Serious Kids has signed a new deal with France Télévisions for the first season of the live-action family thriller “The Unreal,” originally commissioned by RTÉ. The acquisition marks the entry of the critically acclaimed Irish mini-series into the French market, with a French-language version currently in production for broadcast later this year on France Télévisions’ youth platform Okoo.
“The Unreal” debuted on RTÉ One in October 2024, rolling out in a serialized Sunday evening slot, and resonated strongly with family audiences. The first season comprises four 24-minute episodes, with season two currently in production and scheduled to air in a similar slot in 2025. The new season shifts the setting to a haunted hotel, continuing the spooky and humorous tone that defines the series.
Written by Rodney Lee, directed by Bonnie Dempsey, and produced by David O’Sullivan of Dyehouse Films, the show follows Kevin Kelly, a boy who discovers a VHS tape that releases a chaotic creature called the Pooka during a family holiday at a mystical woodland campsite. As strange events unfold, Kevin and the eccentric campsite caretaker team up to return the creature to its fictional world. A second tape reveals an even bigger twist: Kevin’s family may not be from reality at all.
Claire Heinrich, Director of Acquisitions for Children’s Content at France Télévisions, commented: “This mini-series is a great addition to our slate of live-action content available on our platform Okoo, aimed at the older segment of our audience. Family dynamics and social/contemporary issues such as social media addiction and mental health are important themes that are addressed with sensitivity and humor in a gently scary narrative that we hope teens will enjoy as well as the whole family.”
Leila Ouledcheikh, Director of Global Sales at Serious Kids, added: “This is such an exciting start for this hugely original IP which, despite the veneer of a scary story, is about so much more. We look forward to continuing our discussions with other platforms at MIPCOM Junior.”
Bonnie Dempsey, the series director and co-CEO of Dyehouse Films, highlighted the show’s thematic depth: “Juxtaposed with the old Ireland of mischievous spirits, ‘The Unreal’ is a modern horror concept. Aside from the Pooka, there is plenty for Kevin Kelly to be scared about in his family. His sister has had her personality stolen by her phone, his dad is pretending he hasn’t got chronic depression, and his mum hasn’t told her boss she is on holiday. It is no wonder Kevin is seeing things. The plot progression for series two is going to be another radical shift and we look forward to sharing that soon.”
Suzanne Kelly, Head of Children’s & Young People’s Content at RTÉ, noted: “A key part of our ongoing strategy here at RTÉ is to develop and deliver top quality drama content for kids and family audiences. Dyehouse is one of the premier companies creating content in this space and has a pitch-perfect understanding of this audience, which is a rare find. ‘The Unreal’ is a smooth blend of spooky comedy which leans beautifully into those quirky shows we all watched when we were kids.”
The show was funded by RTÉ, with additional support from Coimisiún na Meán, Screen Ireland, and the Irish Government's film incentives. Serious Kids holds worldwide distribution rights outside of Ireland and is actively promoting the series internationally. Season two is expected to be delivered in Q4 2025.