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Arts & EntertainmentNetflix

How Drake Helped Convince Netflix to Resurrect a British Crime Drama

By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
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By
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Tom Huddleston Jr.
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 9, 2017, 11:35 AM ET

Netflix is teaming up with rapper Drake to resurrect a gritty British crime drama that hasn’t aired on TV since 2013.

The streaming service confirmed on Wednesday that it will revive the show Top Boy, which aired two seasons in the U.K. before ending four years ago. The third season is set to be executive produced by Drake (whose full name is Aubrey Drake Graham), which will start streaming online as a Netflix original series in 2019. Drake recently told The Hollywood Reporter that he first discovered the original Top Boy series on YouTube, and he recently started pushing Netflix to bring the show back to life.

The first two seasons of Top Boy are available to stream on Netflix, which describes the show as a “gritty, stylish drama series” that follows two drug dealers in North London.

“We couldn’t be more excited for Netflix members around the world and a new generation of fans to discover the authentic, raw and real world of Top Boy,” Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content, said in a statement. “Drake came to us several months ago with a passion to help bring this series back to life, and we’re thrilled to support the original creative team to do just that.”

Drake even took to social media to tease the new season of Top Boywith an Instagram post.

In addition to working with Drake, Netflix will also team with SpringHill Entertainment, the production company cofounded by NBA star LeBron James, to executive produce the new season of Top Boy.

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Netflix continues to expand its slate of original programming, with plans to spend up to $8 billion on original content next year.

Meanwhile, Drake is reportedly looking to further expand his footprint beyond the music industry, where he is an award-winning rapper and producer. The onetime star of the Canadian teen soap Degrassireportedly has plans to return to acting through a TV and film deal with the indie studio A24 (Moonlight), and he could also develop a project for Apple, which is also expanding its presence in Hollywood.

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By Tom Huddleston Jr.
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