Yahoo announces two original 30-minute comedies
NEW YORK — Yahoo gets serious about original video programming with the announcement of two TV-like comedies.
During the Digital Content NewFront presentation led by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, the tech giant unveiled plans for two eight-episode sitcoms — sci-fi comedy Other Space from Bridesmaids director Paul Feig and sports comedy Sin City Saints from Smallville and One Tree Hill executive producer Mike Tollin. Yahoo also announced a partnership with entertainment events company Live Nation that will bring one live-streaming concert to Yahoo every day for a year.
Other City will be the first television-style series created by Paul Feig since Freaks and Geeks debuted in 1999. The director, who was shooting a movie with Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law in Budapest, unveiled the series via a pre-taped video during Yahoo's presentation. He described the show as a funny sci-fi series set on an alternate universe in the early 22nd century. Other City follows a group of misfit astronauts and robots who, after years of searching, finally stumble on alien life.
Sin City Saints comes from producer Tollins and Emmy-nominated director Bryan Gordon (Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Party Down). Tollins and NBA player Kevin Love, who has no creative association with the show, presented the series to potential advertisers at Lincoln Center. The single-camera comedy is set in the front office of a fictional pro basketball expansion team that also happens to be Las Vegas' first professional sports franchise.
Yahoo has made a significant upfront investment, ordering eight 30-minute episodes for both series. Specific financial details were not disclosed.
Following the practice at Netflix, Yahoo will release all episodes of the series at once on its video platform in 2015.
In addition to the new comedies, Yahoo kicked off the first of 365 consecutive streaming concerts with a performance from rock band American Authors. Yahoo's global anchor Katie Couric was also on hand to publicize her recent interviews with Michael Bloomberg and actor Bryan Cranston. Couric says she plans to ramp up her production for Yahoo once her talk show, Katie, wraps up in June.