PASADENA, Calif. — Now that the sitcom she’s writing has moved from NBC to Netflix, Tina Fey has big plans: “Season two is going to be mostly shower sex.”
Jokes aside, the journey of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is a unique one for television and its future will be watched closely. The series, starring Ellie Kemper and Jane Krakowski, will see its first 13 episodes drop on Netflix on March 6.
Tina Fey and her creative partner Robert Carlock are behind the series, in which Kemper plays a woman who emerges from living in a cult for 15 years and starts over in New York City.
Originally targeted for NBC, half of the first season had been filmed and edited when NBC’s bosses — mindful of the difficulty broadcast networks have had lately creating new comedy hits — freed Fey and Carlock to shop the series elsewhere.
No hard feelings, Fey said. She’s co-hosting the Golden Globes on NBC Sunday with pal Amy Poehler and said she won’t hesitate to again make something for NBC, where her “30 Rock” was a cult favorite.
“Because the show is made by NBC, it’s really in NBC’s best (financial) interests to find it the best home,” she said.
The comedy could have worked on NBC, “but I actually think more people will find us” on Netflix, Fey said.
The creators knew the series was moving to Netflix in time to edit the last half of the season, which enabled them to extend the episodes slightly beyond the 22-minute standard broadcast sitcom fare.
Moving forward, since Netflix has already committed to a second season, the creators are debating how the new venue will change what they do. For instance, will the actors be permitted to use rawer language?
“We will have to find our own boundaries next year,” Carlock said. “The theme of the show is set so I don’t think it will be a drastic shift.”
One thing Fey’s happy about in moving to Netflix: no snipes, the term for promotions that often pop up onscreen.
“I love Debra Messing, but we won’t see her face” on “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” hawking her NBC show, Fey said.
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