Skip to main content

Amazon to debut Woody Allen’s first ever TV series

woody allen amazon 12
Image used with permission by copyright holder
When it comes to original programming, it appears Amazon is finally hitting its stride. After taking home some coveted bling from the Golden Globes this past Sunday for the original comedy series Transparent, including Best Television Series, and Best Actor — Comedy or Musical for Jeffrey Tambor, the e-commerce giant today announced a deal with Woody Allen for the reclusive genius’ first ever TV show.

The acclaimed writer/director and neurotic-comedian extraordinaire will be given a full season order for a series consisting of an unknown number of 30-minute episodes which he will write and direct. Details on the upcoming series are scarce at best. There is no word on a release date or casting information, and the series is currently being called Untitled Woody Allen Project.

According to the official press release posted on Amazon’s corporate website, Allen is as shocked about this deal as the rest of us ““I don’t know how I got into this,” Allen stated “I have no ideas and I’m not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price [Vice President of Amazon Studios] will regret this.”

Allen is represented by talent agency ICM Partners which also represents Transparent star Amy Landecker.

This is the first time Amazon has ordered a full season of original programming on the company’s Instant Video platform without going through its pilot program. Every other original Amazon series has begun with a pilot episode, which then goes through a round of voting by Amazon Prime members, including Transparent. Amazon’s first pilot season of 2015 will debut on January 15, and will feature 13 new TV shows, including pilots from Ridley Scott, Manhattan creator Sam Shaw, Lie to Me‘s Sam Baum.

This will mark Amazon’s third pilot season in under a year, after a 10 month gap between its first and second pilot seasons. Woody Allen’s new series, whatever it may be, is expected to air on Amazon Instant Video sometime next year.

Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

Keith Nelson Jr.
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Keith Nelson Jr is a music/tech journalist making big pictures by connecting dots. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY he…
3 great British TV crime shows you need to watch in July 2024
A man is questioned by two people in Criminal: UK.

It's getting hot in July, so what better way to cool down than to stay inside and watch some good television? The summer season is usually the season of big-budget action flicks like Bad Boys: Ride or Die or Twisters, but crime shows are just as good and British crime shows are the very best the genre has to offer.

Want a suspenseful procedural that has a parade of famous guest stars? How about a show based on a real-life serial killer? Or a detective series set in a scenic coastal town? If your answer is yes, then the following three shows are just the ticket for quality summertime entertainment.

Read more
Apple TV’s InSight feature is ready to take on Amazon Prime Video’s X-Ray
Apple TV's Insight feature showing character and music information on screen.

We have a new developer beta for tvOS 18 — the software that runs on Apple TV devices — and with it comes our first look at a major new feature. InSight is Apple's answer to Amazon Prime Video's X-Ray, which provides quick and easy access to who's in a scene, and what music may be accompanying it.

Aside from some basic user interface differences like fonts and design elements — InSight definitively looks and feels like Apple, and X-Ray retains Prime Video's less-sleek motif — they basically work the same. While a movie or show is playing, you can pause or press down (the latter takes you straight to the info) to see thumbnails of the actors on-screen, including their real name (or stage name, we suppose), and the character's name. Click through one of the thumbnails and you'll get more information about the actor, and easy links to other films and shows they appear in, as well as roles they have served in some other capacity. Ted Lasso's Brett Goldstein, for example, has movie and series thumbnails, and he also has tiles for producing and writing.

Read more
3 rom-coms on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in July
Mark Ruffalo and Jennifer Garner cuddling up together on a couch outside in a scene from 13 Going on 30.

Rom-coms make you feel good any time of the year. But on a nice summer night, it’s the best way to relax in front of the TV after a busy day out with the kids or while chilling at the trailer or cottage. The 2000s was a pretty hot year for rom-coms with several memorable ones that performed well at the box office and/or went over well with fans.

Actors like Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and Paul Rudd are no strangers to the genre, and they star in three rom-coms on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in July. Each begins with a unique story, from a man trying to achieve a milestone to a teen who wishes to bypass the awkward years and a couple whose marriage is put to the test. They all have their own tones and twists, but each is fun to watch in its own right.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Read more