If you're increasingly cautious about committing to a show for fear that it will join the ranks of Netflix's canceled shows just as you're getting hooked, you're not alone. And a new show, the young adult drama. PenelopeHe's trying to do something about it.
Penelope starring Megan Stott Small fires everywhere as a disaffected 16-year-old girl who leaves her family and her life behind to forge a new existence in the wild, learning to live off the land alone. It was written during the pandemic, but when the creators tried to commission it, no one decided to do it. So they decided to go the independent route. The show was a huge hit at the Sundance festival and Netflix has picked up US distribution rights for the eight-episode first season.
The show is trying something that's common in independent filmmaking but still relatively rare on streaming television. Instead of getting a big streamer like Netflix to commission and pay for the making of the show, the show's creators made the entire series themselves and then signed a short-term deal for Netflix to distribute it. That means that if Netflix decides that the second season is not suitable for the streamer, it should not prevent the second series from being made and shown elsewhere.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, co-creator Mark Duplass explained: “We brought it [to streamers] And everyone was like, “This is so beautiful and unique, so deeply connected to something I've lost.”
And then they said they couldn't attend. So Duplass and director Mel Eslyn did it.
Why this type of distribution deal could help lift the curse of cancellation
The problem with getting streamers to pay for your shows is that all your show's eggs are in one streamer's basket. And that's why we're all familiar with the disappointment of the “they will, won't they” drama. of a successful show when it ends without a new season having already been confirmed. Netflix especially has a strong track record of disappointing cancellations.
According to Duplass, Penelope is breaking new ground here. “From getting the show out there and figuring out how we're going to sell it or making deals with our actors, no one knows how to do it… So it was actually childish fun. We were just making up new deal structures as we went along.” “We were in agreement.”
By taking what they call a “piece-by-piece” model, creators can sell different streaming rights to different services in different parts of the world instead of trying to persuade Netflix that they can achieve global success. “We have basically absolved [them] of the responsibility of becoming their flagship exhibition,” says Duplass.
This is particularly important when it comes to future seasons, because the show isn't dependent on the priorities and spreadsheets of a single streaming provider. If Netflix approves the second season, there should be enough deals elsewhere to fund another season and make it available to fans. So, for example, with this program the creators will retain the rights to the show everywhere except the US, including video-on-demand rental rights.
“The ideal would be to see how we do on Netflix,” explains Dupress. “In the event that it is a big success, we may see a larger scope for the second season.” And if it's fairly successful instead of a mega hit, “we could write it for a smaller scope, but at least now we have control over whether we can continue making this show.”
It also means that showrunners have more control over their show: they don't have to persuade a single provider that their show will be a big hit in multiple markets and potentially change it to make it more attractive. And Dupress is so convinced that the model is a good one that his studio has used it for three other shows: a documentary and two comedies.
Penelope will air this year on Netflix US, with additional broadcasts confirmed in other countries.
