Ted Sarandos Marks Decade Of Netflix Original Series On Anniversary Of ‘Lilyhammer’ Premiere
deadline.comOn Feb 6, 2012, Lilyhammer, starring The Sopranos and E Street Band’s Stevie Van Zandt, marked the first original series to premiere on Netflix and introduced the binge model of releasing full TV seasons at once.
The streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos marked the anniversary with an essay posted on Netflix’s Web site and a video chat with Van Zandt in which the two reminisce about how the show got on Netflix and its legacy.There is an asterisk to Lilyhammer‘s place in Netflix’s history.
As Sarandos and Van Zandt admit in the video, House Of Cards was the first original series ordered by Netflix in a mega deal that shook up Hollywood.
It was that news that prompted Van Zandt to seek a meeting with Sarandos. At the time, Lilyhammer already had a completed first season, so Netflix acquired a finished show that leapfrogged House Of Cards to the air. (Lilyhammer also makes for a more straight-forward celebration and a far less awkward conversation than a video chat with that series’ star Kevin Spacey.)Both Sarandos and Van Zandt acknowledged the symbolism in the fact that Netflix’s first original was a local Norwegian production featuring subtitles.
Read more on deadline.com
