launched a new label, Zoo 55 dedicated to expanding its digital and gaming activity, in January 2025.

ITV Studios is part of ITV PLC, which includes the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster ITV and the ad-funded, free streaming home for ITV, ITVX.

About Quay Street Productions (part of ITV Studios)

Founded in 2021 by multi-award-winning producer Nicola Shindler, Quay Street Productions creates contemporary, provocative, and entertaining drama for UK and global audiences. Based in Manchester, the company collaborates with both new and established writers to tell diverse and compelling stories.

Russell T Davies’ drama Nolly, starring Helena Bonham Carter as soap opera legend Noele “Nolly” Gordon, and Significant Other by Dana Fainaru and Hamish Wright, starring Katherine Parkinson and Youssef Kerkour, both launched on ITVX and ITV in 2023. Feature-length BBC One drama Men Up, written by Bafta-winner Matthew Barry and starring Iwan Rheon, aired Christmas 2023, and After The Flood, written by Bafta-nominated Mick Ford and starring Sophie Rundle, launched on ITV1 and ITVX last year, and the second series will return to ITV1 and ITVX soon.

Harlan Coben’s Netflix series Fool Me Once, written by Bafta-winner Danny Brocklehurst, starring Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Richard Armitage, and Joanna Lumley, premiered globally last January, and became the most-watched series in the US in 2024, on any platform, and joined Netflix’s global chart of its top 10 most popular English-language shows of all time. To date, the series has over 108 million views since its launch in January 2024.

Dead Hot, written by Charlotte Coben and commissioned by Amazon Prime Video for UK and Ireland, dropped in March 2024, followed by Tubi to serve the US. Toby Whithouse’s The Red King aired on UKTV in April 2024. Missing You, a Harlan Coben series for Netflix, written by Victoria Asare-Archer and starring Rosalind Eleazar, Ashley Walters, and Sir Lenny Henry, launched January 2025 and the next adaptation, Run Away, starring James Nesbitt, Minnie Driver, Ruth Jones and Alfred Enoch, is launching in 2026 as part of the ongoing collaboration. Catherine Moulton’s The Stolen Girl for Disney+ launched in April 2025.. The Guest written by Matthew Barry and starring Eve Myles and Gabrielle Creevy for BBC iPlayer, BBC Wales, and BBC One launched in September 2025. Lazarus, an original idea created by Harlan Coben and BAFTA-winner Danny Brocklehurst, and also written by Danny Brocklehurst and Harlan Coben will launch on Prime Video in October 2025.

Projects in production include Tip Toe, an upcoming drama written by Bafta-winner Russell T Davies for Channel 4, and The Blame written by Megan Gallagher for ITV and ITVX.

Quay Street Productions is part of ITV Studios.

Instagram: @QuayStreetProductions

www.quaystreetproductions.co.uk

About SISTER

SISTER is an independent, global entertainment group on a mission to develop, produce and invest in visionary creators. Upcoming projects from SISTER London include the second season of acclaimed series Black Doves (Netflix), as well as The Woman in Cabin 10 (Netflix), The Dream Lands (BBC One/NBC Universal), and Prodigies (Apple TV+). SISTER has produced shows including Coldwater (ITV/Showtime); Eric (Netflix), Kaos (Netflix), The Power (Prime Video); This is Going to Hurt (BBC/AMC); Landscapers (SKY/HBO); The Split 1-3 (BBC One/AMC+) and the Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning Chernobyl (Sky/HBO). In addition, SISTER has made a series of bold investments, partnering with creator-led businesses across both the UK and US to make breakout stories across all forms of media. These include Dorothy St Pictures the multi award-winning producers behind The Greatest Night in Pop, Pamela: A Love Story and the forthcoming Victoria Beckham docuseries (with Studio 99) for Netflix, independent film producers, South of the River Pictures founded by Academy Award and BAFTA-winning actor Olivia Colman and screenwriter Ed Sinclair, whose recent projects include the critically acclaimed feature The Roses for Searchlight Pictures, British animation company Locksmith Animation (Ron’s Gone Wrong, That Christmas); new non-scripted TV and tech entertainment company Yes Yes Media from Richard Bacon, and a partnership with iconic London music venue KOKO. In the US, SISTER has invested in Peabody-nominated podcast studio Campside Media; Zando, the ambitious publishing venture from Molly Stern behind recent NYT Best Sellers The Butcher Game, Leather & Lark, and Lights Out; Unanimous Media, Stephen Curry’s content studio, and AWA Studios, a comic book, film & TV studio.