Transplant Creator Joseph Kay Signs Exclusive Netflix Deal
Joseph Kay, the creator and showrunner of the medical drama Transplant, has signed an exclusive overall deal with Netflix, The Hollywood Reporter reported on 28 October 2026.
An overall deal is a contract that keeps a writer or producer working for one company across many projects, rather than on a single show. Exclusive means Kay will work only with Netflix under the arrangement. A showrunner is the person who runs a series day to day, from the writers' room through to the final edit.
Under the deal, Kay will develop and write new TV series for Netflix in Canada. The first project is an untitled family drama, which has no name yet.
Kay is best known for Transplant, which ran for four seasons. The show follows a Syrian refugee who works as a doctor in a Toronto trauma unit. It aired on NBC in the United States and was produced by Sphère Média Plus in association with CTV and NBCUniversal International Studios. Kay's earlier TV writing credits include Ransom, This Life and Republic of Doyle.
His work with Netflix already goes beyond the new deal. Kay worked as a consulting producer on Season 2 of North of North, an Arctic-set comedy that also airs on CBC. The Hollywood Reporter said that season was set to return on 5 November. Kay also co-executive produced Netflix's upcoming adaptation of Carley Fortune's novel This Summer Will Be Different.
A consulting producer advises on a show's scripts and direction without necessarily running the production. A co-executive producer sits higher up, helping oversee the project's creative and business side. Both roles sit alongside the writers and crew who do most of the daily work.
The report names Danielle Woodrow and Tara Woodbury, both directors of content at Netflix Canada, in connection with the deal. Kay is represented by Dustin Alpern and Conrad Sun at Sundust Management. The agreement was negotiated by Casey Chisick of Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP.
For viewers, the next thing to watch is the family drama. It is the first title under the deal, and it still needs a name and a release date. For the writers and crew who would work on it, that is where the real schedule begins.
