ITV's The Blame Sells to Broadcasters Across Europe and Beyond, but Has No US Buyer Yet
ITV's six-part drama The Blame has been sold to broadcasters and streamers in a long list of countries, but it does not yet have a buyer in the United States. Deadline reported the international deals on 9 November 2026.
The series stars Michelle Keegan and Douglas Booth. It follows detectives looking into a murder that grows into a web of institutional cover-ups and moral compromise. It is based on the debut novel of the same name by Charlotte Langley, and it was written by Megan Gallagher, who has been nominated for an Emmy Award.
The show was made by Quay Street Productions for ITV. Quay Street is owned by ITV Studios, the production arm of the broadcaster. Fifth Season is co-producing the series and handling its sales abroad. Deadline reported in August 2025 that filming was due to take place over the summer in and around London.
Fifth Season has licensed the series to SVT in Sweden, TV2 in Norway, RTV Slovenija in Slovenia, DPG Media in Belgium, RTÉ in Ireland, NOS in Portugal and Pickbox in the Balkans. Licensing means a broadcaster or streamer pays to show a programme in its own country, while the producers keep ownership. Hot and Yes in Israel, OSN+ across the Middle East and North Africa, and Sky in New Zealand have also acquired the show.
The United States is the notable gap. Deadline said that no American buyer had been secured.
At home, the drama has done well with audiences. Its highest-rated episode drew a consolidated audience of 8.3 million on ITV and ITVX, according to Deadline. "Consolidated" is the industry term for counting viewing beyond the first live broadcast, including viewing on catch-up services. Deadline also described The Blame as the UK's biggest new drama across TV and streaming so far in 2026.
For viewers abroad, each new deal means the show will air on a channel or app in their own country, often with local subtitles or dubbing. For the people who made it, the spread of buyers is a way of recouping the cost of production beyond the UK. Kate Laffey is senior vice president of acquisitions at Fifth Season, the company behind the overseas sales.
No further details about broadcast dates or the US situation have been announced.
