This is great that Netflix is being bold. Netflix needs to be bold. The networks own the studios that produce all of the content and will continue to use that to keep Netflix under heel.
Arrested Development certainly has risk though. It's impossible to pick up where the show left off six years ago.
Hopefully if this succeeds Netflix will consider following up by reviving Better Off Ted. A similar, critically acclaimed, and more recent show with actors that seem generally available.
If that IS their biz model I personally would love it. I don't watch much TV, but what I do watch is usually in bulk via a 3rd party streaming service and a year or five late. If Netflix started bringing other titles that were cancelled too soon like Firefly, Deadwood, etc with the budget of HBO and the postsight of watching the net for sleeper hits that were cancelled, you can count me in.
That would definitely be awesome, but it also seems very expensive. Hbo cost a lot more than netflix jet their target audience is usually much wider. Finally hbo, in my mind at least is as much a certificate of great tv as it is a channel. This is not the case for netflix.
That wasn't the case for AMC before "Mad Men". Now, in addition to "Mad Men", they have "The Walking Dead", "Breaking Bad" and "Hell on Wheels". Even more than that, they have my guarantee that I will at least try a few episodes of any AMC original show that comes out.
You're right that Netflix would have to build an audience, but if they are able to create exceptional quality shows, as HBO and AMC have done, then they can very print that certificate very quickly (within a couple of years).
Better Off Ted and Firefly (as some-one mentioned underneath) are perfect examples of shows that would thrive under Netflix. They have such huge appeal to the tech savvy audience who are most likely to adopt Netflix. It wouldn't surprise me if the rights to those shows are owned by big TV companies though, who have little to incentive to sell them on.
Firefly (as some-one mentioned underneath) are perfect examples of shows that would thrive under Netflix.
I have to disagree with this, Firefly is not the type of show Netflix should be focusing on. They need shows with low production costs with broad - lowest common denominator appeal. Expensive shows catering to a niche market (which they pretty much already have captured) is not what they're trying to do here.
There's a few ways they can go, sitcoms and short form comedies are going to be much more profitable for them at this point so Better off Ted is a much better fit.
Then there's the Showtime/HBO premium market (which folks are already paying for as a premium service). But even here I think they'd play it safe short term - more Sopranos and True Blood type mass appeal then Boardwalk Empire and The Wire (both are great, but much more focused market).
> catering to a niche market (which they pretty much already have captured)
Not necessarily. The geek market has little loyalty to Netflix, and would just as easily switch to Amazon Prime or any other streaming service which showed up, especially if it provides better features or selection than Netflix. But if Netflix has shows which won't appear anywhere else...
They've already announced how they're going to pick up where they left off and it's actually a very good idea.
For the first few episodes, each main character is going to get a recap episode of what they've been up to.
(Now my personal opinion:) Of couse, the other characters are going to show up but I think it's a very original catching up if they do it from each character's perspective. It will allow for a deeper understanding of their world and when they bring things back into a meld it will be that much more funny because of the conflicts set up in the first few episodes.
Arrested Development certainly has risk though. It's impossible to pick up where the show left off six years ago.
Hopefully if this succeeds Netflix will consider following up by reviving Better Off Ted. A similar, critically acclaimed, and more recent show with actors that seem generally available.