McCartney Times

Created by Josh Wakely, the Canada-Australia series, which airs in over 190 countries on Netflix, follows the lives and adventures of five childlike bugs who live in an overgrown backyard.

The show uses a plethora of Beatles songs, performed by modern artists, that are threaded into the story. The show is said to be inspired by the music of the classic British band and the stories and the characters found within them.

Wakely will write the script and is producing via his shingle Grace: A Storytelling Company.

The series aired two seasons plus a special on Netflix, earning several awards. It has been nominated for nine Emmys and has two wins, including one for Wakely for writing in 2017. New versions of the classics have been rerecorded by artist such as Pink, Sia, Eddie Vedder and Rod Stewart.

Wakely has a musical bent to his projects. His most recent is Motown Magic, based on the Motown catalog and currently on Netflix. He has also secured the rights to Bob Dylan’s catalog of songs and is developing an episodic drama revolving around the songs and characters.

Wakely is also developing shows 27, a series that explored the strange phenomenon of iconic artists who died at the age of 27; mixed media children’s series Melody Island; and Mixtape, a series that focuses on season-long arcs to tell the stories of couples who have forged relationships through songs.

MGM’s motion pictures group president Jonathan Glickman, production co-president Cassidy Lange and production vp Tabitha Shick will oversee on behalf of the studio.

Beatles songs remain as popular and in-demand as ever. Universal has Yesterday, Danny Boyle’s musical dramedy based on the band’s songs, coming June 28.