"Sugar Daddy"
International distributor Eccho Rights have agreed to a distribution with Ukraine’s Studio Kvartal 95 for their latest smash hit comedy series "Sugar Daddy". The title, which tells the story of unlikely best friends Merkulov and Liza, was the best performing scripted show in Ukraine during the past year winning huge audiences for broadcaster 1+1 and a highly dedicated fanbase.
“Studio Kvartal has a reputation for creating comedies that really speak to audiences; the last time they had such a hit with the public, the lead character became the actual president of Ukraine!” says Nicola Söderlund, Managing Partner of Eccho Rights, referencing “Servant of the People”, a series in which an everyman becomes president. Shortly after the completion of the third season of the series, the creator and lead actor Volodymyr Zelenskyj was elected president, running on a manifesto not dissimilar to that of his fictional creation.
"Sugar Daddy" (16x30 minutes) is the hilarious tale of Merkulov and Liza. He is a depressed old man, a former film star but now tired of life who decides to go on one last big night out to spend what money he has left, before ending it all. She is a gold-digger who sees an old man dishing out drinks at the bar and thinks she has identified a new sugar daddy. But after a crazy night on the town, reality hits home the next morning, when Liza realises she has dumped her boyfriend for a penniless old man, losing everything - the money, the status - she was so desperate for in the process. Ironically she ends up begging Merkulov for help and with the two now living together as roommates, each is able to help the other; he helps her to see the deeper meaning in life, and find true romance, while she brings her new friend up to speed on modern life and gives him hope where all was lost.