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ABC dominated the late 70s ratings in large measure because of Tuesday night sitcoms likeThrees CompanyandLaverne & Shirley.
The streaming giant doesnt want to be known for any one particular kind of comedy.
It wants to be the home ofallthe comedy brands.
We want to have everyones favorite show, says Jane Wiseman, Netflix VP of original comedy series.
For years, I thought I was going to be doing movies.
I couldnt see a place for myself in TV, he says.
We were going to film it, and then their money just went away, he says.
They got theirbudgets cut.
Its not a giant, he says.
At least the executives I dealt with, it wasnt that many people.
Thats exactly how Wiseman says she set up her comedy production and development engine.
We have a platform that speaks to people on a global scale.
And I think thats what excited Paul about it as well.
The fact that we haveSpace Forcein production right now, its the same thing.
Its so incredibly exciting, the level of talent that we can attract to us.
But is it getting harder to attract that talent?
But weve been doing this now for six years, so we really got ahead of it early.
Having a lot of resources has to help a lot, right?
Is that how you think of it?Ive been working in comedy for 18 years.
There is such a high failure rate in data pipe TV.
We did our best.
But its just a different world now.
We dont have any of that.
We dont have advertisers.
I love to say we make shows for ages six to 106.
There might be some drama or sadness as well.
These stories are unafraid to tackle big life questions through a comedic lens.
[In 2019], those really resonated for us.
Thats a great brand that were going to keep doing.
Tim Greenberg said thatLiving With Yourselfhas its roots in movies such asThe Truman ShowandGroundhog Day.
We want the creative to drive the tone and length.
Is it safe to call NBCsThe Good Placean elevated comedy too?It is.
And Im a big fan of it, by the way!
The show is high concept and tackles real-life questions.
Youve carved out two more groups within your division, adult animation and family sitcoms and kids.
Tell me more about those.The tried-and-true sitcom is something that were really doubling down on.Mr.
Iglesias, we just renewed.Family Reunionis a great show that is going into its second season.
We have a show with Mike Epps and Wanda Sykes coming out calledThe Upshaws.
We have a show with Kevin James calledThe Crew,set in the NASCAR world.
We have a multi-cam with Dennis Quaid,Merry Happy Whatever,which will be Christmas time.
Theres also the live-action kids [comedy brand], where we just launchedTeam Kaylie.
And then, of course, adult animation withBig MouthandDisenchantmentandF Is for FamilyandBoJack.
We just want to be the No.
We want to have everyones favorite show.
We know that people have lots of different tastes and were aiming to really fulfill those needs.
All of our shows have elements of humor.
Its just different types of humor.
The more conventional comedies dont get the buzz that aLiving With YourselforRussian Dollmight, though.
Have you considered doing weekly episodic releases for the sitcom-like shows?
Weve definitely experimented with shorter orders released in batches.
LikeThe Ranch?LikeThe Ranch.
And youll see a little bit more of that in the future.
But as far as weekly, I dont think thats our model.
It feels like it can break out.
It doesnt always happen.
But some of the longer-running shows debuted years ago.
Would you still greenlight a show today for Netflix that would run 80-plus episodes?We would!
Whats your role as the head of comedy in guiding the creative community?
Or Lets come up with an idea for Steve Carell.
No, we have a strategy.
Our biggest, most powerful tool is Netflix itself the product.
We really get a sense of what people are watching.
Right now, we feel like theres a dearth of sitcoms that are really resonating.
I know data is key at Netflix, but how do you figure out what its saying?
There are many shows that were green lights based on gut.
Lets have Steve Carell and Greg Daniels make the next great office comedy [withSpace Force].
Its a little bit of both, to be blunt.
WithOne Day at a Time, we made three incredible seasons of that show.
Thats the important thing.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
