“The Boy Who Never Was” is this week’s global hit

Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s new biweekly column in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and movies that are making waves in their local territories. The industry is more globalized than ever, but breaking hits are emerging from all corners of the world, and it can be hard to keep up. So we’ll do the hard work for you.

This week we return to Ireland for a psychological thriller in the form of a mini-series The Boy Who Never Was to rave reviews and top ratings on public broadcaster RTÉ. The show, starring Colin Morgan and Toni O’Rourke, plays on a primal fear – that of losing a child and never being found – while also playing with memory and common sense. And with filming taking place in Ireland and Morocco, and investment also coming from Finland, The Boy Who Never Was is a production that reflects the way producers raise funds to bring their ideas to life.

Name: The Boy Who Never Was
Country: Ireland
Network: RTÉ, France Télévisions, UKTV
Producer: Subotica
For fans: Missing
Distributor: Abacus Ball

“Having a baby changes everything in your universe, and that’s the fear that drives this show—the feeling in your stomach as your child wanders through the supermarket,” says Tristan Orpen Lynch, founder and executive producer at Subotica, the Irish indie production company behind this weekly Global Breakout.

The Boy Who Never Was takes the concept of losing a child and makes it the central theme of a four-part miniseries. After an earthquake apparently kills their young son, couple Harry (Colin Morgan) and Robin (Toni O’Rourke) Lonergan are thrown into chaos after their child is supposedly spotted in Dublin. Harry becomes obsessed with finding his son and uncovering the truth, and grief, suffering, and deteriorating mental health are the dominant themes that contrast with the city-wide search.

Orpen Lynch calls the storyline “not sentimental but visceral and powerful,” adding that the series has recreated the “incredible energy” that was in the original book, a bestseller by Irish author Karen Perry (a collage of two writers, Karen Gillece and Paul Parry). “Is he crazy or is he right?”

The idea for the series began in an airport bookstore. A Swedish friend of Orpen Lynch’s, who was an avid reader, found the novel waiting for a flight and recommended it immediately. After reading Subotica, he found the authors and things took off from there. Sessions at Neary’s pub in Dublin helped the creative team develop the story, although the initial idea was for a feature film. After a few failed iterations, Orpen Lynch and his team realized that a limited series was the way to go.

Limited series have been hard to land lately, as money becomes tighter in scripted TV and commissioners seek out more profitable, responsive projects. “They’re hard to get rid of these days,” admits Orpen Lynch. But the producer had an ace up his sleeve in RTÉ’s director of co-productions and acquisitions, Dermot Horan, who backed the idea and played a key role in securing France Télévisions as a co-producer going forward. Harry the Wild writers Jo Spain and David Logan and director Hannah Quinn also joined the project, further strengthening the creative team. The project was joined by Sphere Abacus, then Abacus Media Rights, which later secured a co-production investment from UKTV and its British network Alibi.

“Dermot believes there are always gaps in the schedule, and limited series can fill them,” says Orpen Lynch. “As audiences change, so do their requirements in terms of their eating habits. A while ago we told buyers we wanted 10-12 episodes a year ago, and now we usually only have six. For us, the length of a series and its ‘returnability’ depends on the creative material, and if it’s really good for four parts sometimes, people will be happy.”

The Subotica boss, who founded his business in 1998 and has seen trends come and go, adds: “You have to have returnables on your list, but every now and then you come across an IP that seems to be really strong. If people stopped making limited-edition stuff, it would be a terrible shame from a business perspective. Returnables are best for business, but not necessarily good for creativity.”

Since part of the book takes place in Morocco, the decision was made to shoot the film in the North African country. Although Subotica is well-established as an international independent producer of films such as Aisha, Sonja, the White Swan, Ride AND TerminalThe company had never filmed in Morocco before but was pleasantly surprised by the crew’s established base in Casablanca. Line producer Hamid Herraf led the way on location, and Subotica was able to take advantage of a generous 30% discount on local expenses. “We had some unfounded concerns going in, but it was a revelation,” says Orpen Lynch.

Cultural Mixtures

Not only that, but he noticed that the Irish and Moroccan crew and actors had some similarities, such as a sense of humor. Despite the obvious cultural differences, “the Irish and Moroccan crews meshed well together,” says Orphen Lynch, working closely with director Quinn and cinematographer Tim Fleming, who had both previously worked in the country on Black Hawk on Fire.

Further funding was secured from Screen Ireland and the Finnish Impact Film Fund as Helsinki-based Aurora Studios moved into international production, leading to what Orpen Lynch calls “the stunning visuals you see in the first episode,” along with the casting of actress Milka Ahlroth.

The result was a series that, in its Sunday night premiere earlier this month, secured a 30% share, according to RTÉ, citing Nielsen figures, three times more than any of the public broadcaster’s rivals. The hope is streaming on RTÉ Player and its longer run. Reviews are in line with ratings.

“We’ve been delighted with the reviews and the online response,” says Orpen Lynch. “When a show comes out these days, you stare at your phone in horror, but when the reaction on social media is good, you can relax.”

Orpen Lynch says Subotic’s 20 years of experience in indie and TV production, working with everyone from Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Chastain and Colin Farrell to up-and-coming actors, have given him an edge in a highly competitive market. “It’s a tough business, and you have to adapt,” he says. “We’ve been in the indie world for years, and limited TV series have moved towards that approach. Indie producers have felt squeezed out, as traditional TV producers used to full-time jobs have found it harder to survive.”

Conceit The Boy Who Never Was may make you feel nauseous, but those who yearn for challenging, engaging dramas may feel satisfied.