Amazon Challenges Netflix With Original Series ‘Alpha House’ and ‘Betas’ Premiere Strategy

The efficacy of Netflix's model of releasing entire original series at once has yet to be proven, but it seems Amazon has decided to split the difference when it comes to debuting its first original series 'Alpha House' and 'Betas' over the coming month. Amazon will release several episodes at once before shifting into a weekly format, but when can we see either star-studded effort?

Intriguingly, 'Amazon' will release three episodes of the John Goodman-starring 'Alpha House' to any viewers on November 15, with Ed Begley Jr.'s computer comedy 'Betas' delivering its first three entries on November 22. Following the three-episode public release of either offering, Amazon Prime Instant Video will release one episode per week, in a hybrid of the Netflix and typical TV models.

“We will release three episodes upfront for all customers so they can try out the shows and get to know the characters. Then we will release new episodes via Prime Instant Video week by week so that customers can chat about the shows and build up anticipation," Amazon Studios director Roy Price said in a statement. "We’re constantly experimenting and trying new things—and we’re eager to hear customers’ feedback on this model.”

Written by Academy Award-nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winner Garry Trudeau, ‘Alpha House’ follows four senators (John Goodman, Clark Johnson, Matt Malloy, Mark Consuelos) who live together in a rented house in Washington, DC, co-starring Cynthia Nixon and Wanda Sykes. The Silicon Valley-set ‘Betas,’ produced by Michael London and written by Evan Endicott and Josh Stoddard, stars Joe Dinicol, Karan Soni and Ed Begley Jr. (‘Arrested Development’), and follows four friends as they attempt to strike it rich with a new mobile social networking app.

We'll be keeping an eye on Amazon as it enters the original series game, even after passing on 'Zombieland,' but check out the trailer for either new series below, and tell us if you'll catch 'Alpha House' or 'Betas' in the comments!