Joshua Willis, Campus Carrier Staff Reporter
Along with countless films, documentaries and TV shows, Netflix now offers several original series for subscribers to enjoy on demand.
In 2013, the American Internet streaming media provider released “House of Cards,” “Hemlock Grove,” “Orange is the New Black” and the fourth season of “Arrested Development.” These shows joined “Lilyhammer,” the first Netflix original series, which premiered in 2012.
Though each series differs in tone and subject matter, many viewers and critics view their originality, intelligence and entertainment value to be common factors.
“Lilyhammer,” the inaugural Netflix original series, is a Norwegian-American comedy/crime drama centering on Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano, an ex-underboss for the Italian mafia, after his relocation to Lillehammer, Norway by witness protection.
In David Fincher’s crime drama “House of Cards,” Kevin Spacey stars as Frank Underwood, a South Carolina Democrat and House Majority Whip who exacts revenge after not being appointed Secretary of State, despite the president’s promise. The dark and gritty drama takes a dive into the dark side of politics, where money, drugs and sex are more important than votes.
Set in a fictional town in Pennsylvania, “Hemlock Grove” is a thriller with horror elements that deals with a mysterious double murder, the powerful Godfrey family and werewolves.
Fans of “Arrested Development” rejoiced after Netflix re-debuted the show, which FOX originally cancelled in 2006 after just three seasons. In this model of intelligent humor, Michael Bluth tries to keep his dysfunctional family together while keeping his incarcerated father’s business afloat. In this unprecedented reboot, Netflix introduced a new, character-based episode layout specifically designed to work with the video service’s online watching format.
“Orange is the New Black,” Netflix’s most popular original series so far, concerns soap-making artisan Piper Chapman who is sent to a minimum-security prison after being named an accomplice by her heroin trafficking ex-girlfriend. There, she meets a diverse and dizzying array of inmates and prison workers, portrayed by a large, primarily female ensemble cast.
Though the artistic merit of the original series was important to the shows’ creators, they were primarily created to increase Netflix’s subscriber base. The company considers the production cost for each show an investment, not an expenditure. Since introducing the shows, Netflix added 630,000 new streaming subscribers in the US. Though this is below the 900,000 they had hoped for, the shows have proved to be popular with viewers. In fact, each series is more popular than the last. All shows were renewed for new seasons in 2014.
The original series were warmly received by most critics. At the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, “House of Cards” received nine nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Kevin Spacey) and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Robin Wright), the first time a web series has been recognized by television’s top award. “Arrested Development” received three including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (Jason Bateman), while “Hemlock Grove” also received several minor nominations.
Because the series have been so successful, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently stated that he wants to double the company’s amount of original programming in 2014. Along with Ricky Gervais’s “Derek“ and “Sense8,” a series concept created by Lana and Andy Wachowski, possible new additions include “Marco Polo,” an ambitious show based on the famous explorer and set in warring 13th century China.
As new shows emerge, it is expected that Netflix will continue to revolutionize the way that viewers follow series.