Roku has picked up a second season of “Cypher,” an FBI-themed crime drama series, for which it was the exclusive North American carrier of the first seven-episode season.
In territories outside the U.S. and Canada, the show is represented by Screen Media Ventures, which is launching it at the MipTV market this week.
“Cypher” tells the story of an FBI code-breaking specialist who discovers a secret organization’s hit list and must navigate the murky waters of loyalty and betrayal among an underground ring of hackers, assassins, and government agents spanning a global conspiracy.
Created by Mohamed Sayed Bisheer and directed by Majdi Smiri, the first season was shot in Los Angeles and produced jointly by Cairo-based Aroma Studios and United Brothers along with Los Angeles-based production companies AZ Films, Thriller Films and Taiwan’s Organic Media Group.
The second season expands to 13-episodes and involves new writers, a more diverse cast, and matching global shooting locations. Pre-production is already in motion for an international shoot with locations including the U.S, Egypt, Australia, and Taiwan.
Producers on the second season include: Zeus Zamani; Aroma lead, Tamer Mortada; Justin Jones at Thriller Films; and Organic Media Group’s Samantha Kao.
The first season starred Martin Dingle Wall as the FBI code breaker, Jaclyn Hales, Mary Helen Schmidt, Lauren Gravitt; Brian Krause; John Reardon; Eve Mauro and John J. Jordan.
“Season 2 will not only include returning talent and new international cast members but will ratchet up the action significantly as we take production to multiple overseas locations where we will partner with local collaborators,” said Zeus Zamani, executive producer at Master Key Studios. “With the bourgeoning appetite for quality free programming, we are extremely excited to continue the story of Cypher exclusively on The Roku Channel in the U.S. and Canada.”
The Roku Channel supports a mix of free, ad-supported and subscription content. It is available on Roku-powered TVs and streaming media players, as well as on the web, iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV and select Samsung TVs.
