Amazon is giving the power to the people.
The streaming service, looking to make noise through the crowded marketplace that includes Netflix and Hulu as well as broadcast and cable networks with more than 100 pilots in the mix, has added all 14 of its pilots online.
With original fare starring everyone from Arrested Development's Jeffrey Tambor to Roseanne alum John Goodman, Amazon is including a link to a survey to gather feedback on all its originals asking viewers how likely they are to watch future episodes, recommend to others as well as rating humor, characters, quality of the performances, writing, music and storyline-specific points while also gathering demographic data.
Results will help Amazon weigh the future for originals including programming geared at both adults and children. Here are descriptions of the previously pilots in the mix at Amazon.
PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013
Alpha House
Alpha House was written by Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winner Garry Trudeau (Doonesbury, Tanner ’88) and features John Goodman (Roseanne, Argo, Treme), Clark Johnson (The Wire), Matt Malloy (Six Feet Under, Law & Order) and Mark Consuelos (American Horror Story: Asylum, Guys with Kids). Alpha House follows four senators who live together in a rented house in Washington, D.C.
Betas
Set in the land of Silicon Valley start-ups, Betas, written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, follows four friends as they attempt to strike it rich with a new mobile social networking app. Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni star in the pilot. Michael Lehmann (Heathers, True Blood, Dexter, American Horror Story) directed and produced the pilot along with Emmy winners Alan Freedland and Alan Cohen (King of the Hill, Due Date, American Dad), and Academy Award nominee Michael London (Sideways, The Visitor, The Informant).
Browsers
Written by 12-time Emmy-winning comedy writer David Javerbaum (The Daily Show) and directed by Don Scardino (30 Rock), Browsers is a musical comedy set in contemporary Manhattan that follows four young people as they start their first jobs at a news website and features actress Bebe Neuwirth.
Dark Minions
Written by Big Bang Theory co-stars Kevin Sussman and John Ross Bowie, Dark Minions is an animated workplace series about two slackers just trying to make a paycheck, working on an intergalactic warship.
Onion News Empire
Onion News Empire is a smart, fast-paced scripted comedy set behind the scenes of The Onion News Network that shows just how far journalists will go to stay at the top of their game. Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Hangover), Chris Masterson (Malcolm in the Middle, American History X), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption, Die Hard 2), Cheyenne Jackson (30 Rock, United 93) and Aja Naomi King (Damsels in Distress) star in the pilot.
Supanatural
Supanatural is an animated comedy series about two outspoken divas who are humanity’s last line of defense against the supernatural, when they’re not working at the mall. The series was written by Lily Sparks, Price Peterson and Ryan Sandoval, and the pilot was produced by Jason Micallef (Butter) and Kristen Schaal (The Daily Show).
Those Who Can’t
Written by Andrew Orvedahl, Adam Cayton-Holland and Benjamin Roy (Grawlix), who were discovered through Amazon Studios’ online open door process, Those Who Can’t is a comedy about three juvenile, misfit teachers who are just as immature, if not more so, than the students they teach.
Zombieland
Zombieland is based on the hit Columbia Pictures movie of the same name, and finds four survivors outwitting zombies and searching for a place to call home. The part of Tallahassee is played by Kirk Ward (The Island), Maiara Walsh (Desperate Housewives, Switched at Birth) is Wichita, Tyler Ross (Milkshake) plays Columbus, and Izabela Vidovic has the role of Little Rock. The Zombieland pilot comes from Sony Pictures Television and the film’s original creative team, writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, The Joe Schmo Show), and producer Gavin Polone (Gilmore Girls, Curb Your Enthusiasm).
Kids’ pilots:
Annebots
Annebots revolves around Anne, a young scientist, who creates three robot helpers to assist her scientific experiments in the back of her dad’s junkyard. This science-based series from creator J.J. Johnson (Dino Dan, This is Emily Yeung) aims to introduce kids to science and technology in a fun, new way.
Creative Galaxy
Creative Galaxy is an animated interactive art adventure series, designed to inspire kids’ creative thinking through crafts, story, music and dance. The series was created by Angela Santomero, creator of Super Why!, the Emmy-nominated literacy series, Blue’s Clues and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
Positively Ozitively
In this innovative problem-solving series, Dot, Dorothy’s daughter, goes off to Oz everyday with the children of the beloved characters from Frank Baum’s classic book, The Wizard of Oz. In each episode, the yellow brick road leads Dot to a new magical location where she solves problems alongside her Oz friends.
Sara Solves It
Sara Solves It was created by Emmy winner Carol Greenwald (Curious George) and Emmy nominee Angela Santomero (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!, Blue’s Clues), who also served as executive producers of the new show. Viewers follow brother and sister duo Sara and Sam on absorbing and relatable mysteries that spring from the questions young children encounter in their daily lives. Each mystery is an interactive, math-based puzzle that viewers can solve with Sara and Sam.
Teeny Tiny Dogs
Created by Howard Baker (Rugrats) and produced by Lisa Henson (Sid the Science Kid, Dinosaur Train), Teeny Tiny Dogs follows Dinky, Butterfly, Butch and Polly as they help one another navigate the big world, despite their teeny, tiny, small size. This series promotes happiness through friendship, learning, growing and developing a strong sense of self as seen through the eyes of canine friends.
Tumbleaf
Tumbleaf was created by Drew Hodges and Bix Pix Entertainment, an award-winning stop-motion studio. The series, aimed at preschoolers, is set in a whimsical land where a small blue fox named Fig plays each day and discovers adventure, friendship and love around every bend in the path. Children will be enriched by narratives that promote play through exploration and scientific thinking.
Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit
