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This time last year Amazon’s status as a haven for bold original programming was legitimized by the Hollywood Foreign Press when Transparent was named best comedy, with transcendent actor Jeffrey Tambor also taking home a prize.
Fast forward to last night, when Amazon not only reigned supreme in the streaming wars (Hulu and Netflix were shutout, despite the latter’s network leading eight nominations), but held court with broadcast and premium cable networks once again, sweeping the TV comedy ballots with a different show: Mozart of the Jungle. Star Gael Garcia Bernal ably filled Tambor’s shoes in the best actor category. With another two-pronged victory, it appears we have a trend on our hands.
“It’s gratifying and exciting to get this recognition and win … two years in a row,” said Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios, according to Adweek.
Amazon had many reasons to be in jovial spirits during its time at TCA on Monday, with everything seemingly headed upwards.
“Over the last two months, Amazon Prime members spent eight times more time watching Amazon original series than they did over the same time period last year,” said Price, as reported by Adweek. The specifics of that data remain under wraps, but Price noted that The Man in the High Castle, already optioned for a second season, topped Bosch as the network’s most-watched show.
Numbers are up for both Transparent and Mozart in the Jungle‘s second seasons, and as per Adweek, streaming during the 2015 holiday season was more than double 2014’s, with their kids’ series experiencing the same jump over the last quarter.
The network’s brand and mission are to continue to shepherd creators with unique visions to the fold.
“We’re looking for visionary creators with a voice that will stand out over time,” said Price.
So far, so good, but Price hopes that a few of the shows presented at Monday’s TCA will be making the victory lap next year, with new TV spots sharing their wares.
Mad Dogs from star showrunner Shawn Ryan (The Shield) arrives on January 22, with Going Clear director Alex Gibney’s docuseries The New Yorker Presents coming February 16. The latter loosely formatted series, instead of following Amazon’s all-at-once binge model, will be released two episodes at a time every Tuesday.
“We’re always going to be open to experimentation,” said Joe Lewis, head of comedy at Amazon, to Adweek. “For every show, we think about how we should release it.”
Bosch returns for another season March 11, and the stork brings season two of Catastrophe on April 8. The former, as reported by Deadline, sees Titus Welliver’s titular character journey to Las Vegas, entangle himself with an ex played by Scrubs alum Sarah Chalke, and meet a noir-ish character played by Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan.
While the shows’ ratings remain a mystery, it’s fair to wonder if it matters for Amazon, whose rule-breaking has proven as award-worthy as it is groundbreaking.
[Cube image courtesy of Amazon via Adweek; Article image courtesy of Amazon via Hitfix]
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