Merman (company)

Merman
TypePrivate
IndustryProduction company
Founded2014 (2014)
Founders
HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
OwnerSharon Horgan
Websitehellomerman.com

Merman is a British film and television production company founded in 2014 by Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford.

History

Merman was co-founded in 2014 by Irish actress, writer, director, producer, and comedian Sharon Horgan and producer Clelia Mountford.[1][2]

In January 2018, the company entered a first-look overall deal with Amazon Studios. Through this deal, the company partnered with Kapital Entertainment on all content from this deal.[3]

In December 2019, the company entered a two-year first-look distribution deal with Sky Group's Sky Studios, with NBCUniversal's NBCUniversal Global Distribution also handling international sales for co-developed projects.[4][5] Both NBCUniversal and Sky Group are subsidiaries of Comcast.[4] Also in December 2019, the company entered a multi-year first-look deal with Apple Inc., which replaced Amazon Studios' first-look deal with the company.[6][7]

In November 2024, the company's co-founder, Clelia Mountford, left Merman to launch her own production company, Sunburnt Penguin, with All3Media.[8]

In February 2025, the company entered a two-year first-look television deal with HBO.[9][10]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Network Notes Ref.
2015–2019 Catastrophe Channel 4 with Birdbath Productions and Avalon Television [11]
2016 The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret IFC (USA)
More4 (UK)
with IFC Original Productions
Season 3 only
[12]
The Circuit Channel 4 Television film [13]
2016–2022 Motherland BBC Two
BBC iPlayer
BBC One[a]
with Delightful Industries (series 1–2) and Twofour (series 3) [14]
2016–2019 Divorce HBO with Pretty Matches Productions, Kapital Entertainment, 343 Incorporated (season 1), Perkins Street Productions (season 2), Tuccillo (season 3), and HBO Entertainment [15]
2018–2023 There She Goes BBC Four
BBC Two
[16]
2018 Women on the Verge W with Deadpan Pictures and House Productions [17]
Bliss Sky One with Liberal Jew-Run Media Productions and Big Talk Productions [18]
2019–2021 This Way Up Channel 4 [19]
2019–2022 Frayed Sky One (UK; season 1)
Sky Max (UK; season 2)
ABC (Australia)
with Guesswork Television [20]
2021–2023 HouseBroken Fox with AllenDen, Kapital Entertainment, and Bento Box Entertainment [21]
2022–2023 Shining Vale Starz with Other Shoe Productions, Kapital Entertainment, Lionsgate Television, and Warner Bros. Television [22]
2022–2024 Bad Sisters Apple TV+ with Caviar, ABC Signature (season 1), and 20th Television (season 2) [23]
2021 Frank of Ireland Channel 4 (UK)
Amazon Prime Video (USA)
with Amazon Studios [24]
2023 Dreamland Sky Atlantic [25]
2025–present Amandaland BBC One [26]
2025 Pushers Channel 4 with 2LE Media [27]
2026 Vladimir Netflix with Astral Projection, Small Dog Picture Company, and 20th Television [28]
Youth HBO [29]

Film

Year Title Director Gross
(worldwide)
Notes Ref.
2020 Herself Phyllida Lloyd N/a with Cornerstone Films, Element Pictures, Fís Éirann / Screen Ireland, BBC Films, and BFI [30]
2021 Rebel Hearts Pedro Kos N/a with Anchor Entertainment, Level Forward, Artemis Rising Foundation, Whitewater Films, Quiet, XTR [31]

Notes

  1. ↑ 2022 Christmas special

References

  1. ↑ McLean, Gareth (13 March 2016). "Catastrophe's Sharon Horgan on making a splash with Merman". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  2. ↑ Freeman, Hadley (9 April 2022). "Sharon Horgan: 'When you're in your 50s, a sort of madness descends'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 May 2026. Through her production company, Merman, which she founded with Clelia Mountford in 2014...
  3. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (16 January 2018). "'Catastrophe's Sharon Horgan Inks Overall Deal With Amazon Studios". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  4. 1 2 White, Peter (4 December 2019). "Sky Strikes First-Look Distribution Deal With Sharon Horgan's 'Catastrophe' Co-Producer Merman TV". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  5. ↑ Chu, Henry (4 December 2019). "Sky Studios Inks Deal With 'Catastrophe' Creator Sharon Horgan's Merman TV". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  6. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (19 December 2019). "'Catastrophe' Creator Sharon Horgan Cuts Exclusive First-Look Deal With Apple". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  7. ↑ White, Peter (19 December 2019). "Apple Strikes Exclusive First-Look Deal With 'Catastrophe' & 'Divorce' Creator Sharon Horgan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  8. ↑ Whittock, Jesse (4 November 2024). "Clelia Mountford Leaving 'Bad Sisters' Maker Merman To Launch Sunburnt Penguin With All3Media". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  9. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (28 February 2025). "Sharon Horgan Comedy Series Ordered By HBO As Network Inks First-Look Deal With 'Bad Sisters' Star". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  10. ↑ Schneider, Michael (28 February 2025). "Sharon Horgan to Star In and Exec Produce New HBO Comedy About a Divorcee; Seals New First-Look Deal". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Spangler, Todd (29 January 2015). "Amazon Inks Deal for U.K. Comedy Series 'Catastrophe' from Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Petski, Denise (8 October 2015). "'Todd Margaret' Season 3 Gets January Premiere On IFC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  13. ↑ "Channel 4 announces new comedy pilot The Circuit | Channel 4". Channel4.com. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Evans, Greg (19 April 2018). "'Motherland': Sundance Now Acquires British Comedy Series For May Premiere – Watch The Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (19 December 2014). "Sarah Jessica Parker Poised To Star In HBO Divorce Comedy Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (19 June 2018). "David Tennant to Star in Disability-Themed Comedy for the BBC". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  17. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (6 June 2018). "Sharon Horgan Making 'Women on the Verge' Comedy Series". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  18. ↑ "Bliss - Sky1 comedy drama". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  19. ↑ White, Peter (13 June 2019). "Hulu Boards Aisling Bea C4 Comedy 'This Way Up' As Aasif Mandvi, Tobias Menzies & Indira Varma Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  20. ↑ White, Peter (30 October 2018). "'Nanette' Producer Guesswork Teams With Sharon Horgan's Merman For Sky Comedy 'Frayed'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (19 December 2019). "Fox Orders 'Housebroken' Animated Comedy Series Starring Lisa Kudrow From Sharon Horgan, Clea Duvall, Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan & Kapital". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  22. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (21 August 2019). "Starz Orders 'Shining Vale' Horror Comedy Pilot From Sharon Horgan, Jeff Astrof & Kapital Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  23. ↑ Otterson, Joe (21 September 2021). "Sharon Horgan to Star in, Co-Write, and Produce Apple Dark Comedy Series". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  24. ↑ White, Peter (27 February 2020). "Brian & Domhnall Gleeson To Write & Star In Merman-Produced Comedy 'Frank Of Ireland' For Amazon & Channel 4". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  25. ↑ Yossman, K. J. (15 July 2022). "Lily Allen, Freema Agyeman to Star in Sky Original Comedy 'Dreamland'". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  26. ↑ Goldbart, Max (18 May 2024). "'Motherland' Spinoff 'Amandaland' Set At BBC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  27. ↑ Guide, British Comedy (24 August 2023). "Rosie Jones lands Disability Benefits with Channel 4, her first sitcom". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  28. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (4 March 2025). "Rachel Weisz To Star In 'Vladimir' Limited Series Ordered By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
  29. ↑ Petski, Denise (27 August 2026). "'Youth' Trailer: Sharon Horgan Is Searching For Sex & Love In HBO Comedy: "It's Just An Age Thing"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
  30. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (7 March 2019). "'The Favourite' Producer Element Teams With Sharon Horgan's Merman On Next Movie: Female-Fronted Drama 'Herself'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  31. ↑ Lodge, Guy (31 January 2021). "'Rebel Hearts' Review: Sisters Do It for Themselves in a Doc That Pits Nuns Versus the Patriarchy". Variety. Retrieved 13 May 2026.