Disney and A24’s first-ever team-up goes dark with a father accused of murder

Right, here's something you're not likely to see every week: Disney+ has just teamed up with A24 UK for a new series, and frankly, I didn't have that pairing on my bingo card. The two studios are usually operating in rather different corners of the industry—Disney with its family-friendly juggernaut and A24 making, well, pretty much everything else. But now they've joined forces for a dark comedy-drama called "DAD".

Disney and A24 UK Join Forces: What's Going On?

The project is called "DAD" and comes from writer Clem Garritty, who you might recognise if you follow theatre or indie TV. He previously wrote the pilot "Jonah Kills" for Showtime and works on Charlie Covell's "Life is Strange". "DAD" isn't adapted from any book, podcast, or TikTok feed either—it's an all-new, straight-to-series order for Disney+.

The show puts the spotlight on three adult siblings—Sammy, Ned, and Jess—who've been drifting along living their respective adult lives. All that gets blown to bits when their dad is accused of a murder that allegedly happened back when they were kids. Not just any old murder accusation, apparently—something historic enough to drag the siblings right back into each other's lives. Cue buried family secrets, awkward reunions, and what they're promising is that sweet-spot blend of unsettling laughs and family tragedy.

Multiple Networks Weren't Going to Miss This

Now, here's where the industry studio-corridor stuff gets a bit spicy: this wasn't a typical quiet commission. The likes of the BBC, ITV, and Sky (plus a few unnamed others) all tried to snap the series up, but Disney+ wound up winning a pretty competitive bidding war. It'll be labelled as a "Hulu Original"—yes, even in the UK, which just tells you how tangled the streaming landscape is getting.

Who's In It? Still Under Wraps

If you're hoping for a cast list or a familiar face to attach yourself to, that's still under lock and key. No word yet on who's playing the siblings or the accused father, which isn't wildly surprising for something at this stage. They do have some heavy hitters behind the camera though, including Lee Mason (Disney+ EMEA's Scripted VP) and Angela Jain, the Head of Content at Disney+ EMEA, who commissioned the whole thing.

Why is This Worth Noting?

• Disney+ and A24 UK have never joined forces on a series before—bit of an odd couple if you ask me.
• The plot: siblings forced to confront childhood traumas after their dad lands in the crosshairs of a murder investigation.
• Clem Garritty is writing, fresh from previous work on "Jonah Kills" and "Life is Strange".
• Loads of major British networks wanted it, but Disney+ and Hulu came out top.
• Still no casting news—stay tuned for that.
• This joins Disney+'s push into more original international series, lining up with the likes of "Rivals" and "Alice and Steve".
• A24 UK is busy elsewhere too, currently developing "The Husbands" for Apple TV and working with Michaela Coel on "First Day on Earth".
• Disney and A24 have collaborated before in the US: think "Ramy" (Hulu) and the FX series "The Marriage Plot" starring Sadie Sink.

How Are They Pitching "DAD"?

Lee Mason, the man in charge of scripted stuff for Disney+ EMEA, put it like this:

"A bold, brilliantly original series that takes a dark and emotionally complex premise and turns it into something deeply compassionate, surprising and sharply funny. At its heart, this is a story about family, identity and the unsettling question of how well we can ever really know the people who shape us."

As ever, it's early days, but for Disney+ and A24 to go all-in on a family murder dramedy—and elbow a bunch of other major channels out the way while they're at it—says a lot about where streaming TV is heading lately.