The D.C.-set, Garry Trudeau-created comedy Alpha House starring John Goodman is “not a current show,” Amazon studio chief Roy Price said this afternoon, closing out the streaming service’s day at TCA. Not maybe such a surprise, given that Tucker Carlon’s political website reported same in May.
On the other hand, Price added, it could return, if political events dictate and other stars align.
“I like to leave my options open, but I understand what you’re saying,” Price told TV critics exasperated with the purgatory status of Amazon series. The best they could get was his promise to “review” whether it would be helpful to have some sort of media alert that a certain show is going forward or not.
He confirmed that drama pilot The Interestings will not go to series, throwing them something. Lauren Ambrose and David Krumholtz starred in the pilot about a group of friends who meet at an arts camp when they’re 15 in 1974. The series would have chronicled their relationships throughout the next three decades.
Ratings aren’t so relevant to Amazon, Price continued to insist. But viewers voting on pilots is, he said, explaining that it’s part of a soup that goes into deciding what shows to pick up and which ones to give a pass. Ingredients include the audience feedback on pilots, critics’ feedback and “whatever we may know and think and whatever we may know about shows coming up. You have to put that all together and decide what’s the best lineup.”
Good Girls Revolt is premiering nearly a year after the pilot came out, and Price got asked if viewer enthusiasm ever wanes, or waxes when there is such a long lag between pilot and series. “We have seen waxing” but no waning, he said, nothing that if they like the pilot, they like the show. That’s what we’ve observed so far.”
Price says he thinks Amazon’s spending was double in the second half of 2015 versus the previous year, “so it’s certainly on an upward projection,” he said. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is up 51% globally and 47% in the United States. “So Prime is growing and Prime content is growing,” he told critics. “As you can see we’ve got a full fall and we didn’t even promote the movies today, or the kids lineup.”
One critic wondered if getting a show to five seasons “matter to you.” Price said it’s “very helpful” because when a new season starts they see increased interest in early seasons.
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