SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—The Senate is in session and the senators are back with an eleven-episode season filled with the outrageous—and sometimes all-too-real—follies of Washington politics. The first three episodes of Alpha House debut today for all customers to enjoy. Remaining episodes will become available weekly, every Friday, exclusively on Prime Instant Video. As always, customers are invited to watch, enjoy and tell Amazon what they think of the series.
“We are incredibly excited to make our very first original series available to Amazon customers. Our goal has always been to create shows that customers will love and we can’t wait to see Alpha House come to life,” said Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios. “Creator Garry Trudeau and the amazing cast of Alpha House have delivered a humor-packed first season that doesn’t skip a beat.”
Starting today, the first three episodes of Alpha House are available to all Amazon customers for free via Amazon Instant Video on Kindle Fire, iPad, iPhone, Roku, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii, Wii U, hundreds of other connected devices, and online at www.amazon.com/instantvideo. After today, one new episode of Alpha House will become available each Friday, exclusively on Prime Instant Video, with episode four available on November 22. Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a trial at www.amazon.com/primevideos.
Alpha House, which was written by Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize winner Garry Trudeau and produced by Trudeau, Elliot Webb and Jonathan Alter, is a comedy about four senators (John Goodman, Mark Consuelos, Clark Johnson, and Matt Malloy) who rent a house together in Washington DC. The roomies are joined by Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy), Wanda Sykes (Curb Your Enthusiasm), and Julie White (Go On).
Here’s what TV critics are saying about the series:
- “...time to add another potential winner to the list of shows you’re already watching.” — The Hollywood Reporter
- “Amazon has winner with Alpha House” — San Francisco Chronicle
- “...in terms of Alpha House achieving something that looks like victory, so far, mission accomplished.” — Variety
- “Goodman is in excellent form...” — LA Times
- “...it’s smartly written and the cast jells from the start.” — San Jose Mercury News
- “Amazon Prime’s New Original Show Is Scandal For Dudes.”— Refinery29
- “Goodman’s adept with physical comedy — the shower nap is a highlight...” — indieWire
Here’s what customers said about the Alpha House pilot:
- “A political comedy from the mind of Garry Trudeau starring John Goodman with a cameo from Bill Murray. Needless to say this show has a lot of potential and I can't wait for more episodes.”
- “John Goodman shines in this series. Love the supporting cast. The show is intelligent, funny and unique. Can’t wait for more shows!”
- “This show was witty and fun. The actors are great and they are what initially drew me to the show. I would definitely watch if the pilot was given the green light.”
- “Ok. I’ll fess up. I’m a political junkie. And a huge John Goodman fan. And Alpha House feeds that beast. Very well done—there are layers to this.”
- “This is a good show, and if you keep making them, I’ll keep watching. It’s got a smart, cynical take on Washington without being too over-the-top about it and playing too hard on stereotypes.”
About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that’s open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Anyone can upload a script and will then be notified within 45 days if that script is optioned. Amazon Studios will read and review all submissions and those who choose to make their projects public may also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community. Recently, Amazon Studios announced 11 new pilots including: kids pilots Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Grid Smasher, Hard-Boiled Eggheads, The Jo B. & G. Raff Show, The Maker Shack Agency, Wishenpoof!; comedy pilots Mozart in the Jungle, The Rebels and Transparent; and drama pilots Bosch and The After. The pilots will be available on Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM early next year for all customers to watch and provide feedback. On November 22, Amazon Studios will debut its second comedy series Betas available exclusively on Prime Instant Video.
Since launch, more than 19,000 movie scripts and 5,000 series projects have been submitted to Amazon Studios. Amazon Studios continues to invite series creators to upload their proposals for drama, comedy and children’s programming at http://studios.amazon.com/getting-started/series or submit them privately via Amazon Studios.
Comprehensive cast and crew information, including bios and filmographies, is available on Amazon’s IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content.
About Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth’s Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon’s developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon’s own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. Kindle Paperwhite is the world’s best-selling and most advanced e-reader. It features new display technology with higher contrast, the next generation built-in light, a faster processor, the latest touch technology, and exclusive new features designed from the ground up for readers. Kindle, the lightest and smallest Kindle, features improved fonts and faster page turns. The new Kindle Fire HDX features a stunning exclusive 7” or 8.9” HDX display, a quad-core 2.2 GHz processor, 2x more memory, and 11 hours of battery life, as well as exclusive new features of Fire OS 3.0 including X-Ray for Music, Second Screen, Prime Instant Video downloads, and the revolutionary new Mayday button. The all-new Kindle Fire HD includes an HD display, high-performance processor and dual speakers at a breakthrough price.
Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, www.amazon.es, www.amazon.com.br, www.amazon.in, www.amazon.com.mx, and www.amazon.com.au. As used herein, “Amazon.com,” “we,” “our” and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment and data center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.