BBC America Picks Up First Original Drama Series 'Copper'

BBC America has announced its first original drama series Copper, co-created by Tom Fontana (Oz) and Will Rokos (Southland).

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Copper is set in the Five Points Irish neighborhood of New York City in the 1860s, focusing on a rugged young Irish cop who is forced to navigate his unruly and dangerous immigrant neighborhood while interacting with the uptown Manhattan crowd and the black community in Harlem.

Production on the 10-episode drama will take place this fall in Toronto with a premiere set for summer 2012.

Fontana and Rokos executive produce the drama, along with Barry Levinson (You Don't Know Jack) and Christina Waye (Broken Trail, Mad Men).

“Copper is a great fit for BBC America, capturing the early American multicultural experience in provocative, ground-breaking fashion. In the spirit of great BBC drama it’s brimming with fascinating and complex characters giving us the opportunity to cast the best actors from both sides of the Atlantic," said Perry Simon, general manager of BBC America.

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