Amazon Studios, the original film and series production arm of Amazon.com, today announced that it will add the comedy pilot Betas to the line-up of pilots already in production for Prime Instant Video. Betas, which is the eighth comedy pilot added to Amazon’s pilot line-up, will be made available (along with the other seven comedy pilots and six children’s pilots) for free on Amazon Instant Video, LOVEFiLM UK and LOVEFiLM Germany. Customers are invited to view the pilots and then review them on the site; customer feedback will help determine which of the 14 pilots Amazon Studios will make into full-season productions, to air on Prime Instant Video.
Set in the land of Silicon Valley start-ups where the right algorithm can make you king, Betas, written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, follows four computer geeks and their quest for nerd fame as they attempt to crack the ultimate code. Ed Begley Jr., Jon Daly, Joe Dinicol, Margo Harshman, Charlie Saxton and Karan Soni star in the pilot.
Michael Lehmann (Heathers, True Blood, Dexter, American Horror Story) will direct and produce the pilot along with Emmy Award winners Alan Freedland and Alan Cohen (King of the Hill, Due Date, American Dad), and Academy Award nominated producer Michael London (Sideways, The Visitor, The Informant).
“Amazon is giving us a chance to work outside the TV bureaucracies and connect directly with audiences hungry for original content, and Betas is the perfect match for that model,” said producer Michael London. “Betas is a half hour comedy about a group of tech-savvy millennials trying to connect with the world both personally and professionally. Speaking for the whole creative team on Betas, we couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of the first launch of Amazon Studios pilots and working with such an inspiring group of people.”
“We can’t wait to hear what fans think of this and the seven other comedy pilots we’re producing — we have unbelievable casts and crews working on these projects,” said Roy Price Director of Amazon Studios.
Betas joins the lineup of seven previously-announced comedy pilots: Alpha House, Browsers, Dark Minions, Onion News Empire, Supanatural , Those Who Can’t, and Zombieland.
