Now here’s a cool clip that nicely summates Netflix’s rise in power with original programming. As previously reported, the streaming service collected 14 Emmy nominations among three of its shows; namely Hemlock Grove (2 nods), Arrested Development (3), and House of Cards (9). The Kevin Spacey political drama even managed to break into the Outstanding Drama category to be seated among popular cable series like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, and Homeland.
“Take a step back, look at the bigger picture; we have the opportunity to make history here,” says Spacey as House of Cards‘ Francis Underwood. With so many nominations, Netflix is poised to make a name for itself when the Emmys air September 22. Whether these series win or lose at the awards show, Netflix has already changed the game and that’s what makes this teaser feel so…empowering.
Netflix is on a roll with pushing out exclusive content. First it was Lillyhammer with Steven Van Zandt, next it was David Fincher’s House of Cards with Kevin Spacey, then came the resurrection of Arrested Development, and now get ready for Orange is the New Black from Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. It’s loosely based on Piper Kerman’s memoir Orange Is The New Black: My Year In a Women’s Prison. Over the course of 13 episodes–all available simultaneously on Netflix starting July 11–viewers will witness a fish-out-of-water story following Taylor Schilling (The Lucky One) playing a version of Piper Kerman, a woman who all of a sudden finds herself locked behind bars. A synopsis follows with a trailer posted after the break.
Created and executive produced by Jenji Kohan (“Weeds”) and based on the U.S. best-selling memoir of the same name by Piper Kerman, the comedic drama starring Taylor Schilling follows engaged-Brooklynite Piper Chapman (Schilling) whose decade-old relationship with drug-runner Alex (Laura Prepon) results in her arrest and year-long detention in a federal penitentiary. To pay her debt to society, Piper must trade her comfortable New York life with fiancé Larry (Jason Biggs) for an orange jumpsuit and a baffling prison culture where she is forced to question everything she believes and form unexpected new alliances with a group of eccentric and outspoken inmates.Continue reading Netflix’s next original show ‘Orange is the New Black’ premieres July 11→
We made it. Seven years after it was cancelled and banished from network TV, cult comedy Arrested Development is not making a huge mistake by coming back for another season consisting of 15 brand new episodes. All of them will be made available for streaming on Netflix at once when the clock strikes midnight (PT) / 3AM (ET) on Sunday, May 26. Creator Mitch Hurwitz recommends you watch the episodes in order, at least during your initial binge marathon. Each installment intentionally follows a single member of the Bluth clan but don’t fret–characters will weave in and out of other characters’ storylines and the entire bunch will congregate at least twice over the course of the season. Other things to look out for: you will witness the same scenes multiple times but they will play out differently and you will learn more context each time because they will be told from different character perspectives; also, these episodes serve as one giant setup for more AD in the future, whether it’s another season or the long dreamed about feature film.
Relive the journey of Arrested‘s anticipated comeback here. After the break, watch four teaser clips taken from the new batch; G.O.B., Lucille, Maeby, Lindsay, bees and an ostrich are all involved.
Ladies and gentleman, it’s the final countdown. Grab some bananas and blue paint and let’s (almost) break Netflix!
Update: AD creator Mitch Hurwitz (a man who obviously knows to always leave a note) posted to Facebook a picture of a handwritten letter made out to “friends, fans, supporters, detractors, haters, enemies, and arch enemies.” In it he acknowledges everyone who supports the show and he is thankful for the opportunity to bring these characters back to life. The note is posted in full after the break. Continue reading TV reminder: ‘Arrested Development’ premieres this Sunday with 15 new episodes on Netflix→
The anticipated Netflix original series House of Cards from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey is now available to stream on Netflix. “This wicked political drama starring Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara slithers beneath the curtain and through the back halls of greed, sex, love and corruption in modern Washington D.C.,” reads a press release. All 13 episodes (the first two directed by Fincher) are available to stream today.
In a surprise, bold move Netflix is offering up the first episode free for anyone to watch. “The creative team in front of and behind the camera have delivered a riveting 13-chapter narrative that we’re proud to present to Netflix members today,” said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer of Netflix. “By offering the first episode for free, including to non-members, we are opening up this fascinating world for everyone to see and are confident they’ll want more.” An intriguing move by the company; get hooked after watching the first episode and you’re only option is to become a paid subscriber to see the rest. One wonders if they’ll do the same when Arrested Development comes around this spring?
Watch the first episode of House of Cards at Netflix.
Arrested Development isn’t the only Netflix original programming heading to the streaming service this year. In addition to David Fincher’s House of Cards which debuts the first of next month, a supernatural series from horror master Eli Roth is on tap for spring. Hemlock Grove, based on the 2012 novel of the same name written by Brian McGreevy, revolves around the murder of a young high school girl in Hemlock Grove, a former steel community, and centers on the bizarre collection of characters connected to it — who each have varying reasons for getting caught up in it. Roth, McGreevy, Lee Shipman, and Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Galactica) serve as executive producers. Famke Janssen, Bill Skarsgård, Landon Liboiron, Penelope Mitchell, Freya Tingley, and Dougray Scott star.
At the TCAs McGreevy hyped his new series by saying that the emotional violence will play just as big a role as the physical violence on screen. “There’s no shortage of monsters on the show and they tend to fall on different varieties — like what separates a human from a monster,” he expanded. “The short answer to how supernatural the show is, is very.” He went on to describe the show like this: “This is like Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? with more people getting mauled, actually.”
Working with Netflix to bring the adaptation to life ultimately ended up being the perfect decision, McGreevy shared. He admitted that he and his team originally pitched the series to the “more conventional premium networks, but we were holding out for Netflix because they were the most exciting partners.” The levels of violence, nudity, and other risque material featured in Hemlock Grove is comparable to what viewers come to expect on premium networks like Showtime and HBO, he said.
“The architecture of Netflix’s model, when you’re writing a pilot and trying to get that sold, you approach story different than when you’re looking at essentially a 13-hour movie,” McGreevy said. “It’s novel for TV to have a beginning, middle and end when you start out and we really embraced that. It’s like a long 13-hour movie as opposed to episodic television,” Verheiden added. Shipman later revealed that the 13 episode first season deals with most everything that goes down in McGreevy’s book and that there are plans to expand on the story in additional seasons if Netflix approves.
Hemlock Grove premieres on Netflix with all the episodes available for streaming simultaneously as is the Netflix way starting April 19. Watch the trailer embedded above.
Could House of Cardsbe a game-changer in terms of original content distribution? That’s where we last left off when Netflix announced it would be exclusively streaming a new show from executive producer David Fincher (The Social Network) and Kevin Spacey. The streaming giant released a trailer for the “wicked political drama [that] penetrates the shadowy world of greed, sex, and corruption in modern D.C.” Kevin Spacey stars as Congressman Francis Underwood, his wife Claire is played by Robin Wright, and together they “stop at nothing to conquer everything.” Kate Mara (American Horror Story) and Corey Stoll co-star.
Production value looks on-par with the best premium cable giants like HBO and Showtime have to offer. Will it attract the same kind of audiences Game of Thrones and Homeland score? We’ll find out shortly after House of Cards premieres on Netflix February 1. Just like the streaming company is doing with new episodes Arrested Development, all thirteen episodes of House of Cards will be made available on day one. No matter its performance, Netflix is committed to two 13-episode seasons of the politically-driven drama.
The Bluths are coming…to Netflix! After series creator Mitch Hurwitz announced in early October that the cult hit Arrested Development would come back to TV to bridge a gap in time between the unfortunate cancellation and the upcoming feature film, 20th Century Fox TV has been trying to find a suitor to air the new batch of episodes. Apparently the show was in contention at Showtime, but it was the video streaming service Netflix that came out as victor in the end. All new episodes of Arrested Development will premiere exclusively on Netflix in the first half of 2013. Finally, a (somewhat) tangible date we can mark on a calendar regarding the return of this show.
Executive producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer said this in a press release: “Of all the projects we’ve been involved with over the years, we probably get more questions about Mitch Hurtwitz’s brilliant ‘Arrested Development’ than any other– everyone, ourselves included, seems to feel like the Bluths left the party a bit too soon. Bringing a series back from cancellation almost never happens, but then, ‘Arrested’ always was about as unconventional as they get, so it seems totally appropriate that this show that broke the mold is smashing it to pieces once again.” And Howard had to add, “After a long hiatus, I’m dying to finally get back to the narrator’s microphone…’It’s Arrested…Development.'”
The Arrested Development pickup adds to Netflix’s list of original programming which also includes upcoming series House of Cards from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. Price hikes, the Qwikster debacle… these are yesterday’s news. Being a major player in bringing the Bluths back into our lives, Netflix has fully redeemed itself.
