Taking a page out of the Netflix playbook, all 13 episodes of the drama will become available on NBC.com, the NBC app and VOD on May 28, the same night of Aquarius‘ two-hour premiere. New episodes of the drama will air weekly in the 9 p.m. Thursday timeslot, making NBC the first broadcast network to attempt a strategy that blends the all-at-once model with a traditional broadcast approach.
NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt called the move “forward-thinking,” stating:
“With Aquarius we have the opportunity to push some new boundaries to give our audience something no broadcast network has done before. We are fully aware how audiences want to consume multiple episodes of new television series faster and at their own discretion, and we’re excited to offer our viewers this same experience since all 13 episodes of this unique show have been produced and are ready to be seen.”
To further encourage binge-watching, the online episodes will only be available for the first four weeks of Aquarius‘ run. Producers have reportedly cut two versions of the series, one edgier and in line with the looser content restrictions associated with streaming, and the other more suitable for broadcast.
NBC had a pretty terrible season for originals, with newcomers like Allegiance, The Slap, American Odyssey and One Big Happy falling flat and only A.D.: The Bible Continues delivering really solid numbers, so perhaps the Aquarius release is the network’s final effort to make the ratings needle move a little for the season.
Duchovny stars in the 1967-set series as Los Angeles homicide detective Sam Hodiak, who solves crimes in the two years leading up to the Manson murders. Emma Dumont, Grey Damon and Gethin Anthony co-star.
Aquarius will premiere on May 28th.
