Tina Fey Comedy Moves from NBC to Netflix

BEVERLY HILLS: Netflix will be the exclusive home for the new comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, which was originally slated to premiere on NBC.

Netflix picked up two seasons of the comedy, which stars Ellie Kemper (The Office) as a woman who escapes from a doomsday cult and starts life over in New York. The 13-episode first season will launch exclusively across all Netflix territories in March 2015. The show is produced by Universal Television.

"The very construct of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt—its offbeat premise, hilarious and rich characters and serialized storytelling—make it a perfect Netflix comedy series," said Cindy Holland, the VP of original content at Netflix. "Tina and Robert's unique comic voice and sensibility come through in this series and we could not be more excited to present Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively to Netflix members around the world."

"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to debut Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt exclusively on Netflix, which has proven to be such an outstanding place for distinctive, original programming," said Fey and Carlock. "Happily, we will still collaborate with our longtime partners at Universal Television to fulfill Netflix's two-season order. We grew up at NBC and will continue to develop broadcast projects with them as well. We found the inspiration for this series in Ellie Kemper's shining all-American face, and we know that she and Kimmy Schmidt have found their best possible home at Netflix."

Robert Greenblatt, NBC Entertainment's chairman, stated: "When the opportunity arose for Tina Fey and Robert Carlock to premiere their new show on Netflix with a two-season commitment, we decided this was the best possible scenario to launch this captivating new series. While it was originally developed for NBC, we have a very drama-heavy mid-season schedule so we're thrilled about this Netflix opportunity; it's an instant win-win for everyone, including Tina, Robert and Universal Television. We're already talking to these extraordinary creators about new development for NBC, but meanwhile, everyone here from Universal Television will do everything possible to see that Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt becomes a long-running hit on Netflix."