July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

In an unusual move, streaming video service Netflix will start streaming new episodes of AMC’s The Killing in the U.K. and Ireland the day after they air on TV, the company announced today.

Back in March, it was revealed Netflix had cut a deal with Fox Television Studios to be the exclusive streaming provider of season three of The Killing. Originally, AMC was not planning to bring The Killing back to TV for a third season, but Netflix’s deal made it possible to go back on the air.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Season 3 of The Killing exclusively to our members in the U.K. and Ireland,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “The Killing is an incredibly gripping fan favorite so we wanted to make each new episode available as soon as possible.”

The Killing details the lives and exploits of homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder. After closing the case of Rosie Larsen’s death at the end of season two, the show is “rebooting” with a new twisted case following a serial killer. Viewership declined significantly during the second season, so it was important for the show to start with a fresh case.

This move closely follows the debut of new episodes of cult comedy TV show Arrested Development, which were produced by and will only stream on Netflix. The streaming giant also has produced popular original TV shows including House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, with other shows also in development.

American Netflix members will be able to watch the third season of The Killing three months after the season ends its run on TV. While this isn’t as good of a deal as U.K. and Ireland Netflix members are getting, it is still a shorter-than-usual window for typical American TV shows moving over to Netflix.

It should also be pointed out that while Netflix doesn’t usually get TV shows the day after they air, rival streaming video service Hulu often does have TV shows for viewing either the day after or a week after an episode airs. But Hulu will not get season three of The Killing, and other deals by Netflix that are similar to this would prevent rivals from airing the same TV shows.

The Killing photo via AMC

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

After waiting a good year, Arrested Development fans can finally see the first glimpse of the forthcoming new season.

The first official trailer for the show’s fourth season is now available online, originally posted by The Hollywood Reporter yesterday. The show itself will debut on Netflix May 26, and it won’t force subscribers to wait a full week to watch all 15 episodes of the season. That means you can lounge in your underwear and watch every new episode as one long marathon.

Netflix is also is coming off of two successful launches of its other original series, House of Cards and Hemlock Grove. And if the Arrested Development trailer, (which is packed with crazy antics from the entire cast) is any indication, fans won’t be disappointed.

Via The Verge

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

We’ve known for months that it was coming, but finally streaming video service Netflix has issued an official premiere date for the hotly anticipated new season of Arrested Development.

The show will go online for paying Netflix subscribers May 26, the company announced today. And unlike regular television, you won’t have to wait a quarter of a year to watch the full season, as Netflix is debuting all 15 episodes at the same time — much to the delight of unshowered binge watching fans, who will undoubtedly finish it over a long weekend. The company is clearly excited, with chief content officer Ted Sarandos calling Arrested Development “one of the top comedies of all time.”

“Ted said that?  Wow. Well don’t print this obviously, but he’s going to be immensely disappointed,” said series creator Mitch Hurwitz in the press release. “In truth we are doing something very ambitious that can only be done with Netflix as partners and on their platform. Finally my simple wish for the show is coming true: that it be broadcast every second around the clock to every television, computer or mobile device in existence.”

Arrested Development will be Netflix’s first big crack at producing comedic original programming. The company has already funded the well received political drama House of Cards and plans to release more original content over the next year.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Netflix will only produce one new season of the cult comedy TV series Arrested Development, the popular streaming video service admitted today.

Arrested Development is one of a handful of high-profile projects Netflix is producing so it can provide its members with exclusive high-quality content. Its original series House of Cards has David Fincher and Kevin Spacey behind it and is the most watched piece of content on the service right now. House of Cards shows people using Netflix will happily lap up new content if it is good. (The series boasts an impressive 9.0 out 10 on IMBb now.)

Other big exclusive TV shows Netflix has committed to make include Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove, Jenji Kohan’s Orange is the New Black, and the new Dreamworks kids show Turbo: F.A.S.T. But Arrested Development is clearly in a different boat because it is a resurrection of a series that was prematurely canceled — not a new series.

Netflix told the Wall Street Journal today that it would be “extremely difficult to get the cast together.” Netflix called the new season of Arrested Development a “one-off” and “non-repeatable” event. Basically, it appears Netflix doesn’t appear to have the cash to make another season worthwhile.

While it’s hard not to be blue (like Tobias), fans are likely still excited to get one more season from the show, which become more popular after it stopped airing in 2006. Netflix has committed to make 14 new episodes of the show, and they are planned to debut in May.

Netflix faces steep competition from Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu, and other services that also have planned their own original video content. But at least right now, Netflix has done a great job bringing creators to the fold that connect with its viewers. Will the other services be able to say the same?

Check out some of the best clips from Arrested Development below.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

It seems that the Super Bowl weekend debut of Netflix original series House of Cards didn’t take away from subscriber curiosity. The show currently the most-watched program on the streaming video service, according to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos, who spoke on stage at the D: Dive into Media conference today, didn’t share any specific audience numbers, saying that Netflix isn’t beholden to advertisers and really doesn’t have any need to disclose that kind of information. However, knowing House of Cards (which is produced by Media Rights Capital) is at the top of the pile is still pretty significant when you consider the thousands of movies and TV shows available to domestic Netflix subscribers — and the fact that Netflix subscribers collectively watch over a billion hours per month on the service.

“I don’t want to give ratings, because it is a real apples-to-oranges comparison with network ratings,” Sarandos said.

As people talk about the series over the next few month, Sarandos said he expects House of Cards to grow its audience over time.

There was also talk of Netflix’s next big original series debut, with resurrected sitcom Arrested Development. Along with Sarandos, Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz spoke highly of the new season, saying: “In many ways, we are the poster child for Netflix…” and that the streaming service is ideal because it affords them a dedicated audience that pays closer attention to its brand of humor.

And since Arrested Development already has a built-in fan base, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to hear that it becomes the most watched show during the month of May, which is when it’s scheduled to premiere on the streaming service.

Via The Verge

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

One of the most highly anticipated shows in Netflix’s original programing line up is Arrested Development, and now we’re hearing word that the video rental service is increasing the number of episodes.

The show’s production is currently taking a break from filming the forthcoming season, which should debut on Netflix at some point during the first quarter of 2013. Arrested Development producers apparently shot more footage than expected for the initial 10 episodes, and they now have ideas for more scenes and storylines, according to a Deadline report.

The report indicates that show producers successfully pitched Netflix on doing additional episodes, which would push the total episode count to 12-15. Filming is expected to resume again in January, pending all the scheduling can be worked out.

If the news is true, it could theoretically push the debut of Arrested Development’s new season further into 2013. But it’s possible that we could see the season debut in two parts, which wouldn’t be so bad. Of course, it’s hard to say since Netflix still hasn’t given an official premiere date for the season.

We’re reaching out to Netflix for confirmation on the episode order. Stay tuned for updates.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Arrested Development fans have another reason to love Netflix. Actually, they have about 10 reasons, to be exact.

Netflix first won fans over back in November when it announced it was producing 10 new Arrested Development episodes for its streaming video service. Ultimately, it was a smart move for the streaming video company; the show, which ran for three seasons before prematurely getting yanked by the suits at Fox, has a strong cult following.

Today, Netflix has confirmed the entire 10-episode fourth season will premiere on the same day, at the same time. This is a luxury that’s usually never afforded to new TV shows. Traditional networks typically make fans wait months (or years) to snag a whole season of commercial-free episodes, and that privilege costs far more than Netflix’s $8 monthly subscription fee.

“They [Netflix] understand how I consume television: in marathon sessions on my couch while shunning social contact and showers,” remarked one VentureBeat staffer who will remain nameless (but not necessarily odorless).

As Netflix has pointed out in the past, it’s not like a traditional TV network, and it doesn’t intend to follow traditional TV rules. The company’s first original series, Lilyhammer, was also released as a full season on the same day.

The new Arrested Development episodes are scheduled to come online in 2013, but they will only be available to U.S. customers. We’re confident that Netflix will eventually reach an agreement to offer the new season in Canada, Ireland, and the U.K. as well.

Via  Vulture

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

Fox made a huge mistake by canceling Arrested Development in 2006. Looks like Netflix is making a redemption, however, by offering new episodes to subscribers in 2013.

The show, which ran for three seasons, has become a cult classic amongst dry-absurd-humor loving watchers (read: me) who have longed for more episodes of the Bluth family’s antics. Rumors of a movie have circulated since its small screen departure without much fruits for the scuttlebutt labor. Contractual issues were blamed for the delay, but it looks like Netflix found the money in the banana stand before movie producers and is giving fans the fix.

“Starting in 2013, all new episodes of ‘Arrested Development’ will be available exclusively to U.S. Netflix Members to watch instantly!” Netflix announced on Twitter.

For awhile there, it seemed like Netflix’s customer-friendly hand had been bitten off by the seal of stupidity when it created and then killed off Qwikster, the proposed DVD rental arm of Netflix. After backlash to the odd separation, Netflix quickly burned the split and kept its company whole. Still upset customers retaliated by canceling their subscriptions, resulting in a loss of 800,000 subscribers in the third quarter of 2011.

After its spell of vertigo, however, Netflix has stopped dragging its feet and finally given users something, well, awesome.

Ron Howard, creator of Arrested Development and narrator of the show, tweeted, “Gotta warm up my throat and start practicing…. ‘it’s Arrested….Development’ Good news,” as well as, “Many thanks to you ever-so-vocal Arrested Development supporters Wouldn’t have gotten here without you.”

The episodes should be ready in 2013, but will only be available to Netflix members in the United States. Whether this will be expanded internationally is unclear.

I think Jason Bateman, the actor behind main character Michael Bluth, said it best when he tweeted, “Netflix is gassing up the staircar! I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to wear a pair of khakis.”