USA NETWORK ANNOUNCES PICKUP OF 'BRIARPATCH,' STARRING ROSARIO DAWSON

FROM UCP AND PARAMOUNT TELEVISION, SERIES IS EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY SAM ESMAIL, ANDY GREENWALD AND CHAD HAMILTON

NEW YORK, NY - January 24, 2019 - USA Network has picked up UCP and Paramount Television's new anthology drama series, with the first season titled BRIARPATCH. Starring Rosario Dawson ("Rent," "Seven Pounds"), the first season is based on the Ross Thomas novel of the same name. It is written for television by Andy Greenwald, who will executive produce, along with MR. ROBOT creator Sam Esmail through his production company Esmail Corp, and Anonymous Content's Chad Hamilton. Ana Lily Amirpour directed the pilot and also served as an executive producer. In addition to her starring role, Dawson will serve as a producer on BRIARPATCH.

BRIARPATCH follows Allegra Dill (Dawson), a dogged investigator returning to her border-town Texas home after her sister is murdered. What begins as a search for a killer turns into an all-consuming fight to bring her corrupt hometown to its knees. The season celebrates the beloved genres represented by Thomas' book -- a stylish blend of crime and pulp fiction -- while updating his sense of fun, danger and place for a new generation.

The season also stars Jay R. Ferguson ("Mad Men," "The Romanoffs"), Brian Geraghty ("Chicago P.D.," "Ray Donovan") and Edi Gathegi ("StartUp"). The first season will shoot in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"When we were first introduced to the anthology by Andy Greenwald, UCP and Paramount Television, we were immediately struck by the show's unique tone and captivating story," said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. "And Sam Esmail's incomparable vision and style, coupled with Rosario Dawson's tremendous performance as Allegra Dill, will no doubt leave audiences buzzing."

Greenwald will join Esmail on UCP's roster of overall deals, developing and producing premium scripted content for cable and streamers. With UCP, Esmail serves as creator, showrunner and director of USA's MR. ROBOT, which will return for its fourth and final season later this year. Esmail is also developing a limited series based on Fritz Lang's sci-fi classic METROPOLIS. Most recently for UCP, he directed and executive produced Amazon's Golden Globe(R) award nominated HOMECOMING, based on the podcast of the same name, starring Julia Roberts, Stephan James and Bobby Cannavale.

About USA Network

USA Network, the leader in cable entertainment, offers a powerful stable of dramatic, comedic and unscripted originals in more than 102 million U.S. homes. The network also features spectacular live television, a dynamic portfolio of acquired series and the best in blockbuster theatrical films and entertainment events. A trailblazer in digital innovation and storytelling, USA is defining, driving and setting the industry standard for Social TV. USA is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment, a division of NBCUniversal. USA's award-winning website is located at http://www.usanetwork.com. Watch USA Network anywhere: On Demand, online or across mobile and connected TVs.

About UCP

UCP is a premium content studio that operates with a highly curated indie sensibility, while simultaneously leveraging the power and scale of NBCUniversal. As fierce advocates for creators with an eclectic point of view, the UCP team develops pioneering original programming with partners such as Amazon (Golden Globe nominated "Homecoming"), Netflix ("The Umbrella Academy"), Hulu ("The Act") and YouTube ("Impulse"). In addition, UCP produces high-caliber content for NBCUniversal cable networks, including Bravo ("Dirty John"), USA (the Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R)-winning drama "Mr. Robot," the Golden Globe nominated "The Sinner," "The Purge" and "Suits" ) and SYFY ("Happy!," and "The Magicians"). UCP's content library also features 800 hours of award-winning and critically-acclaimed content, including the Emmy-winning "Monk," the Peabody and Hugo Award-winning "Battlestar Galactica" and the Emmy nominated "Psych."

About Paramount Television

Paramount Television is a leading studio, developing and financing a wide range of cutting-edge and entertaining television content across all media platforms for distribution worldwide. The studio's robust slate includes Tom Clancy's "Jack Ryan" (Amazon), "13 Reasons Why" (Netflix), "Maniac" (Netflix), "Berlin Station" (EPIX), "The Alienist" (TNT), "The Angel of Darkness" (TNT), "The Haunting of Hill House" (Netflix), "Catch-22" (Hulu), "First Wives Club" (BET), "Looking for Alaska" (Hulu), "Boomerang" (BET), "Shantaram" (Apple), "Defending Jacob" (Apple), "Dream Team" (BET) and the Untitled Hilde Lysiak Project (Apple), among others. Paramount Television is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. PPC is a subsidiary of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), a global content company with premier television, film and digital entertainment brands.