Tina Fey has continued to be a hit-maker since her days on SNL, when she charmed audiences with her wit and a fierce chemistry with pal Jimmy Fallon. However, her new show, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, has been moved from a premiere on NBC to Netflix.
While it’s not clear what prompted the move–other than the show not being a tight fit with the drama-laden mid-season lineup–both Netflix and Fey are happy with the decision, and the company has ordered two seasons right off the bat to join their other hit exclusives, including Orange Is The New Black and House Of Cards. The series–about a young woman who frees herself from a cult in order to face life on her own in a big, unfamiliar city–stars Ellie Kemper, formerly of The Office.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to debut ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ exclusively on Netflix, which has proven to be such an outstanding place for distinctive, original programming. Happily, we will still collaborate with our longtime partners at Universal Television to fulfill Netflix’s two-season order. We grew up at NBC and will continue to develop broadcast projects with them as well. We found the inspiration for this series in Ellie Kemper’s shining all-American face, and we know that she and Kimmy Schmidt have found their best possible home at Netflix,” read a joint statement from Fey and the show’s co-creator Robert Carlock.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt will premiere in March, and Fey will be producing along with 30 Rock producers Jeff Richmond, Jack Burditt and David Miner.
“The very construct of ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ — its offbeat premise, hilarious and rich characters and serialized storytelling — make it a perfect Netflix comedy series. Tina and Robert’s unique comic voice and sensibility come through in this series and we could not be more excited to present ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ exclusively to Netflix members around the world,” said Cindy Holland of Netflix.
