Dawn French Comedy 'Can You Keep a Secret?' to Premiere on Paramount+

Streaming service Paramount+ has been having its fair share of issues in recent months. Several of its high-profile U.K. originals have been unceremoniously cancelled or pulled from the service across the pond, most of which (The Doll Factory, One Night) never even made it to American audiences. New U.K. dramas like The Crow Girl and Curfew are still in limbo in terms of U.S. distribution, and the marketing efforts for the premiere of Guy Ritchie's buzzy crime drama, MobLand, were limited to a mere handful of weeks. So it's a bit surprising to learn that not only has Paramount+ acquired the BBC comedy Can You Keep a Secret?, but we're finding out this news with what feels like a standard amount of lead time to go with it.

The latest series from beloved comedian Dawn French (Absolutely Fabulous), Can You Keep a Secret is a comedy about life, death, and what comes after. But probably not in the way you're thinking. French stars as Debbie, a dictatorial grandmother who is determined to protect her family. But when her husband William (Mark Heap) unexpectedly dies, she makes a choice with far-reaching consequences. Because, you see, William's not actually dead at all. No, he was just mistakenly declared to be deceased, and the pair has decided to allow everyone to believe the lie long enough to collect the insurance money. Surely nothing can go wrong with this plan.

Alongside French and Heap, the comedy also stars Craig Roberts (Still Up) as Debbie and William's son, Harold, and Mandip Gill (Doctor Who) as his wife, Neha, who just so happens to work for the local police department.