Australian star Samara Weaving to lead first-ever Netflix pilot
The streaming giant has ordered its first-ever pilot, with Australian star Samara Weaving set to lead to comedy series Little Sky.
Australian actor Samara Weaving will lead the first pilot ever ordered by Netflix.
The streaming giant, which has been employing a straight-to-series model exclusively since it introduced original programming 12 years ago, will test the waters of the pilot development model withLittle Sky,a single-camera comedy starring and executive produced by Weaving (Nine Perfect Strangers).
Pilots, a hallmark of traditional TV, serve as a prototype for a series, and are often presented to focus groups and network executives for feedback to determine whether a show is picked up for a full season or not.
For Netflix, first seasons have historically served as functioning pilots, and some half-hour series have not gone beyond that. Sources said the streaming service does not plan to pivot to a permanent pilot development model, and the decision is specific to Little Sky.
Netflix executives were said to be “high on the concept” of the series but wanted to commission a pilot to make sure the “tone and chemistry” of the comedy ensemble were right.
In recent years, Netflix has heavily influenced other streaming outlets and broadcast networks into pivoting to a script-to-series model. Of the streamers, Netflix and Apple had used script-to-series orders only, while HBO and Amazon have applied a dual model that involves both script-to-series pick-ups and pilots.
If the Little Sky experiment is successful, it has been suggested that Netflix might be open to more comedy pilots.
Little Sky, created by actor Rightor Doyle (Barry), is about an aspiring journalist (Weaving) with dreams of being an on-air news reporter “despite the fact she may be the worst reporter of all time.” An anonymous tip that the mayor of small town Little Sky is missing sends her there to investigate.
It marks Weaving’s first project with Netflix since she starred in the Ryan Murphy limited series Hollywood.
More Coverage
Yoga, wellness and death: check into The White Lotus
The super-rich have moved on to Thailand for the third series of Mike White’s hit thriller. Its stars talk about their trip of a lifetime.
Becoming Belle: ‘I had to empathise with her’
American Kaitlyn Dever steps into the role of Australia’s most infamous wellness fraudster in Apple Cider Vinegar, a caustic new Netflix series that dissects the rise and fall of an influencer who built her empire on lies.