Apple TV has acquired worldwide rights to Small Prophets, the BBC comedy-drama written, directed, and created by Mackenzie Crook, with a global launch set for October 7.
According to Deadline, the deal was made with Sphere Abacus and covers all territories except the United Kingdom, where the series will become available next year. The show aired earlier this year on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two, where it posted the best 28-day launch ratings for a comedy on that channel since 2022.
Crook, best known for The Detectorists, also appears in the series in a small role. The lead is played by Pearce Quigley, also from The Detectorists, alongside Lauren Patel, Michael Palin, Jon Pointing, and Paul Kay.
The series follows Michael Sleep, an ordinary man who has worked in a DIY store for seven years since his partner Clea disappeared. When his elderly father Brian, played by Palin, shares a recipe for a potion that can create homunculi — magical spirits said to predict the future — Michael brews it in hopes of learning whether Clea will ever return. His young coworker Kacey, played by Patel, helps him, and an unlikely friendship develops between the two, partly through their shared dislike of their store manager.
The show is set in and around suburban Manchester and includes animated sequences to depict its more fantastical elements. It holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and won the International Panorama prize at Series Mania earlier this year.
Crook and Lisa Thomas serve as executive producers for Treasure Trove Productions, with Christine Gernon and Emma Strain executive producing for Blue House Productions, a Manchester-based company.
Deadline described the show's tone as likely to sit comfortably alongside Ted Lasso on the Apple TV platform, given its gentle British sensibility.
