Crackle announced development of two new scripted original series Sunday as well as a new name and logo for the Sony Pictures Entertainment ad-supported streaming service.
One of the two new series in the works is Butcher, a drama from Douglas Urbanski and Gary Oldman of Flying Studio Pictures. Written by Charles Burmeister, the series tells the story of a Los Angeles homicide detective’s mission to hunt down and kill a serial murderer with a supernatural element.
Also in development is Rob Riggle’s Jet Ski Academy, a new half-hour comedy starring Daily Show alum Riggle — who will also write and executive produce. Riggle will play a fictionalized version of himself who, in the middle of a mid-life crisis, buys a jet-ski school.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour Sunday, Crackle general manager Eric Berger announced that the streaming service would be renamed Sony Crackle. The rebranding will be paired with an upcoming refresh of the user interface for the service. Berger said that the change is part of a larger effort at Sony Pictures Entertainment — which has undergone a significant leadership transition with the arrival of Tony Vinciquerra, who joined the company as CEO last year — to more closely tie all SPE products and divisions to the Sony name.
