Charter Communications confirmed its plan to shutter its four-year-old production unit, Spectrum Originals, following the recent exit of its longtime top executive, Katherine Pope, who left to head Sony Pictures Television in July.
Deadline first reported Charter's decision, and Charter confirmed the move.
The No. 2 U.S. cable operator launched Spectrum Originals in 2018 with the intention of creating must-see content only available with Charter cable TV service. It made a splashy hire in Pope, known for developing hits including Heroes, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, and The Office at NBC, as well as New Girl while serving Peter Chernin's Twentieth Century Fox-based production company, Chernin Entertainment
Pope took a big swing early on, acquiring LA's Finest, a spin-off of the buddy-cop feature film action comedy series Bad Boys. The series, which stars Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union, had been rejected by NBC, but Pope's team ultimately couldn't find any traction with it, either.
Spectrum Originals also developed a revival of Mad About You, as well as Joe Pickett, The Bite, and Paradise Lost.
In March, the unit ordered dramatic comedy Panhandle, and it's set to run George & Tammy, a miniseries based on Tammy Wynette and George Jones, starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon, on Paramount Network and Paramount Plus.
Charter is still working out how it will handle ongoing projects as it winds down the venture.
Spectrum Originals carved out a reputation for cost-efficient production models, such as international co-productions. But ultimately, the rising cost of producing TV shows and movies post-COVID -- coupled with Charter's movement away from linear video interest -- was enough to convince Charter it was time to get out of the original content business.
