Updated: Hulu and Netflix have passed on reviving the series as TBS and NBC, sources say, have kicked the tires on the now former Fox comedy.
Updated: Sources tell THR that both Hulu and Netflix have passed on reviving the former Fox comedy.
Previous: In the Peak TV world, one network’s canceled show may be another’s new arrival.
Such could be the case for Brooklyn Nine-Nine which, hours after being canceled at Fox after a five-season run, has become the talk of the industry with other outlets taking notice of the worldwide outpouring of support.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Brooklyn Nine-Nine producers Universal Television have fielded a number of incoming calls from other outlets including Hulu (where the Andy Samberg comedy has an SVOD deal), Netflix (which has business with the studio, including Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), TBS (whose president, Kevin Reilly, developed the series and whose network airs off-network repeats of the comedy) and network sibling NBC.
Sources note that the studio has plans to fight to revive the series at another outlet following the wave of support from critics and stars including Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Hamill, among countless others. Universal Television declined comment.
Hulu could be a natural home for the series and has a history of giving new life to Fox/UTV comedies after reviving The Mindy Project for a multiple-season run following its cancellation by Fox. Netflix also could make sense, given the streaming giant handed out a two-season order for the studio’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt after NBC opted out of its initial straight-to-series order for what turned out to be a niche yet award-winning comedy.
And in an era of vertical integration, NBC would also be a smart fit for the Mike Schur and Dan Goor comedy co-starring Andre Braugher. The network is currently home to Schur’s The Good Place, and this week it handed out a series order to the prolific producer’s comedy Abby‘s. NBC’s total comedy orders so far this season sit at two — off one from last year.
In any event, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is becoming more emblematic of the benefits of a Peak TV universe where it has become easier for a canceled series or passed-over pilot to find new life outside of the outlet for which it was developed. Such was the case last year for The CW’s Insatiable, which found new life at Netflix. Sources also say there has been discussion about Kaitlin Olson comedy The Mick and possibly Will Forte’s The Last Man on Earth finding new homes elsewhere. (Last Man would likely be for an abbreviated final season, as was considered a brief possibility before Fox lowered its big ax Thursday.)
Keep track of all the renewals, cancellations and new show orders with THR‘s scorecards for ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW and with all the latest pilot pickups and passes with our handy guide. For complete coverage, bookmark THR.com/upfronts.
May 11, 4:35 p.m.: Updated with news that a move to Hulu and Netflix appears unlikely.
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