I’m not too proud to admit that I made it through all thirteen episodes of “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” on Netflix this weekend. I’ve come to a conclusion: who cares about HBO Now? Or Apple’s maybe innovative OTT? Netflix is steadily building up a real library of original content that goes far beyond “House of Cards.” And that’s not just because season three of “House of Cards” was a major disappointment.
Netflix scored the Tina Fey produced sitcom this fall after NBC got nervous about fitting it into it’s “drama heavy” winter season. Which means that they got to slide in a few more raunchier jokes and release it all at once. It’s Already, there is an Internet cult following just two weeks after its release. Look:
Seriously. You guys. UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT. You guys. Seriously.
— Chuck Wendig (@ChuckWendig) March 16, 2015
Signing up for Netflix so I can join the UKS cult. Here’s hoping it’s worth my free first month. Hulu, adieu. #UnbreakableKimmySchmidt — Lael Gold (@laelgold) March 17, 2015
Oh great, THE UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT is also terrific. I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR ALL THIS GREAT TV. #dammit
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 17, 2015
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt by Tina Fey on @Netflix is the new 30 Rock. Very funny and @NBC is probably regretting passing up on it. — Chris Chiera (@ChrisChiera) March 17, 2015
NBC missed out (and they’ve forgotten some promo materials around the web). But it’s not that Netflix has just another good show on their hands. Yes, “Orange is the New Black” is coming this summer. “Marco Polo” isn’t horrible. Marvel’s “Daredevil” is coming soon, too. This weekend, Coach Taylor stars in “Bloodline.” It looks like a great drama, or at the very least, a great substitute for those of us that miss watching Kyle Chandler rock polo shirts. There’s really something for everyone.
By going hard on original content and their push into more international markets, Netflix’s profits might look a little sorry for the time being. But the long game of releasing new shows at least once a month will pay off in the long run. If at least half of them are good, that’s already better than “drama heavy” network programming. Or even HBO’s current series lineup.
If you have any doubts, just watch “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” already.