Ron Perlman, Steven Soderbergh, Adam Brody, Chloë Sevigny and Mena Suvari are among the Hollywood talent hoping for public approval in Amazon’s third pilots season.
The line-up including three half-an-hour comedies and two hour-long dramas will be free to stream from Amazon Prime Instant Video from August 28, without the usual susbcription, and those with the best reviews will become Amazon Original series.
This season’s picks include Hand of God, Hysteria, The Cosmopolitans, Really, and Red Oaks — all five are available in both the UK and US so there’s no disparity between us and those across the pond.
“We are delighted to be able to bring Amazon customers new shows from some of Hollywood’s most talented actors and creators,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. “There is something for everyone in this season and I can’t wait to hear our customers’ feedback when they premiere later this month.”
Hand of God is an hour-long drama, featuring a born-again-sociopath and a smart, gregarious, and greedy mayor — an interesting combo if ever we saw one. It follows a judge called Pernell Harris who suffers a mental breakdown and goes on a vigilante quest to find the rapist who tore his family apart. “With no real evidence to go on, Pernell begins to rely on ‘visions’ and ‘messages’ he believes are being sent by God through Pernell’s ventilator-bound son.”
Hysteria is the second hour-long drama and follows a psychological illness that spreads through viral (no pun intended) social media. Amazon says the storyline takes a new twist when one of the characters realises that “hysteria surrounding the girls might actually be linked to social media and her own tragic past.”
The Cosmopolitans is a comedy that features some well (ish)-known names including Adam Brody and Chloë Sevigny. It’s includes a little romanticism, which probably isn’t for the comedy purists, covering a group of American ex-pats living in Paris, searching for friendship and sometimes a little more.
Really, according to Amazon, is a behind-the-curtains look at the complexities of marriage and the charged dynamics of a tight-knit group of friends who are all getting a little too old for their liking.
Finally, Red Oaks is another comedy, set in 1985 when an assistant tennis pro based at the Red Oaks Tennis Club ponders what he should study when he returns to study after the summer. It’s a feel-good comedy that explores coming of age and tales of friendship.
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