Sam Heughan to Star Alongside Viola Davis in Paramount+ Thriller Ascent

OCTOBER 22, 2026 – It was announced today that Sam Heughan (Outlander, The Couple Next Door) will star alongside Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress and executive producer Viola Davis in Ascent, a new thriller for Paramount+.

Sam Heughan will play ‘Conal,’ one of Ascent Ventures top agents. A lethally charming and natural chameleon, Conal uses social cunning and ruthlessness to get the job done, and he always gets a thrill out of completing a mission.

Ascent is a character-driven thriller set in the dangerous world of global corporate crisis and damage control. Davis will play ‘Catriona,’ an elite corporate fixer, who must weaponize the ruthless skills that have made her indispensable to billion-dollar clients when her estranged daughter is in danger.

Produced by Paramount Television Studios, Ascent is created by Tony Award winner and three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (Skyfall, Gladiator, Michael, Penny Dreadful), who will serve as showrunner and executive producer alongside executive producers Michael Aguilar (Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, Kidding, The Departed), and Viola Davis & Julius Tennon for JuVee Productions.

The series will premiere globally exclusively on Paramount+, with production slated to begin in Los Angeles in 2027.

Ascent will premiere globally exclusively on Paramount+, with production slated to begin in Los Angeles in 2027. Follow Paramount+ on social media for more news, announcements, and updates.

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