DARE ME Co-Showrunner Gina Fattore Inks Overall With UCP

Ahead of Sunday's highly anticipated season one finale of USA Network's critically praised DARE ME, the studio behind the series -- UCP -- has inked an overall deal with co-showrunner Gina Fattore ("Californication," "Dawson's Creek"). DARE ME is one of the most highly acclaimed dramas on TV today (per Rotten Tomatoes), and is hitting the mark with key audience targets including young women, teens, rural viewers, and African American viewers, and ranks among the Top 5 new scripted launches across all cable in the last 6 months (out of 20+ series) among W18-34 (L3), W18-49 and A18-34. Under the pact, Fattore will develop scripted fare for all platforms with the studio, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios.

"Gina has a gift of generating dynamic and flawed television characters that you just fall in love with. We have a long history of collaborating, and I'm incredibly proud of her most recent work on DARE ME," said Dawn Olmstead, President, UCP. "The series is so much more than just a cheerleading drama as it tackles hard-hitting issues for young women that resonate in the cultural zeitgeist. We are excited to add Gina to our overall roster and give her a home to incubate her ideas and flex her many talents."

Gina Fattore serves as a writer, executive producer and co-showrunner on USA Network's DARE ME, based on the acclaimed novel by Megan Abbott, who also serves as writer, executive producer and co-showrunner. DARE ME, an unflinching exploration of teen angst, jealousy, loyalty and the dynamics of power in a small Midwestern town, premiered at the end of 2019 to critical praise, earning the coveted "Certified Fresh" stamp from Rotten Tomatoes. Peering behind the all-American facade, the series dives into the cutthroat world of competitive high school cheerleading. It follows the fraught relationship between two best friends (newcomers Herizen Guardiola and Marlo Kelly) after a new coach (Willa Fitzgerald, TV's "Scream") arrives to bring their team to prominence. While the girls' friendship is put to the test, their young lives are changed forever when a shocking crime rocks their quiet rust belt town. Part coming-of-age story, part sport drama, part murder mystery, DARE ME exposes the physical and psychological extremes that some young women are willing to endure in order to get ahead.

Fattore is a veteran TV writer-producer whose credits include "Better Things," "UnREAL," "Masters of Sex," "Parenthood," "Californication," "Gilmore Girls" and "Dawson's Creek." She was nominated for a WGA Award in 2017 for her work on "Better Things" and a PGA Award in 2010 for her work on "Californication." In 2015 she delivered a TED talk called "Become What You Believe" at TEDx GrandRapids. Her essays, reviews, and comedy pieces have appeared in the Chicago Reader, Salon, The Millions, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Fattore is also a debut novelist with her semi-autobiographical unromantic comedy, "The Spinster Diaries" available this spring.

Fattore joins UCP's growing roster of overall deals including Sam Esmail ("Homecoming," "Battlestar Galactica"), Sera Gamble ("The Magicians"), Nick Antosca ("The Act," "Brand New Cherry Flavor"), Allison Miller ("Angelyne") and Patrick Macmanus ("Dr. Death").

DARE ME is produced by UCP in association with Film 44. Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights"), Michael Lombardo, Sarah Condon and Karen Rosenfelt executive produce alongside Abbott and Fattore. Netflix co-produces and has the first-run rights to the series outside of the U.S., which releases March 20 internationally.

Fattore is represented by Jared E. Levine at Morris Yorn.

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