Andrij Parekh To Direct Upcoming Netflix Series ‘The Retrievals’; The ‘Succession’ Helmer & Sharon Horgan Weigh In On…

Andrij Parekh, the Emmy-winning director from HBO’s hit series Succession, is set to direct two episodes of Netfix’s upcoming limited series The Retrievals.

Speaking at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Parekh, who is also a prolific cinematographer with credits including Half Nelson and Blue Valentine, told an audience at the festival’s Industry Days strand that he is shooting the first episode of the drama as a DoP and is directing two further episodes.

The Retrievals hails from Maid and Sirens writer-EP-showrunner Molly Smith Metzler and is an adaptation of the Peabody Award-winning podcast of the same name from Susan Burton from Serial Productions and The New York Times. It follows one woman’s crusade against Yale Fertility Center after she (and almost 100 other women) were operated on without anesthesia during IVF egg retrieval procedures – because a nurse stole their fentanyl. It’s described that a powerful and surprisingly funny story about an unlikely community that dares to take on one of the largest institutions in the nation.

Metzler executive produces alongside Margo Robbie and Tom Ackerley’s LuckyChap. Parekh said the series is looking to shoot in September.

Parekh was joined on stage with Bad Sisters and Catastrophe writer-producer-actor Sharon Horgan where the two sat down for a wide-ranging discussion about how streamers have changed the creative process.

Last year Horgan’s production outfit Merman signed a two-year first-look deal with HBO, ending her first-look deal with Apple TV, which led to the creation of hit series Bad Sisters. Parekh, meanwhile, has a long history with HBO, thanks to his work on Succession and having also directed episodes of the company’s hit show House of Dragon.

When pressed about their thoughts about Paramount’s $110B merger with HBO’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, Horgan said: “I’m hopeful that nothing changes with HBO because it would be kind of crazy. It’s such an iconic brand and it’s sort of the ultimate premium streamer. I don’t know why you would want to interfere with that. If I said what I wanted to say it would get me into trouble.”

Parekh, meanwhile, added: “I just hope they have the wisdom to leave it alone.”

Horgan spoke about the decision to move her company’s first-look from Apple to HBO, stressing that Merman “makes shows where we work with everyone” and admitted that she wouldn’t rule out another Bad Sisters season down the line.

“For me, I just try and take risks,” she said. “I had such an incredible experience with Bad Sisters, it was life changing for me and my company as well. It was a wonderful experience and one that I’d love to do again at some point in the future.”

Horgan said she had her first meeting with Amy Gravitt, who is now EVP of HBO & Max Comedy Programming, 20 years ago after her first project Pulling. “We met at a café in London and it was like, ‘What can we do together?’ And twenty years later it finally happened. I just love the idea of working with Amy and getting to do something very different.”

Horgan’s first project under the deal is upcoming series Youth, which she writes and stars in. The show follows a 50-year-old divorcee navigating the dating world while simultaneously juggling the care of her ailing parents and parenting her grow-up son.

“It’s about being in a certain time in your life where your parents are becoming more elderly, your children are refusing to leave home and you’re kind of care for everyone but how do you care for yourself when you’re in that situation?”

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival takes place July 3-11, 2026.