Chris Carter’s The After Gets The Green Light Along With A Handful Of Sci-Fi Kid Shows
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Part of the fun in science fiction is not always being able to tell what will happen next, as the genre allows for any and all outcomes. We reported earlier this month that the second Amazon Original Pilot season produced four pilots that were picked up to be turned into full series, but the ubiquitous online retailer had yet to officially make a statement one way or another. And for better or worse, they finally did, not only confirming that X-Files creator Chris Carter’s trope-filled mystery series, The After, is coming back, but they’ve also added two children’s shows to the mix, and several preschool series. I know some of you have been violently clamoring for GFR to create a section of the website dedicated to preschoolers’ programming, and this is just the first step.
An outsider might wonder just what kind of ratings, or whatever the new-fangled word is for Internet views, that these web-centered series get. Roy Price, Director of Amazon Studios, sheds a little light, though without actually letting any specific numbers come out.
“We had a tremendous response to Amazon Studios’ latest pilots,” he said in a statement. “In fact, double the number of customers watched these pilots compared to our first season and they posted thousands of heartfelt reviews with pleas for us to continue with these shows.”
I can’t help but think that Carter himself was at least a dozen of the people passionately calling for The After‘s post-apocalyptic storyline to get fleshed out with a full season. Seemingly, the full cast (including Aldis Hodge, Andrew Howard, Arielle Kebbel, Jamie Kennedy, Sharon Lawrence, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Adrian Pasdar and Louise Monot) will be returning to figure out just what the hell happened to the world on that fateful day, when explosions rocked the air and otherworldly creatures are hiding in the woods.
I reviewed the pilot when it came out, and though it was rife with awkward performances, bad plot mechanics, and insulting stereotypes, I was still interested enough in what I saw that I’ll be back for at least a handful of episodes when it returns. I have faith that Carter knows what he wants to do with this story, but I’m not sure anyone he cast in this show has any idea.
As far as the other Amazon series that made the grade, we’ll be seeing the Jeffrey Tambor-led comedy Transparent, the cop-heavy Michael Connolly adaptation Bosch, and the high-and-low-brow comedic drama Mozart in the Jungle. The children’s shows that got the green light are the adventure show Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street and the magical series Wishenpoof!. Additionally, this summer will see the premiere of Amazon’s kids series Tumble Leaf, Annedroids, and Creative Galaxy. The last two are both in our wheelhouse, as Annedroids is a droid-filled adventure and Creative Galaxy is an art-themed show for young viewers set in space.
You can still watch The After HERE to make your own decision in how you feel about the return of Jamie Kennedy in clown make-up.
