Amazon Will Crowdsource Responses To Choose Next Original Comedy Series
Amazon is planning to add more original content to its Amazon Prime Instant Video catalog, and its next series will be an original comedy. While Amazon may be following in the footsteps of Hulu and Netflix, the company is taking a unique approach when choosing its next project. Amazon has announced plans to crowd source responses when choosing which comedy pilot will turn into a full-fledged online series.
Six new pilots will debut on Instant Video, and subscribers will be asked to watch each show and provide feedback. Audience responses will then allow Amazon to choose which show goes into full production.
After a winner is selected, viewers will have to wait an undisclosed amount of time for the series to film a full season.
The winning show will air on both Amazon Prime Instant Video in the US and Lovefilm in the UK.
Since launching in November 2010 Amazon has received more than 2,000 show proposals.
Here are the synopsis’ for each show as provided by Amazon. Notice some of the big names attached to several of the projects:
Alpha House
Alpha House was written by Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury, Tanner ’88). Alpha House follows four senators who live together in a rented house in Washington, D.C.
Browsers
Written by 12-time Emmy-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum (The Daily Show) and to be directed by Don Scardino (30 Rock), Browsers is a musical comedy set in contemporary Manhattan that follows four young people as they start their first jobs at a news website.
Dark Minions
Penned by Big Bang Theory co-stars Kevin Sussman and John Ross Bowie, Dark Minions is an animated workplace series about two slackers just trying to make a paycheck working an intergalactic warship. The pilot will be produced by Principato-Young (Reno 911).
The Onion Presents: The News
The Onion Presents: The News is a smart, fast-paced scripted comedy set behind the scenes of The Onion News Network that shows just how far journalists will go to stay at the top of their game. The Onion Presents: The News is from The Onion‘s Will Graham & Dan Mirk (The Onion News Network, The Onion Sportsdome).
Supanatural
Supanatural is an animated comedy series about two outspoken divas who are humanity’s last line of defense against the supernatural … when they’re not working at the mall. The series — written by Lily Sparks, Price Peterson and Ryan Sandoval — will be produced by Jason Micallef (Butter) and Kristen Schaal (The Daily Show).
Those Who Can’t
Written by Andrew Orvedahl, Adam Cayton-Holland ,and Benjamin Roy (Grawlix), who were discovered through Amazon Studios online open door process, Those Who Can’t is a comedy about three juvenile, misfit teachers who are just as immature, if not more so, than the students they teach.
If this program works, it will be interesting to see how traditional broadcast and cable company’s respond with crowdsourcing of their own. Will you be tuning in to vote for a new Amazon created comedy?
