Netflix’s Penelope looks like an intriguing mix of coming-of-age stories and wilderness adventure series β and may be cancelable
If you’re increasingly wary of committing to a show for fear it will join the ranks of Netflix’s canceled shows just as you become addicted, you’re not alone. And a new show, the young adult drama Penelopetries to do something about it.
Penelope stars Megan Stott from Little fires everywhere as a disaffected 16-year-old girl who leaves her family and her life behind to build a new life in the wilderness and learns to live off the land alone. It was written during the pandemic, but when the creators tried to get it commissioned, no one chose to make it. So they decided to go the indie route instead. The show was a big hit at Sundance and Netflix has now picked up US distribution rights to the eight-episode first season.
The show attempts something that is common in indie filmmaking but still relatively rare in streaming TV. Instead of commissioning and paying a major streamer like Netflix to produce the show, the show’s creators created the entire series themselves and then signed a short-term deal for Netflix to distribute it. This means that if Netflix decides that season two is not suitable for the streamer, this should not prevent the second series from being made and shown elsewhere.
Speak with The Hollywood Reporterexplained co-creator Mark Duplass, “we brought it (to streamers) and everyone was like, this is so beautiful and unique, so deeply connected to something I’ve lost.”
And then they said they couldn’t make it. So Duplass and director Mel Eslyn made it instead.
Why these types of distribution deals could help lift the cancellation curse
The problem with making streamers pay for your shows is that it puts all your show’s eggs in one streamer basket. And that’s why we all know the disappointment of the “won’t they” drama of a hit show when it ends without a new season confirmed yet. Netflix in particular has a strong history of disappointing cancellations.
According to Duplass, Penelope is groundbreaking here. “From unpacking the show and figuring out how we’re going to sell it or making deals with our actors, no one knows how to do it… So there was actually a childlike fun. We were just making up new deal structures.” we went along.β
Using what they call a “piecemeal” model, the creators can sell different streaming rights to different services in different parts of the world, rather than trying to convince Netflix that they can make a global hit. βWe basically relieved (them) of the responsibility of making us their flagship brand,β Duplass says.
That’s especially important when it comes to future seasons, because the show isn’t dependent on the priorities or spreadsheets of a single streaming provider. If Netflix goes through with season two, there should be enough deals elsewhere to finance another season and make it available to fans. For example, with this show, the creators retain the rights to the show everywhere except the US, including the video-on-demand rental rights.
βIdeally, we watch how we do on Netflix,β Dupress explains. βIn the event that it becomes a big success, you might see a bigger scope for season two.β And if it’s quite successful instead of a mega-hit, “we might write it for a smaller scope, but at least we’re now in the driver’s seat as to whether we can keep making this show.”
It also means the showrunners have more control over their show: they don’t have to convince any provider that their show will be a big hit in multiple markets and potentially change it to make it more broadly appealing. And Dupress is so convinced that the model is a good one that his studio has used it for three other shows: a documentary and two comedies.
Penelope will stream on Netflix US this year, while other streamers in other countries will be confirmed.