In keeping with its push to add original and exclusive content to its growing library, Netflix has secured the U.S rights to Derek, a British series starring Ricky Gervais, and will begin offering it to viewers here on Sept. 12.
Derek is a short series made up of seven half-hour episodes, and stars Gervais as a “different” man working at a nursing home. What makes his character different isn’t clearly defined, and the actor has been criticized for how the show portrays those with intellectual or learning disabilities.
Either way, the show will add to Netflix’s recent penchant for offering more content that can’t be found anywhere else. The success of House of Cards, and the upcoming revival of Arrested Development on May 26, both exclusive to the streaming service, have swung open doors to more exclusive content in the future. Though Derek isn’t a Netflix production, it won’t be shown anywhere else for an undisclosed period of time.
Gervais has also been working on a new Web series called Learn English with Ricky Gervais, which doesn’t have distribution on Netflix, and nothing was announced suggesting it was going to be picked up.
Even so, Netflix, Hulu and even Roku are becoming popular alternatives to distribute programming that might have otherwise hit the cutting room floor. Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon have each announced plans for streaming their own productions, while Microsoft has hinted at doing the same with either its new Xbox One or a rumored separate streaming box.
