Amazon today named the five shows that will move into production as the Seattle company’s first original TV series. As expected, they include two comedy series, Alpha House and Betas. Also making the cut are the childrens’ shows Annebots, Creative Galaxy and Tumbleaf.
The announcement follows public voting on 14 pilot episodes last month.
“We’re thrilled to have emerged safely from this harrowing exercise in online democracy,” said Alpha House creator Garry Trudeau, in a news release. “All of us at Alpha House thank both Amazon and its wise and wonderful customer base for such a happy outcome. As the future of episodic TV packs up and moves to Seattle, we hope the audience will continue to have as much fun watching the show as we have making it.”
Yes, that’s Gary Trudeau of Doonesbury fame. Alpha House is a political comedy starring John Goodman, and was a favorite among people who voted on the pilots, earning an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Amazon says the five series will be available via Amazon Prime Instant Video later this year and early next.
The company is one of several big streaming services working on original content. Netflix has found success by releasing its original shows in a single batch of episodes for binge-viewing. No official word yet on whether Amazon will follow that model or dribble the episodes out on a more traditional schedule.
