Professionals is an action television series starring Tom Welling and Brendan Fraser. It is an international production and is based on the 2012 film Soldiers of Fortune. The first season was commissioned by Viaplay. A second season is planned, with the showrunners looking for a new network to pick up the show.
| Professionals | |
|---|---|
 Original poster | |
| Genre | Action |
| Based on | Soldiers of Fortune |
| Developed by | Jeff Most & Michael Colleary |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Kormac |
| Country of origin | South Africa Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography |
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| Editors |
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| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 48 minutes[1] |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | Viaplay |
| Release | November 23 – December 21, 2020 |
Premise
editThe series follows Captain Vincent Corbo, a mercenary and former intelligence officer, who is hired by billionaire futurist Peter Swann and his medical visionary fiancee Grace Davila to investigate the suspected sabotage of his advanced medical satellite. Corbo along with his team of security professionals discovers a conspiracy involving corporate rivals, corrupt government officials, and a shadowy crime syndicate to destroy Swann and take control of his tech business.
Cast and characters
edit- Tom Welling as Vincent Corbo, a mercenary and former intelligence officer
- Brendan Fraser as Peter Swann, a billionaire futurist controlling a large tech empire who hires Corbo
- Elena Anaya as Graciela "Grace" Davila, a visionary medical expert and fiancee of Swann
- Ken Duken as Kurt Neumann, a rogue Europol agent with a vendetta against Corbo
- Saïd Taghmaoui as Tarik Basari
- Lisa Loven Kongsli as Zora Swann
- August Wittgenstein as Luther Bruhn
- Tanya van Graan as Romy Brandt
- Danielle Ryan as Sophia Elias
- Kai Luke Brümmer as Danny Corbo
- Stevel Marc as Tyler "Trig" Raines
- Nic Rasenti as Jack "Hacksaw" Smythe
- Ziggy Marley as Elizabeth
- Jazarra Jaslynn as Jane Swann
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Snipe Hunt" | Bharat Nalluri | Teleplay: Michael Colleary Story by : Jeff Most & Michael Colleary | November 23, 2020 |
| 2 | "Entanglements" | Bharat Nalluri | Michael Colleary | November 23, 2020 |
| 3 | "The Knives of Friends" | Bharat Nalluri | Michael Colleary | November 30, 2020 |
| 4 | "Vectors" | Thabang Moleya | Christian O'Reilly | November 30, 2020 |
| 5 | "Process of Elimination" | Thabang Moleya | Paul Walker | December 7, 2020 |
| 6 | "Hot Zone" | Oliver Schmitz | Rohan Dickson | December 7, 2020 |
| 7 | "The Hunted" | Oliver Schmitz | Rohan Dickson | December 14, 2020 |
| 8 | "The Alamo" | Oliver Schmitz | Rohan Dickson | December 14, 2020 |
| 9 | "Deep Fake" | Ciaran Donnelly | Rohan Dickson | December 21, 2020 |
| 10 | "Swan Song" | Ciaran Donnelly | Paul Walker | December 21, 2020 |
Production
editThe series was created by Jeff Most and Michael Colleary, and is loosely based on the 2012 film Soldiers of Fortune. Each season is intended to star Tom Welling as Vincent Corbo protecting a new client, with the first season's client being Peter Swann who is portrayed by Brendan Fraser.[2]
The first season was commissioned by Viaplay who announced it in May 2019, and was co-produced by Most Media, Subotica, Spier Films Production, Roadside Attractions, Jeff Most Productions, Highbridge Production, Leonine Holding (then Tele München Group) and Viaplay.[3]
The series began filming in late May 2019 in South Africa and Ireland[3] under Leonine Holding and wrapped up in September 2020.[4] It was released on 23 November 2020.[5]
The first season was acquired by The CW for broadcasting in the United States, but it passed on renewing the show for a second season. The showrunners have stated that they are looking for another outlet to pick up the show.[2]
International broadcast
editThe series was acquired for broadcast in the United States in September 2021 by The CW[6] and premiered on 11 October 2022 and ended in December 2022.[7] The show was quietly cancelled in June 2023 due to low ratings and a shift in the network's strategy amongst its acquisition by Nexstar. Nexstar has stated that they will greenlight more unscripted productions going forward into the future. Jeff Most responded to the cancellation saying that he's hopeful that another network will pickup the series, and that they're currently working on the second season and are pitching the series to other networks and shopping it around.
References
edit- ^ "Professionals". Viaplay. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Mittovich, Matt Webb (13 June 2023). "Professionals Seeking New Home After CW Passes on Season 2 — Who Might Return? (Exclusive)". TVLine. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b White, Peter (31 May 2019). "Brendan Fraser, Tom Welling & Elena Anaya To Star In TV Remake Of Action Feature Soldiers Of Fortune For SVOD Viaplay". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (9 September 2020). "German Major Leonine Extends Pact With Thomas Augsberger's Eden Rock Media; Firm Wraps On Action Series Professionals". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Hult, Kime (24 November 2020). "Så dårlig at man nesten må le". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Swedish). Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (14 September 2021). "Tom Welling, Brendan Fraser Series Professionals Acquired by The CW". Variety. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Halterman, Jim (6 September 2022). "Professionals EPs Tease Brendan Fraser & Tom Welling High-Octane Action Series". TV Insider. Retrieved 15 June 2023.