Reza Aslan’s ‘Rough Draft’ Set As First Original Series On Topic Streaming Service

Reza Aslan’s series Rough Draft with Reza Aslan has landed at Topic, which will make the interview show the first original series for its upcoming streaming service. The eight-episode series will begin shooting next month and is set to debut later this fall.

The show will be a refreshed, new version of Rough Draft that bowed on Ovation in 2016, Topic said. The series featured conversations with contemporary novelists, screenwriters, journalists and songwriters about their creative process in front of an audience. The new iteration will be set at a bar in Los Angeles.

Topic GM Ryan Chanatry said Tuesday that the series “demonstrates the type of programming Topic will offer audiences — smart, intriguing, and inviting, created especially for culturally engaged content enthusiasts.”

Rough Draft is executive produced by Topic, Reza Aslan for BoomGen Studios, Philip Alberstat for Ntology, David Andreone for Andreone Arts, Jesse Rogg for Mack Sennett Studios, and Steven Amato and Brad Pelman.

Topic’s streaming platform is set to launch in the fall eventually featuring several original projects along with scripted dramas, comedies, films, documentaries and non-scripted content.