Series Mania 2026: Chase Infiniti, ‘Harry Potter,’ Duffy, Poland’s ‘Proud’ and a Snapshot of Europe’s TV Industry at a Crossroads

Kicking off with the world premiere of “The Handmaid’s Tale” sequel “The Testaments” no less, an intense Series Mania TV festival wrapped March 27 after eight days of often anticipated series screenings as well as a snap-shot of Disney+ and HBO Max’s ambitions for Europe and the differing ways in which Europe’s own industry is reacting to post-Peak TV. With 5,200 delegates at the Series Mania Forum, its industry area, and 110,000 spectators, 2026’s edition did nothing to dent the status of Series Mania as Europe’s biggest and most important TV festival. That said, somebody could have done something about this year’s weather. A baker’s dozen of takeaways from this year’s Series Mania, which ran March 20-27 in Lille, northern France. Popular on Variety Bright Star Burning Brighter: Chase Infiniti and ‘The Testaments’ Infiniti broke out in David E. Kelley’s 2024 “Presumed Innocent” and then of course captured global attention with “One Battle After Another.” One Golden Globe, two BAFTA nominations and a stunning Oscar red carpet appearance later, the Hulu/Disney+ “The Handmaid’s Tale” sequel “The Testaments” world premiered March 20 at Series Mania with Infiniti Chase its star. Variety caught the world premiere though reactions to the show are currently under Disney embargo. Creator Bruce Miller’s comments can be quoted, however. He has already likened Infiniti’s performance to watching Elisabeth Moss as June/Offred for the very first time. That’s the highest praise one could give. MB/JH Disney+ Promises to Ramp Up Content Investment in Europe In the biggest keynote at the Series Mania Forum, its industry platform, and in her first public appearance since being named last year head of content for Disney+ Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Angela Jain said Disney+ is “going to invest” across Europe “and there’s already evidence that we’re ramping up. Otherwise, I’d be sitting her making false promises.” Signs take in a Disney+ doc profiling Welsh soul singer Duffy, behind megahit “Mercy” in 2008 who subsequently suffered kidnapping and sexual assault, Spanish docuseries “Abandoned,” “Murder on Lake Garda” – an Italian “classic whodunit,” Jain said – and “The Strange Story of Gustav Maier,” a Turkish comedy featuring a 350-year-old vampire virgin. JH HBO Max Moves Waves at Series Mania And another bullish U.S. keynote: HBO Max Head of Original Content Sarah Aubrey moved waves not only drilling down on producing the “Harry Potter” series – a “lot of pressure,” a “financial investment we normally wouldn’t make” but “the world created is absolutely extraordinary.” Aubrey described recently taking influencers to the show’s set, recalling how some “burst into tears.” She also announced an exclusive TV first-look deal with Domingo Corral, when head of fiction at Spanish pay TV/SVOD Movistar Plus+ behind Rodrigo Sorogoyen’s “The New Years,” Alauda Ruiz de Azúa’s 2025 Series Mania top winner “Querer” and two-time Oscar nominee “Sirāt.” ES/JH Buzz Titles: Poland Stands ‘Proud,’ BBC’s Triple Triumph Two early 2026 BBC gems which had British newspaper The Guardian reaching for superlatives in reviews – prison drama “Waiting for the Out” from Dennis Kelly (“Together”) and Sister and Mackenzie Crook’s “Small Prophets” – swept respectively Series Mania’s main competition screenplay award and best series and actress (Lauren Patel) in International Panorama. That was always on the cards. Less so, the 2026 Grand Prix and actor (Ignacy Liss) win for Poland’s ‘Proud,’ about a young gay party animal suddenly forced to step up his game and take care of his sister’s baby. MB, JH Churchill’s Spirit Floats Over Series Mania “I can’t help but think that Europe, as a continent, has forgotten how to tell its own story,” said Council of Europe’s Secretary General Alain Berset in a rollicking speech Thursday anticipating the formal signing of a Convention set to plow moneys into TV series co-produced across Europe. So Berset told one story: “‘University of Zurich, 1946. Churchill goes to the podium and argues Europe has only one way forward: reconcile former enemies.’ This in not fiction and was how the Council of Europe was born.” Berset went onto argue for a “democratic” access to markets for Europe’s producers, “not access distorted by opaque algorithms and market forces that concentrate the power in the hands of the few. It’s a reason why we need to work more together.” JH Series Trends “While this year has seen an undeniable contraction in the sector, an unexpected benefit has emerged: Today’s series creation seems to be less about scale and more about accuracy,” said Laurence Herszberg and Frédéric Lavigne, Series Mania managing director and artistic director, in an introduction to Series Mania. “There are fewer epic narratives and more concentrated, sometimes harsh offerings, often directly connected to a world under tension. In the face of contemporary political, social, and ideological upheavals, series continue to play their role as sensitive seismographs, offering warnings, resistance, and possible escape routes.” They noted in particular how “the representation of authoritarian and fascist systems runs through many of the works in the program,” checking Belgium’s “Breendonk,” “The Anatomy of a Moment,” ”Etty” and of course “The Testaments.” JH The Crunch: Where Europe’s Public Broadcasters Go Next So what is happening in Europe? Its TV sector looks to be at a crossroads. Despite Berset’s oratory, one day later at Series Mania Disney+ announced an accord to share content from Spanish state broadcaster RTVE. Maybe the most significant stats revealed at Series Mania came from Ampere Analysis which observed that over 2023-25, SVOD services in Western Europe dominated by four companies – Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max), grew €7 billion ($8.05 million). TV advertising, by contrast, contracted by €600 million ($690 million). Public TV grew but by just €400 million ($460 million). Yet state-backed TV operators accounted in 2024 for 56% of all TV fiction titles produced in Europe (56%), followed by private broadcasters (30%). Global streamers were way behind (14%), according to a recent report from the European Audiovisual Observatory. The state networks are suffering, moreover. Budgets are being pared. “YouTube is taking up a lot of viewing time and they are having a difficult time competing with streamers for young audiences,” ex-ZDF exec Robert Franke, now CEO of Germany’s Intaglio Films, noted at Series Mania. JH Arte, New8 Fly the Flag of European Alliances Some European public broadcasters are fervent believers on Europe going it alone. Faced with the market dominance of U.S. global streamers, Europe has to hit back via “alliances and diversity, establishing a permanent dialog between its different worlds of imagination and cultures,” Arte France CEO Bruno Patino said in a keynote. New8, an northern European alliance of eight state TV operators, unveiled a third slate of co-productions at Series Mania. “Through New8, we are ensuring that public service media remains a vital force for unity and insight,” said NRK drama head Marianne Furevold-Boland. Other honchos are not so convinced about going it aloe in Europe, however. JH Budget Squeeze, Strategic Pivot Facing tightening budgets, France Télévisions, one of the biggest public TVs in Europe, is recalibrating its strategy as Manuel Alduy, the head of international series and films, pushes to deepen ties with streamers, even as the French broadcaster absorbs a 10% drop in overall content spend. The squeeze, which is also felt by other TV groups, is forcing a scaling down on high-end event miniseries, now capped at two per year, while streamers present both an opportunity and a challenge around rights and control. France Télévisions is also holding the line on investing in local European content, though they could start buying American shows (a cheaper way to fill slots) again if their budgets are cut further. EK YouTube Builds Momentum Shortly after Ted Sarandos branded YouTube a “straightforward direct competitor,” the platform’s France and Southern Europe chief Justine Ryst doubled down at Series Mania, laying out its scale and strategy. She said YouTube has paid out more than $100 billion to creators between 2021 and 2025, outpacing traditional content spending, while refusing to operate as a traditional commissioner. With 2.7 billion monthly users and an audience set to dwarf subscription-based streamers, YouTube is positioning itself as an inevitable distribution partner for broadcasters and pay-TV players, driving incremental audiences, younger demos and even subscriptions. EK More Buzz Titles: ‘Major Players,’ ‘The Anatomy of a Moment,’ ‘Etty,’ ‘Babies’ Molly Manning Walker scored a hit with “Major Players,” proving that the success of “How to Have Sex” was no fluke. While presented at the festival as a work in progress, the show delighted the audience with its story of aspiring young female footballers. Its wicked sense of humor had spectators giggling throughout all three episodes, only to then break their hearts a little. An Arte double, “The Anatomy of a Moment,” from Alberto Rodríguez and Movistar Plus+ and “Etty,” an extraordinary series from Hagai Levy, on an extraordinary exemplary figure shown in its complete six episodes at Series Mania, also sparked instant fan bases. The U.K. also delighted with “Babies,” a tender and thoughtful take on pregnancy loss from Stefan Golaszewski. It is bound to receive a whole new wave of attention thanks to the casting of Paapa Essiedu, recently revealed as new Severus Snape in the upcoming “Harry Potter,” fast emerging as a new gold standard for stardom. Rarely has a series not screening at Series Mania driven so much conversation at the French TV Festival. MB, JH New Drive for Originality In Scandinavia, after Viaplay’s 2023 collapse as a commissioning powerhouse, “everyone seems to be much more cautious, looking for something that’s more secure,” Maipo Films’ Synnøve Hørsdal noted at Series Mania’s opening conference session. What was so notable about the buzz titles at this year’s Series Mania, however, was that there were so many of them, not only in series selected but slates brought onto the market, such as Banijay’s 17-title Series Mania lineup. “I’m hearing from the streaming services that shows should have a genre, but they would encourage producers to be significantly bolder in the subjects that they’re choosing,” Steve Matthews, Banijay head of scripted, creative, told Variety. “Now is not the time to be conservative because I think they’re looking like they need shows to pop and shine through, and that doesn’t come from timid thinking.” In a highly competitive environment, if Series Mania 2026 was anything to go by, a significant number of Europe’s top companies are driving into originality in order to score precious series orders. JH And What You’ve Been Waiting For, How Was the Weather at Series Mania? Despite plenty of exciting projects inside Lille’s Grand Palais, the weather outside was downright miserable. Wind gusts of up to 20 mph, temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius), scattered storms and the occasional occurrence of hail made this year’s festival hard to get around. When this writer foolishly forgot her iPods inside the Palais, the 15-minute walk to fetch them — during which I was almost toppled over by wind and accosted by sleet — was enough to make her hole up in her hotel room for the rest of the day. Though it was lovely when the sun came out once or twice, the grey weather paired with Lille’s industrial environment had more than a few festival-goers dreaming of brighter pastures. ES More Deals Struck at Series Mania *Iceland’s Act4, co-led by ‘Severance’ star Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is teaming with Kari Skogland, director of “The Handsmaid’s Tale,” to adapt “Dead Weight,” from fast-emerging Icelandic novelist Hildur Knútsdóttir. *All3Media International have scored global pre-sales for Gemma Arterton spy thriller “Secret Service” led by deals with ARD Plus, Movistar Plus+, Stan, Sky and BBC. *‘Squid Game’ stars Lee Byung-hun and Han Jimin (“Heavenly Ever After” ) have begun production on Disney+ K-Drama “The Koreans,” a reimagining of FX’s “The Americans.” *German pubcaster ARD and WDR have re-upped for a Season 2 reversion of “Ghosts,” the BBC Studios mega-breakout hit sitcom format which has ru for five seasons on CBS. *Gaumont USA has optioned “Opus,” an explosive exposé of shadowy Catholic organization Opus Dei, written by financial journalist Gareth Gore. *The HBO Max and WBD Access writers’ program is returning for a second year to the Series Mania Institute. Now titled Script Engine, the sophomore edition will “focus on writers with demonstrable connection to France, Spain, Italy and Germany.” *Beta Film has boarded the fertility clinic-set Spanish dramedy “In Vitro,” selected for Series Mania’s Buyers Upfront. *South African crime novelist Deon Meyer bestsellers are set to get TV Adaptations from Both Worlds, Paradoxal. The Netflix adaptation of Meyers’ spy thriller “Heart of the Hunter” reached No. 1 on its global top 10 for English-language films. *‘Empathy’ director Guillaume Lonergan is set to shoot debut feature “Denise sans Denis,” tarring Josée Deschênes and mixing comedy and drama, realism and dreamlike moments,” Lonergan told Variety. *In another sign of the building our of Asian shows, Global Constellation has boarded haunting Indonesia-set drama “Heaven’s Gate.” *Beta Film Group’s Autentic has nabbed world rights to Contrast Film’s Swiss docuseries “Game Over – The Fall of Credit Suisse.” *The “Soviet Jeans” team has kicked off production on late-Soviet love story, “The Last Divorce of Communism.” *France TV Distribution has closed the U.S., Canada, U.K. with Walter Presents on singular French procedural “Curious by Nature” with “Three Colors: Blue” star Florence Pernel in an effusive turn. *Talked up at a Quebec Showcase at Series Mania, the “Getting Under Your Skin” undercover drama from Simon Boulerice’ (“Take Care”) has been greenlit for a second season. *Actors Tzi Ma, Rae Dawn Chong and Aileen Wu have boarded Canadian television series “Charlie Chan,” a contemporary reimagining of the iconic character set in Vancouver, Canada. *Okada Junichi is set to host Nippon TV’s “The Floor” Asia’s first edition of the global quiz format. JH