A24’s recent win in the bidding war for the rights to turn the true crime podcast, The Girlfriends, into a television series highlights the studio’s aggressive buying strategy in the competitive IP market.
A24, the indie studio known for its successful productions, has once again emerged victorious in a bidding war, securing the rights to adapt the true crime podcast, The Girlfriends, into a TV series. The podcast, which launched in the summer, tells the gripping story of a group of women who come together to seek justice and put a murderous ex behind bars.
While details about the TV adaptation are being kept under wraps, it has been announced that Michael Showalter and his Semi-Formal Productions will be involved in the project. Showalter, who has been experiencing a streak of successes in both TV and film, will direct the series, with Jordana Mollick from Semi-Formal serving as an executive producer. They will be joined by a team of talented EPs, including Conal Byrne, Will Pearson, and Carrie Lieberman from iHeartPodcasts, as well as Julia Bromberg and Neil Krishnan from Novel.
A24’s victory in this bidding war comes at a time when the broader IP market has become increasingly competitive. The historic dual Hollywood strikes have disrupted production and limited available content, leading to a surge in demand for new projects. A24, backed by private equity, has been particularly aggressive in securing rights for various materials. They recently won another competitive bidding war for Paris Hilton’s memoir, which will also be adapted for TV.
If The Girlfriends ultimately makes it to air, it will join A24’s already impressive slate of projects. The studio is behind acclaimed series such as HBO’s Euphoria and Netflix’s Beef, as well as upcoming shows like The Sympathizer, starring Robert Downey Jr., for HBO, and The Curse, featuring Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, and Benny Safdie, for Showtime. On the film side, A24 achieved success with this year’s Oscar-winning film, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Semi-Formal Productions, founded in 2018, aims to tell heartfelt stories that are contemporary, edgy, and socially aware. Their previous projects include the Showalter-directed Spoiler Alert, based on journalist Michael Ausiello’s memoir, and the Apple TV+ series The Shrink Next Door, starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd, adapted from another popular podcast. Their upcoming film, The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway, is based on a best-selling novel and was directed and produced by Showalter for Amazon.
The Girlfriends podcast stands out from other true crime offerings by focusing on the women who were involved with the murderer, rather than the criminal himself. It sheds light on the experiences of Bob Bierenbaum’s wife, Gail, and the sisterhood of women who could have suffered a similar fate. Bierenbaum was eventually arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison in 2000. He confessed to murdering Gail in 2020. The podcast is hosted by Carole Fisher, one of the girlfriends, and is produced in partnership with No More, a global nonprofit dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence.
In conclusion, A24’s successful bid for The Girlfriends TV series demonstrates their ongoing dominance in the competitive IP market. The involvement of Michael Showalter and Semi-Formal Productions adds further excitement to the project, which promises to bring a fresh perspective to the true crime genre. As A24 continues to expand its impressive slate of projects, audiences can look forward to engaging and socially aware storytelling.
