The Man in the High Castle

Amazon is going all-out for its original series, but that money has to come from somewhere. The company confirms its Prime membership costs will rise 20% next month, and it may just have to do with all those expensive new TV offerings like Lord of the Rings.

The metrics of streaming success are as opaque as ever, but new insight into Amazon’s spending habits may reveal its top-rated shows. New reports identify how Amazon rates original programming as a hit, and may reveal a huge price tag for some of its shows.

Amazon has undergone significant changes in recent months with regard to its TV department. Not only is the company aiming for broader, Lord of the Rings-size hits under a new studio head, but Amazon may drop its signature pilot process of letting viewers pick new series.

Another major shift has taken place in the ongoing harassment awareness around Harvey Weinstein. Amazon Studio boss Roy Price has officially resigned his position, after being placed on leave for allegations by Man in the High Castle executive producer Isa Dick Hackett.

Another incident of Hollywood sexual abuse has come to light in the wake of Harvey Weinstein, as Amazon head Roy Price will now take a leave of absence. The studio boss reportedly harassed Man in the High Castle executive producer Isa Hackett during Comic-Con 2015, and ignored Rose McGowan’s reports of Weinstein’s assault.

Amazon’s Man in the High Castle counts itself among the many series that became unexpectedly topical after 2016 elections, and its newest star should inspire at least some Patriot-ism. Jason O’Mara becomes a major new player for Season 3, but whose side is he on?

Whatever your political leanings, we’ve all wondered at one point whether reality was starting to split in different directions. Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee has gone to that post-election well once before, and now goes full-on Man in the High Castle for her Not The White House Correspondents’ Dinner vision of Hillary’s America.

Politics aside, one couldn’t overlook The Man in the High Castle Season 2 arriving at a timely moment when fear of fascist takeover grips the country. Amazon’s alternate-reality drama can’t seem to stop courting controversy with its use of Nazi themes, and now a tie-in “Resistance Radio” has drawn fire from supporters interpreting its message as anti-Trump.

Amazon’s existing alternate-reality drama The Man in the High Castle has felt a shade too real in recent months, so hopefully The Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder can come up with something a bit less terrifying. The revered writer and cartoonist is partnering with Amazon for a new alternate-reality drama project, with a mysterious premise at that.

If the thought of an America overrun by fascists and always on the brink of nuclear annihilation offers no comfort, you may at least want to stay off Amazon in 2017. The Man in the High Castle has officially been renewed for Season 3, and with a new showrunner (or rather, a showrunner) at that.