SundanceTV greenlights Canadian “tainted blood” drama Unspeakable

By William Hughes  |  July 29, 2017 | 10:50pm
Aux Features TV

SundanceTV has announced a new drama miniseries titled Unspeakable, based off one of the biggest public health crises in recent Canadian history. The series—created by Stargate producer Robert C. Cooper—will center on a scandal that rocked the Canadian medical establishment in the 1970s and 1980s, when thousands of people were infected with Hepatitis C and HIV due to receiving transfusions from inadequately screened blood.

Per a press release from Sundance, the miniseries is a passion project for Cooper (who’s also currently working as a showrunner on the second season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency), because he was one of those infected with Hepatitis C from the “tainted” blood. “I am thrilled and, frankly, somewhat daunted by the opportunity to tell this story that has deeply affected so many people,” the writer and producer said in the release.

The eight-part miniseries will be a joint production with Canada’s CBC. It’ll be based on two books, Bad Blood by Vic Parsons and The Gift Of Death By Andre Picard, as well as Cooper’s own first-hand experiences.

 
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