With the buzzy sci-fi series Extant premiering tonight, high-rated returning fave Under the Dome on its way for later this summer, high-concept thriller Scorpion premiering this fall and James Patterson adaptation Zoo in the cards for the summer of 2015, CBS is in a pretty desirable spot right now. And the good news just keeps coming for the network, with word that CBS just inked a rich deal with streaming service Netflix so that the site can offer Zoo, adapted from the novel by Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, as soon as it finishes airing.
The pact is rumored to be even higher than the $900,000 Amazon is reportedly paying per episode of Under the Dome and Extant (which Netflix wanted as well). Intriguingly, whereas Amazon is able to put episodes of each of those series on its Prime Instant Video service four days after they air, Netflix has also agreed not to air Zoo until the entire season has finished airing on CBS.
In an official statement, Scott Koondel, CBS’ chief corporate licensing officer, said:
“We’re excited to expand our relationship with Netflix as our premium subscription partner on Zoo. This is another creative model to build a summer programming event on CBS and deliver Netflix members an addictive thrill ride series based on a story by one of the world’s biggest authors.”
Sean Carey, Netflix’s vice-president of content licensing, added:
“Zoo is just the kind of smart, gripping and shocking series that Netflix members love. We are delighted to be offering all episodes to our U.S. members immediately after its airing on CBS.”
The official synopsis for CBS’ Zoo reads as follows:
Much like the No. 1 New York Times best-seller published in 2012, the series will focus on a wave of violent animal attacks against humans across the planet. As the assaults become more cunning, coordinated and ferocious, a young renegade biologist is thrust into the race to unlock the pandemic’s mystery before there’s no place left for people to hide.
Surely one of the reasons that Netflix has such a keen interest in CBS’ summer shows is the way in which the TV network has been able to effectively draw in large viewer bases, but Zoo must have been particularly attractive given its pedigree. The show, which was ordered for a 13-episode first season, is written and executive produced by Jeff Pinkner (Fringe), Josh Appelbaum (Life on Mars, Star-Crossed), Andre Nemec (Star-Crossed) and Scott Rosenberg (Life on Mars). James Mangold (The Wolverine), Cathy Konrad (Girl, Interrupted), Patterson, Bill Robinson, Leopoldo Gout and Steve Bowen are also all on board as executive-producers.
No cast has yet been announced, but Zoo is definitely one to keep an eye on. The novel, by Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, was a great speed-read, and the series should be a breezy, fun watch next summer as well.
Published: Jul 9, 2014 01:27 pm