22 Dec 2014 5:07 PM PT
Los Angeles, December 19, 2014—Pivot announced today that Fortitude, the network’s first original scripted drama will premiere Thursday, January 29 at 10:00 pm ET with a special two-hour television event. The 12-part one-hour series, starring Stanley Tucci, Richard Dormer and Michael Gambon, airs Thursdays at 10:00 pm with encores every Friday at 10:00pm ET.
The dark drama series set in the melting Arctic, featuring psychological and thriller elements, tells the story of the small idyllic town of Fortitude, whose peaceful existence is shattered after a brutal and shocking murder. Above-average temperatures lead to a record ice melt revealing secrets long since hidden beneath the frozen landscape. Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Richard Dormer) leads the investigation and is forced to work alongside DCI Morton (Stanley Tucci), a detective who has flown into town from the mainland to contribute his forensic expertise. As the search for the killer progresses, their list of suspects – and suspicions of each other– grows.
Academy Award nominee Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones, The Hunger Games), Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, The King’s Speech), Christopher Eccleston (Thor: The Dark World, Lucan), Sofie Gråbøl (The Killing), Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones, Good Vibrations), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife, The Woman In Black), Luke Treadaway (Clash of the Titans), Nicholas Pinnock (Top Boy), Verónica Echegui (The Cold Light of Day), and Johnny Harris (This is England) star in the series, which was co-produced with Sky Atlantic and filmed in Iceland and the UK.
“For our first foray into scripted drama, we wanted to find a world that is intriguing and distinctive, and one that can highlight issues in an unexpected way,” said Belisa Balaban, EVP of Programming. “Fortitude spins a dramatic thriller around the unique characters who are drawn to this Arctic community, and a complex story around the potential unintended consequences of man’s impact on the environment.”
Fortitude is a Sky/Pivot Original Series, with international distribution handled by Sky Vision. The series is created, written, and executive produced by Simon Donald. Jeff Skoll and Holly Hines serve as executive producers for Pivot. Patrick Spence and Frith Tiplady serve as executive producers for Fifty Fathoms and Tiger Aspect. Anne Mensah and Cameron Roach serve as executive producers for Sky Atlantic.
About Sky Vision
Sky Vision is the international distribution arm of UK broadcaster, BSkyB. Formed in August 2012, Sky Vision represents a catalogue of award-winning primetime entertainment, formats, scripted and factual programming for international distribution.
As part of one of the world’s leading broadcasters, Sky Vision leverages relationships with global media organizations to fully exploit programming across all media platforms. The company works closely with the commissioning team at Sky as well as independent producers across the globe to build a catalogue of quality and scale.
About Pivot
Pivot (http://www.Pivot.tv) is a television network from Participant Media with a diverse slate of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. Pivot focuses on entertainment that sparks conversation, inspires change and illuminates issues through engaging content and, through its websiteTakePart.com, connects audiences to a wealth of content and customizable actions. Pivot is available in 47 million homes via major cable providers and offers subscribers a live and on-demand streaming option via its interactive, downloadable Pivot app. Follow Pivot on Twitter at and on Facebook at .
Participant Media (http://www.ParticipantMedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing, and digital content that inspires social change. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.