5 Exciting Streaming Originals in 2020
Netflix has become the biggest online streaming content distributor in the world a few years ago when it launched its service in almost every country. In the same year, it saw its revenues soar beyond $8 billion and its profits by more than 50%. Its business model – a mix of high-profile original content and licensed IPs from others – paid off big time. The revenues of Netflix have seen double-digit growth each year ever since.
Of course, the other media companies also wanted a slice of the pie, launching their own streaming services. And, learning from the example of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” and Netflix’s countless successful original series – like Stranger Things, Altered Carbon, The Witcher, and others. Now, most major media conglomerates are planning to boost their subscriber counts with a lineup of amazing original programming worthy of looking forward to. And many of them are slated to be released this year.
Star Trek: Section 31 (CBS All Access)
CBS All Access is a streaming service coupled with the CBS channels in the US, home to Star Trek, one of the most popular science-fiction franchises of all time. The series returned to the small screens in 2017 with Discovery, after a 12-year hiatus, giving fans a brand new crew to follow and a brand new format – seasons covering a major story arc without the “fillers” in between.
The success of Discovery opened the door for a brand new collection of Star Trek adventures. On one hand, the beloved Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart) returned to the screen in a self-titled series filled with action, adventure, and familiar faces from the older Star Trek series. On the other, several new series have been announced, including an animated series called “Star Trek: Lower Decks” created by the people behind the cult show “Rick and Morty”, and two live-action series – “Section 31” and “Strange New Worlds”.
The one closer to seeing the light of day is “Section 31”, a series following the adventures of a pretty controversial character from Discovery: former Emperor, now Agent Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). For those unfamiliar with her backstory, Terran Emperor Philippa Georgiou – Captain Philippa Georgiou’s alter-ego from the Mirror Universe – survives a coup by fleeing to our universe on board the Discovery. Her unique skill set and slightly warped mentality make her the perfect candidate for a job in Section 31, Starfleet’s secretive intelligence and defense organization. Based on her actions, she is a badass character, almost an antihero. And she deserves a series of her own.
Work on the new series should have started this spring, after the work on the third “Discovery” series was done – there is no word on when work on “Section 31” will begin. Hopefully, it will be able to progress as planned so we’ll have a chance to see the series this year.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Last year, the decade-long story arc of the Avengers came to an end. Earth’s mightiest heroes lost two of their most important members: Captain America decided to travel back in time to reunite with the love of his life, and Iron Man sacrificed himself to save the world from Thanos. But this was not the last time we got to meet our favorite characters. Many of them will return to the big screens in the coming years, and some of them will also take a second job on smaller screens – in series set to be released on Disney+.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be a six-part miniseries featuring Sam Wilson / Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). Set after the end of Endgame, the series will follow the two heroes’ adventures worldwide as they’ll encounter a new threat from Sokovian terrorist Baron Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl, know from Captain America: Civil War) and John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a character called “US Agent” or “Super Patriot” in the Marvel comics.
Not much is known about the actual story of the series – we’ll have to wait for it to be launched in August 2020.
Raised by Wolves (HBO Max)
Legendary moviemaker Ridley Scott doesn’t seem to retire despite turning 83 this November. As a result, we’ll have “Raised by Wolves”, a science fiction drama series created and directed by Scott together with screenwriter Aaron Guzikowski.
The series – that seems to be a “hard” science fiction story – will take its viewers in a distant future where two androids – Mother and Father – are tasked to raise a small colony of human children on a distant planet. The series will address issues like beliefs, religion, and society
The series reportedly finished filming, with the premiere set to take place this fall.
Brave New World (Peacock)
English author Aldous Huxley wrote his dystopian novel “Brave New World” in 1931 as a warning for future generations about the pitfalls of an over-engineered, intelligence-based society relying on science and psychological manipulation alone, ignoring instincts, emotions, and other things that make us human.
The series adaptation of the novel is set to be released on June 15, with Alden Ehrenreich in the role of the Savage, and David Wiener (Fear the Walking Dead, Flesh and Bone) behind the cameras.
The series will be launched on Peacock in the US and Sky One in the UK.
The Fugitive (Quibi)
Quibi, the new short-form streaming service stands out of the crowd because of its format: instead of creating content for large-screen TVs, it offers content that’s perfect for phone screens, held both horizontally and vertically. And it’s serious about becoming the number one mobile-first streaming provider: it plans to spend $1.1 billion on original content in its first year, consisting of over 8,500 10-minute episodes across 175 shows.
One of its most interesting projects is The Fugitive, a modern-day reimagining of the 1963 television series of the same name. In it, blue-collar worker Mike Ferro (Boyd Holbrook) is wrongfully accused (based on evidence found on the scene) of orchestrating a bombing in the Los Angeles subway. Ferro has to avoid apprehension in a social-media-filled world, hated by the public, and chased by legendary cop Clay Bryce (Kiefer Sutherland) while trying to prove his innocence.
The series was developed by The Sopranos writer Nick Santora, and directed by Stephen Hopkins, known for movies like Predator 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, and several episodes of the successful series 24.
