Amazon Studios has been turning out some very good shows, including the political comedy Alpha House, and several top-notch kids series, such as Tumbleleaf and Creative Galaxy. But the e-commerce giant’s foray into original content has yet to achieve the blockbuster status enjoyed by rival Netflix with its original series House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black.
That could change today with the release of the new Amazon Studios series Transparent, a dark comedy about a father who comes out as transgender. The series was created by Jill Soloway, whose credits include the HBO series Six Feet Under, and it stars Jeffrey Tambor, of Arrested Development fame.
Television critics are almost over-the-top in their praise for the series. Matt Roush of TV Guide writes that Transparent “should do for Amazon, reputation-wise, what House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black achieved for Netflix. It’s at least their equal, with the feel and tone of an Oscar-worthy independent film.”
Brian Lowry of Variety agrees, writing that it’s “the sort of breakthrough destined to firmly put Amazon’s nascent original programming push on the map.”
But what about the real critics, Amazon customers? So far the series gets 4.1 out of 5 stars, which is actually in the same range as Alpha House and Betas.
The series is available as part of Amazon Prime Instant Video, which comes with a $99/year Amazon Prime subscription. Amazon is releasing all 10 episodes of the first season at once, following Netflix’s successful model with House of Cards and other shows. The pilot episode of Transparent can be viewed without Amazon Prime, for free.
