Disney+ Squirm-Inducing Comedy ‘Alice and Steve’ Sweeps Canneseries
Disney+ series “Alice and Steve” swept Canneseries on Tuesday night, scoring best series as well as a Special Interpretation and Student Award.
A Disney+ commission by its U.K. office and part of its push into comedy, “Alice and Steve”marks the latest from “Sex Education” writer-director Sophie Goodhart in her first role as a creator. From “Baby Reindeer” producer Clerkenwell Films, it was always a frontrunner in Canneseries main competition.
Set for global release by Disney+ “Alice and Steve” stars Jermaine Clement (“What We Do in the Shadows”) and Nicola Walker (“The Split”) as a pair of platonic middle-aged friends – though they once did go out together – whose relationship is tested when Steve sleeps with and begins dating Alice’s 26-year-old daughter.
“What’s remarkable about the series is that you start by assuming that you could never side with Steve or Izzy. But then you swap allegiances. These people are falling in love, they are sort of perfect for each other, and then Alice becomes the problem. They all end up really, really hurting each other, which seems very much like real life to me,” Walker told Variety atCanneseries.
“Canneseries has a commitment to not only drama but comedy and all kinds of genres. I want people to experience different type of shows,” Canneseries artistic director Albin Lewi told Variety. “Writing a comedy is really hard. This show was really well written in terms of dialogues and character construction, and it benefits from an amazing cast.”
In another head-turning triumph, Canneseries Performance award went to Roosa Söderholm, star of Finland’s “Guts,” from Jemina Jokisalo, behind feminist porn tale “Money Shot.”
Commissioned by Finnish pubcaster Yle it is sold by About Premium Content, which bills it “‘Black Swan’ in snow.” Söderholm plays cross-country skiing top athlete Anna who gets one more chance to become a world champion.
“Jokisalo has a way of depicting characters, giving great material for her actress. It’s great to celebrate another rising star and in a year with so many non-fiction titles about sports, I’m glad to see a fiction series being awarded,” Lewi said.
Screenplay, another top plaudit, went to Marta Bassols, Marta Loza and Almudena Monzú for “I Always Sometimes,” a drama delivering a bracingly realistic take on single motherhood and the emotional chaos of the single mother. Typically for a production from Movistar Plus+ Suma Content, the production label of Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, (“Velvet,” “La Mesías”), the series develops into a portrait of the gruelling economic realities for a single mother of a Barcelona awash in gentrification and skyrocketing flat rents who has to juggle care for her child and earning a living.
“I Always Sometimes” took seven years to write and produce. Every dialog in the series is really thought through, either anticipate events or touch on deeper themes,” Bassols told Variety.
A second comedy, “Boho,” won in the Short-Form series category. A millennial female-led dramedy created by Abbie Boutkabout and directed by Olympia Allaert, it is set in the vibrant neighborhood of Borgerhout in Antwerp boasting intricately choreographed dance and music to tell the intertwined stories of three young friends. The series is produced by Banijay’s leading Flemish production house Jonnydepony whose “The Big Fuck-Up” was a highlight of Canneseries 2025.
“There’s a lot of generosity and life ‘Boho.’ It’s a joyful series, reflecting a multi-cultural community Belgium. It’s really good to have a fresh joyful series win in these days that are not that joyful,” said Lewi.
In a second triumph for Flanders, “The Deal With Iran,” created by brothers Lennart and Maarten Stuyck (“Where Dreams Go to Sleep,” “DNA”) scooped best docuseries. documentary stars in Flanders. A VRT miniseries, it turns on a thwarted bomb attack near Paris which plot near Paris which sparks a high-stakes investigation and a shadow war, exposing covert
networks, political pressure and a deadly game of hostage diplomacy. “The series is highly gripping, shot lie an espionage thriller with a telling mix of reconstruction and archive footage,” Lewi said.
More to come.
A Disney+ commission by its U.K. office and part of its push into comedy, “Alice and Steve”marks the latest from “Sex Education” writer-director Sophie Goodhart in her first role as a creator. From “Baby Reindeer” producer Clerkenwell Films, it was always a frontrunner in Canneseries main competition.
Set for global release by Disney+ “Alice and Steve” stars Jermaine Clement (“What We Do in the Shadows”) and Nicola Walker (“The Split”) as a pair of platonic middle-aged friends – though they once did go out together – whose relationship is tested when Steve sleeps with and begins dating Alice’s 26-year-old daughter.
“What’s remarkable about the series is that you start by assuming that you could never side with Steve or Izzy. But then you swap allegiances. These people are falling in love, they are sort of perfect for each other, and then Alice becomes the problem. They all end up really, really hurting each other, which seems very much like real life to me,” Walker told Variety atCanneseries.
“Canneseries has a commitment to not only drama but comedy and all kinds of genres. I want people to experience different type of shows,” Canneseries artistic director Albin Lewi told Variety. “Writing a comedy is really hard. This show was really well written in terms of dialogues and character construction, and it benefits from an amazing cast.”
In another head-turning triumph, Canneseries Performance award went to Roosa Söderholm, star of Finland’s “Guts,” from Jemina Jokisalo, behind feminist porn tale “Money Shot.”
Commissioned by Finnish pubcaster Yle it is sold by About Premium Content, which bills it “‘Black Swan’ in snow.” Söderholm plays cross-country skiing top athlete Anna who gets one more chance to become a world champion.
“Jokisalo has a way of depicting characters, giving great material for her actress. It’s great to celebrate another rising star and in a year with so many non-fiction titles about sports, I’m glad to see a fiction series being awarded,” Lewi said.
Screenplay, another top plaudit, went to Marta Bassols, Marta Loza and Almudena Monzú for “I Always Sometimes,” a drama delivering a bracingly realistic take on single motherhood and the emotional chaos of the single mother. Typically for a production from Movistar Plus+ Suma Content, the production label of Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, (“Velvet,” “La Mesías”), the series develops into a portrait of the gruelling economic realities for a single mother of a Barcelona awash in gentrification and skyrocketing flat rents who has to juggle care for her child and earning a living.
“I Always Sometimes” took seven years to write and produce. Every dialog in the series is really thought through, either anticipate events or touch on deeper themes,” Bassols told Variety.
A second comedy, “Boho,” won in the Short-Form series category. A millennial female-led dramedy created by Abbie Boutkabout and directed by Olympia Allaert, it is set in the vibrant neighborhood of Borgerhout in Antwerp boasting intricately choreographed dance and music to tell the intertwined stories of three young friends. The series is produced by Banijay’s leading Flemish production house Jonnydepony whose “The Big Fuck-Up” was a highlight of Canneseries 2025.
“There’s a lot of generosity and life ‘Boho.’ It’s a joyful series, reflecting a multi-cultural community Belgium. It’s really good to have a fresh joyful series win in these days that are not that joyful,” said Lewi.
In a second triumph for Flanders, “The Deal With Iran,” created by brothers Lennart and Maarten Stuyck (“Where Dreams Go to Sleep,” “DNA”) scooped best docuseries. documentary stars in Flanders. A VRT miniseries, it turns on a thwarted bomb attack near Paris which plot near Paris which sparks a high-stakes investigation and a shadow war, exposing covert
networks, political pressure and a deadly game of hostage diplomacy. “The series is highly gripping, shot lie an espionage thriller with a telling mix of reconstruction and archive footage,” Lewi said.
More to come.