J.K. Rowling Detective Show Rebranding as 'C.B. Strike' for US Viewers via Cinemax
J.K. Rowling's "Strike" detective series on BBC will rebrand as "C.B. Strike" when it hits the U.S. via Cinemax. The show is based on the novels that Rowling wrote from 2013 to 2015 under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
"C.B. Strike" will begin airing on Cinemax in June 2018. Originally, HBO will run the show in the U.S. but the network bosses decided "C.B. Strike" was more suitable for HBO's sister network.
"We're looking for opportunities to broaden our audience [on Cinemax] and appeal to viewers besides the kind of core adrenaline-action oriented viewer," HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming President Kary Antholis said. "We had an opportunity with 'C.B. Strike' — it's a very appealing, entertaining kind of whodunit show."
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"C.B. Strike" already aired five episodes lifted from the books "The Cuckoo's Calling" and "The Silkworm" this fall on U.K. television via BBC. Viewership averaged around 7.4 million weekly and a third book, "Career of Evil," will still air in early 2018 with another two episodes.
All seven episodes of "C.B. Strike" will run on Cinemax for an uninterrupted seven weeks. Rowling is also writing another book in her "Strike" series, which might also get a TV adaptation for BBC/Cinemax.
"C.B. Strike" focuses on a detective named Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke), a former war veteran who wears a prosthetic leg. Aiding him in his cases is Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger).
"I heard Chris Evans on the radio describe Strike as a cross between Cracker and Columbo and I like that!" Burke told What's On TV. "He is actually quite fragile though. He has had this exotic, weird childhood and is very gruff, but he has real heart, warmth and wit and he is a grafter and very intuitive."
Ben Richards ("Spook") developed Rowling's books for television but the "Harry Potter" was behind Richards all the way. She went to the script drafts and helped in the cutting room. She was also present during the casting process.
